AleSmith Old Numbskull - AleSmith Brewing Company

yamar68

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Another winner from Hugonaut13:

Swampy, glowing red body with an oily finger of off-white head that leaves drastic lace with a bit of booze legs.

Interesting. Deep malt aromas with chocolate and orange. Citrus and chocolate don't always work together for me so I can really appreciate the combo when it's a success. Raw, earthy barley sweetness with vanilla and peat.

The citric bitterness is still quite evident... papery malt flavors can't quite compete with the hops and alcohol content (which I like).

This is pretty damn unique. I'd be interested to see how the barrel aged version compares.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:01:02 | More by yamar68

themind

New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Numbskull is a very good barley wine as I enjoyed it very much. The skull pours a very generous head and has crisp carbonation. The aroma to me is molasses and dark fruit. The skull was hot but I did not age this one very long. I would purchase this again and since I have five more bottles I can experiment with age. Overall this is not Fegleys brewery barleywine but it's good.

Bottom Line: Good!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:33:17 | More by themind

SLeffler27

New York

3.68/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Builds a one inch, rocky, beige head that slowly drops, leaving a coating of lace above a reddish brown, hazed ale.

This has a nice balance of sweet malt and pine, offset against orange. Fruit is more prominent than any spice.

A Dogfish Head snifter showcases this quite bitter beer with lots of grapefruit and pine tar. The background contains black tea and, oddly, some roasted malt. The finish is drawn out and builds in bitterness.

A full body with fine, prickly carbonation and dry alcohol as expected. There is a touch of astringency in this chewy beer with a woolly texture.

Old Numbskull is definitely a sipping beer with strong flavors. Bitterness is assertive and it warms well, probably best with a meal. I’ll finish this bottle with dinner tomorrow.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 21:15:56 | More by SLeffler27

Vixie

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep red color with a large tan head that longers for some time

Smell starts out a bit sweet, candy like with caramel and a bit of sweetness. There is a bit of a floral and grassy mix from the hops as well.

Starts out on the sweet side with caramel and candy sugar notes, then the hops kick in. The sugar taste is similar to a Belgian candy sugar.

Feel is pretty decent, maybe a touch on the thin side.

This beer reminds me a lot of an IPA. It starts out a bit sweet, but the hops kick in so fast, the sweetness is quickly overwhelmed. I think cutting back on the hops a bit would provide a better balance. If you like a hoppy beer, give this one a try. I am not a big fan of a lot of hops, but if you are, worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 02:11:36 | More by Vixie

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - pours a deep murky cherry wood/ mahogany color. bubbly frothy light tan foam. leaves little dots of lacing against the glass.

S - nose is deep and sweet. notes of blackstrap molasses, burnt sugar, and gooey caramel. faint notes of citrus as well as hints of clover honey, black peppercorns, and allspice.

T - deep toasty, caramel flavors. notes of burnt sugar and molasses. almost like an unsalted pretzel. deep woody, almost tree bark like flavors as well. notes of allspice blend with herbal and earthy bitterness. peppery notes on the finish with maybe a tinge of warming alcohol.

M - Full bodied. buttery texture. almost like it has touched oak. carbonation is medium at best adding to the syrupy thickness of it.

O - a feel like i caught this beer at a strange time. It seems like it is inbetween trying to be hoppy and trying to be malty. I would definitely like to give it a try again though to get a better idea of where the sweet spot is.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 02:18:25 | More by Teleweizen2

Lucho

Florida

4.09/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a nice and thick caramel with a 1 1/2 finger head that leaves the 1/2 head for a while. There is some sediment.

Smell: hops and sweet malts and caramel. There is a slight vanilla scent too. there is some alcohol presence

Taste: This is yummy. sweet malts and caramel with a good hop backbone. nice west coast style.

Mouthfeel: medium to thick body with a great mouth feel. leaves a malt and sweet resinous quality.

Overall: This is a really good beer. A great interpretation of a hoppy barelywine.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 00:43:18 | More by Lucho

eric5bellies

Australia

4.53/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Duvel tulip

A - Pours a dark clear copper mahogany colour.

S - Intense aromas of wood whiskey, hop and malt. Has a cola aroma too. Very intense.

T - Up front some some nice hop and malt flavours.Wow the finish is long and chocolatey and toffee, very nice indeed.

M - Full body and medium carbonation.

