Three Judges Barleywine
New England Brewing Co.

Three Judges BarleywineThree Judges Barleywine
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From:
New England Brewing Co.
 
Connecticut, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
11%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 15.72%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
52
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 14, 2015
Added:
Mar 12, 2005
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
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Ratings by EPseja:
Photo of EPseja
Reviewed by EPseja from New Jersey

2.61/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Served from a wax-sealed, vintage 2004 12oz bottle in a Duvel tulip at just below cellar temperature.

A - Pours initially a vibrant orange color, then switches over to more of a hazy prune-juice hue. There is not one bubble of head visible at all, and neither the etching at the bottom of the Duvel tulip nor a vigorous swirl can make one rise. Needless to say, there is no lacing whatsoever.

S - Big, slightly musty malts with dry, dark fruits like figs and raisins. A monstrous, salty soy note in the nose grows with rising temperature. There are also pleasing maple syrup and pipe tobacco essences that save the day.

T - Sweet, toasty malts up front with a very slight smoked peat note. The middle rounds it out nicely as the hops begin to show. The back of the tongue is where the alcohol comes through with a very warming, yet not "hot" character. The finish is easy, only mildly dry and not very hopped. Slight notes of must are in the aftertaste, but I suppose that's part of what you get with a 2004 vintage.

M - Watery in with only the faintest hint of carbonation (which luckily isn't too bad in my eyes, and it's only saving grace in mouthfeel). Swallow is quick and without any bravado.

D - Barleywines are supposed to take a few years of aging, but I'm not sure if what I'm tasting is a Barleywine that hasn't aged well, or was mishandled in storage along the way. It's tasty, that's true, but it has no other appeal at all other than it's taste. For the style, let's just say that it's a good thing it's retired. Go find another Barleywine.
Feb 15, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.47 by N1Nkasi from Connecticut

Aug 14, 2015
Photo of CTJman
Rated by CTJman from Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Can I say port wine
Jun 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by PatGreer from Massachusetts

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.92 by trimtab from California

Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by braugon from Connecticut

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by RMoeNay from Connecticut

Nov 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by tobelerone from New Jersey

Nov 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jul 07, 2013
Photo of cfrances33
Reviewed by cfrances33 from Illinois

4.02/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
2004 bottle thanks to davey101, poured into a Surly snifter.

First, let me say this beer is a bear to open. Thick wax PLUS tape? NEBCO, I didn't plan on using the jaws of life to have a beer.

Pour: Crystal clear deep amber/brown, with no head at all. Some bubble arose from a vigorous pour, but then it just sits there still. Looks kinda like Xyauyu.

Smell: Woah... this smells better than expected. Big toffee up front, plus some heavy raisins, figs, and a touch of plum. I can tell this will be sticky. Booze is still evident.

Taste: Follows the nose with lots of very sticky toffee and caramel. Chewy fruits come in with more raisin and fig. A touch of oxidation, but if anything, it serves to bring out the chewy fruits. Finishes sticky with a lingering toffee and raisin.

Mouthfeel: Insanely sticky, and a huge sipper. Rather sweet, and still rather hot. This is a sipper for sure... I wish I shared this honestly, because I think 4 ounces would be perfect - not because it tastes bad, but it just tastes big with how sticky it is.

Overall: Surprisingly good. This bottle at least withstood the test of time. Thanks Dave!
Mar 07, 2013
Photo of davey101
Reviewed by davey101 from Connecticut

3.48/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25
2004 vintage. Huge thanks to tehzachatak for muling this bottle from the elusive Downtown Davis Square store which seemed to magically unearth this beer r. I have some other bottles with cracked wax and various fill lines, but this had the highest and the wax was all in tact. Speaking of wax, it is insanely brittle and a huge pain to remove. After I sliced my hands and managed to scrape all of it off of the cap I was left with a brown New England Brewing bottle cap and a piece of white/clear tape. So, 12 oz bottle into a 668 tulip.

A - Pours a clear red/purple body. A few bubbles form and a very slight khaki edge forms before popping away. Now I'm left with a still liquor like liquid. Holding it up to the light produces a lovely burnt amber body. A swirl does create a thin alcohol lacing. Looks pretty damn inviting despite not looking like a beer.

