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.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RMoeNay:
Photo of RMoeNay
Rated by RMoeNay from Connecticut

4/5  rDev +8.4%

Nov 16, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.47 by N1Nkasi from Connecticut

Aug 14, 2015
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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: 4.25 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
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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
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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
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.59/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to Knifestyles for the trade on this unique growler. I cant really think of a time when opening up a 2 liter growler of 11% barleywine from 2006 is a good idea but what the hell. I had a bunch of BA's over for a bottle share on Saturday and that was about as good of a time as any to finally crack this open.

Poured from a growler into a snifter, it appears a deep clear color of brownish burnt mahogany with reddish highlights. When held to the light it displays deep clear ruby coloration and an orange tint around the edges. A vigorous pour years only a few bubbles atop the brew, hardly anything I would consider a formation of head.

The aroma of this brew is sweet and malty with a scent that is very sherry-like. The deep sweetness reveals layers of alcohol laden fruit like raisins, dates, prunes. Lots of caramelized sugars with a light toasted appeal. There is a light indication of oxidation present that leads the way towards a faint cardboard characteristic but not quite because the alcohol comes through to wipe anyway any off characteristics to the nose.

The taste of this brew includes a lightly musty grain characteristic that again brings me back to a characteristic of cardboard-like oxidation. There is a big and boozy appeal to this brew tasting like dark fruits similar to raisins or prunes with a modest backing bitterness that lingers inside the mouth with a faint herbal flavor that pales in comparison to the high octane kick of the alcohol. The aftertaste is somewhat nutty reminding me of chestnuts. More sips reveal a medicinal quality that just never quite comes together for me.

This is a full bodied brew with a very low level of carbonation. It was enjoyable and complex if you took the time to enjoy it without concentrating too much on the negative aspects. The alcohol inclusion in this brew is nearly numbing on the tongue and quite evaporative, it could have easily lasted much longer if aged and melded together to be an ever better brew if the oxidation was not present. A little bit of carbonation would have gone a long way in this offering, just the slightest bit would have been quite welcomed. Regardless, I never had the chance to get a bottle of this, so I was very excited to get to try this from one of the last remaining kegs of this brew. Unfortunately it is gone now except for those who have bottles remaining. I hope Rob and Matt seriously consider revisiting this brew because it has potential.
Apr 06, 2011
Three Judges Barleywine from New England Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 52 ratings