O - This is a massive beer, the flavours are very complex and its one of the few beers that you can smell from the glass when its on the table in fri=ont of you. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 11:55:24 | More by eric5bellies

C_bill

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a large wine glass. Smell is very alcoholic with some malty notes, but nothing specific. Deep amber to ruby in appearance with a good head initially that dissipates fairly quickly. Good lacing throughout drinking the bottle.

It has a very malty taste, with toffee being the most predominant flavor. It is pretty well balanced, but the hop flavor doesn't really show through the maltiness and alcohol level. Very viscous.

Overall a good representation of the style, though it could have a little more hop balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 02:43:07 | More by C_bill

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I think this has been on my wants list since I signed up to BA years ago.
2012/2013 bottle into snifter.

Super hazy burnt copper/brown pour. Slightly creamy, half finger light tan head. Lacing is minimal.

Right up front alcohol, citrus, sweet cookies, dark stone fruits, caramel, toffee and some bitter pine.

Bitter pine, sweet candied sugar, caramel, light coffee, sweet malts, dates, figs and a touch of alcohol. It's amazing how the aroma has a strong alcohol and the taste has almost none.

Light to medium body, low carbonation with a slight alcohol warmth.

This was well worth the wait. It's listed as American but it has an English influence.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 22:19:30 | More by korguy123

BilbosNuts

California

4.14/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a tulip.

A: Pours a cloudy garnet color with a off white, thick, frothy head with great retention. Appears still and leaves some spotted lacing behind.

S: Very strong dark fruits up front with a big kick of alcohol and piney hopes towards the finish.

T: Matches the aroma to perfection. Dark fruits including figs, raisins, and plums come through initially, followed by a slight booziness and a light hoppy finish.

M: Medium bodied and lightly carbonated. The alcohol is hidden dangerously well. Finishes with a slight drying effect

O: A solid barleywine all around. Alesmith continues to impress me. I will seek this one out again including other offerings from this great brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 04:17:45 | More by BilbosNuts

McD0uche

California

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep red/apricot color with some haze topped by a nice billowy caramel head. The retention is superb, and as the head subsides, leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass.

S: Caramel, citrus, hops, malts, toffee, licorice, fruits.

T: A bold, complex flavor that is sweet, boozy, and similar to the smell... ...with caramel, yeast, and hops dominating the palate. Very delicious.

M: Well balanced--the carbonation is at the right level. A little chewy. Finishes dry.

O: I thoroughly enjoyed this barleywine, and will be aiming to pick some more up so I can age it to perfection.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 23:07:52 | More by McD0uche

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: creme head, soft-ish and spongy - really (infected-looking) hazy, burgundy liquid - some spotty, crystalline lacing...it looks like a barleywine, however, the amount of haze, even when pouring very carefully in an attempt not to disturb the sediment, was off-putting to the eye

S: potent, orange-peel citrusy hops, (rasp)berry fruit puree...dark, raisin-y crystal malts...vaguely perfumy alcohol....as it warms, a ton of caramel....it smelled good, nothing unique...perhaps a little muted by yeast

T: caramel malty, dried-out caramel chews....backed with a ester-y alcohol and a good bit of raisin in the aftertaste...immediately reminiscent of SN Bigfoot (or any textbook American barleywine)....bit of a yeasty flavor on the edges, dry, piney hops....the alcohol is not harsh or hot and it's felt a hair above and ahead of the malts....little bit of smoke and tobacco on the end

M: a fullish body, a little residual syrupy-ness, yet not too viscous....the alcohol and the moderate bitterness do a decent job of establishing some balance, taming the concentrated crystal malts - it's dry enough and its warmth is nice and mellow

O: a solid effort - nothing particularly noteworthy other than the heightened yeast flavor and the moderate depth and intensity of the caramel flavors

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 17:20:36 | More by Bouleboubier

GotWad629

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a murky amber with a thick head that slowly dissipates leaving a good amount of sticky lacing.

Smells exactly like a west coast barley should. Caramel and toffee with a big citrus presence.

Toffee, caramel, pine, citrus and resinous hop all come through in the flavor. A very complex beer for sure. A perfectly balanced west coast barley wine. The hops are definitely present but they don't over power the malt profile.

The mouthfeel is thick and chewy. It ends with a nice dry finish.

I've got to cellar this one

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 05:26:46 | More by GotWad629

rapidsequence

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle that Erin got for me. No date, but I've had it for 6 or 8 months.

Appearance: Its a real beaut. Mostly clear dark amber color, off white head with surprisingly good retention, and incredible sticky lacing.

Smell: Rich sweet malt with lots of caramel and toffee notes. Fruity esters and some citrus hops, but its not super bight with hops as if it were fresh. A little boozy.