S - Raisins, and a whole lot of them!! Just gobs of raisins, caramel, and toffee. A touch of citric hops and fruit cake. Finishes with a bit of spice and a tingling alcohol. Sweet and ever so slightly savory.

T - Raisins, caramel, toffee and a bit of oxidation. Muted and tame. Finishes clean and light with no body to carry flavors through. Alcohol warmth on the end.

M - Spoiler alert: Its dead. Zero life and a body that's barely clinging onto "medium". Drinks like a port or sherry, but lacks much of an aftertaste to help things out.

O - A long time want of mine fully met. It's held up well for an 8 year old barleywine. Its certainly not a great beer though. The aroma is burnt raisins muddled in an expired fruit cake and the taste is surprisingly lackluster and light on the finish. This beer has some parallels with Raison D'extra, only its missing the alcohol bite and massive taste that makes that beer so great. Is this worth trading for? Not unless you're either a die hard NEBCO-fan or you enjoy beers that are way over the hill. I wonder how close this was fresh to the new Premeditated Murder barleywine.

edit: I've since opened another bottle that was much better. I would probably rate it closer to a 4.0
Feb 06, 2013
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

3.66/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2004 vintage, red waxx, lost abbey glass

9 years has removed any trace of carbonation that may have existed - a still ruby body, placid as an alpine lake. Smells of rich caramel, booze, sweet malts. Very sweet, lush caramel, boozy, old. Held up pretty well for a 2004 release - all thats left is the malt and the booze - this will put hair on your chest
Jan 28, 2013
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.32/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2004 release poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a coppery brown color, with no head and no lace.

S: The aroma contains brown sugar, molasses, caramelized malts, some fruit and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts with sweet flavors of brown sugar dark fruit, molasses and bourbon. Then a hearty malt character comes in along with a slight alcohol sting. There is very little hops presence left after 8 years as you would expect. There is still a bit of balance and some smokiness is in the background. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and a little crisp, medium body, carbonation is completely gone despite a thread-taped and wax-sealed cap, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, this beer is obviously way past its which is quite regrettable. I’m betting this was a pretty good beer either fresh or at about 2-3 years old.
Dec 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gambrinus1184 from Connecticut

Aug 21, 2012
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Huge thanks to Francois for letting my crack this one. 2004 vintage.

No head, crystal clear reddish copper color.

Nose sweet malts, caramel, candy, toffee, light booze, fruits apple pear etc, hint if brandy soaked golden raisins, nice reddish malts.

Taste sweet reddish malts, caramel, light metallic copper malts, toffee, candied apple, pear, brandy soaked golden raisins and apricots, stone warning tingly booze, etc. finish is hot with booze, candy apple, fruits, caramel sweeteners, reddish malts all lingering.

Mouth is fuller bodied, slight syrupy, hot booze, no carb.

Overall nice, well done aged barleywine, nice malts and sweeteners, no carb hurts a little, hot booze, tasty.
May 28, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by chrispoint from Connecticut

Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

4.74/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A rare brew shared by brewmaster Rubby, this 2002 vintage barleywine has a thick, cloudy tea color, milky and swimming with substance. There is no evidence of a head or lacing but I imagine that can be largely attributed to its age. As if to make up for the missing bubblage, the aroma brings huge caramel bourbon, chocolate smoke, heavy creamy malt and tobacco. The flavor is boozy bourbon blended deliciously with chocolate milk and toffee peat. Wow. Both the smell and flavor are just lovely. It feels pretty syrupy with heavy body that is not far past mid-bodied. This is clearly not to be sessioned but just a pure treat to smell and sip. Wish there were more of these on the shelf, and I expect it does continue to improve with age as the label proclaims. Thank you Rubby!
Sep 25, 2011
Photo of MikeyMikee
Reviewed by MikeyMikee from New York

4.53/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had a 2005 back in January '11 at a Tap Takeover at Prime 16 in CT.

A- Orange sunset with absolutely no head what-so-ever.

S- Sweet caramel malts with some slight citrus undertones.

T- Sweet, heavy caramel and a little spice. Some alcohol is present but not in a bad way. A little bit of orange oil at the end.

M- Very viscous, incredibly smooth.

O- Very drinkable but too sweet to drink all night long..1 or 2 - 8 oz servings was all I could handle in one night. Really awesome beer.
Jun 03, 2011
Three Judges Barleywine from New England Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 52 ratings