Taste: Very big, sweet, and boozy, but not hot. Fruity esters. Lots of dark crystal malt flavors from caramel up to a touch of cocoa. Hoppy bitterness and citrus flavor.

Mouthfeel: Big and sticky. Dries out some in the finish. Great.

Overall: A pretty excellent barleywine. I'd like to have a real fresh one to compare.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 00:53:41 | More by rapidsequence

DmanGTR

New York

4.26/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Review from notes

Deep maple, quite clear, with a nice frothy off-white head. Touch of orange peel, brown sugar, and pine. Pretty nicely done. The mid palate is exploding with flavors of citrus, pine, malt, maybe even a tiny hint of cocoa. Finishes strong and alcoholic, with hints of sweetness, biscuit, grapes, and citrus. However, a touch boozy at this point in time. Very full, thick, and chewy body and fairly brisk carbonation. This beer has much potential to age.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:25:50 | More by DmanGTR

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This bottle was cellared for 2 years at a temperature ranging from 53 to 65 degrees.

A - Clear reddish body with minimal head. Nearly no carbonation in this ruby bodied beauty.

S - Pungent fruits of apricot and prune.

T - The pungent fruits transition well into the flavors. There's a definite sharpness in the finish which is likely a remnant of the large amount of hops it took to brew this beverage. Outside the finish the hops have receded well leaving the malt well balanced and tasty.

M - Thick body making for a brew that doesn't go down all that easily, however, who would expect an easy drinking barleywine. Certainly not this guy. Job well done once again.

~ This is a great example of a barleywine. It aged well and I wish I had another bottle available.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 02:16:08 | More by cdkrenz

dgilks

Australia

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Hay amber colour with a creamy, off-white head. Good head retention and nice lacing.

Sweet and earthy with some toffee malt. Very nice.

Sweet toffee malt and lots of earthy, resinous bitterness. Nice fruitiness. Touches of citrus. Good.

Medium-full body with moderately-high carbonation. Good.

A really nice Barleywine. Sure, it's not barrel aged but it works well and is well crafted.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 08:38:04 | More by dgilks

ElSid

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The Beers of California

#44

Bottled Date: None

A: Deep mahogany with hues of burgundy with a finger of creamy off white head which dissipates to an island of bubbles and faint lace on the glass.

S: Smooth at first, almost hot cocoa-esque, with wood, wineyness, berries, and an earthy, bready base with hints of grass.

T: Wood, wineyness and tobacco which transitions to strawberry preserves. The malt is subtle but present and bready with a nice caramel thick sweetness. Then comes the bitter hop attack which is mostly earthy, leafy, and faintly citrus peel. The bitterness transitions to spice on the sides of the tongue and the finish is of warming alcohol.

M: Big and smooth with the perfect amount of carbonation and syrupy linger.

O: A solid Barleywine with good complexity and excellent feel. AleSmith produces well crafted brews and never seems to disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 04:52:20 | More by ElSid

champ103

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a mildly hazed, burn red color. An orange/white head is slow to form at first. The eventually rises to two fingers. Rocky, and pitted. Good retention, and sheets of lace left behind.
S: A big malty aroma, with citrus and slight resiny hops pocking its head through. The resiny, piny character builds as this warms. Dark fruits of plums and cherries. Toasted and caramel malts. Love it.
T: Follows the nose. The malt and hop interplay is near perfect. Maybe just a bit to resiny for me in the end, though not a big deal. Toasted malts, toffee sweetness, dark fruits. Citrus and pine resin to balance the big sweetness. Plenty of alcohol warmth. Also, just slightly metallic.
M/D: A big full body. Slightly resinous, though excellent and fine carbonation. Smooth and creamy. Very easy to sip on. The alcohol is apparent, but just so enjoyable. A very nice sipper.

A big beer, but still very enjoyable. Tons of malt, and balanced with big resiny and piny flavors as well. Really well done. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 01:12:12 | More by champ103

MadScientist

New York

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle is a little over a year old from date of purchase at this point with no brewed on date.

A: A medium copper with a ruby hue that has a moderate chill haze. The head is made of rocky, light tan bubbles, it doesn't get very tall and has a decent retention.

S: A rich malt aroma and faded citrus hops. The malt is strong and the hops are moderately-light. There is a light dark cherry and orange fruitiness with a moderate alcohol aroma. There is a light bit of spice from the yeast.

T: Sublime and dangerously smooth, the alcohol comes back and makes it's presents know after the sip with a warmth in the throat. There is a strong malt flavor with moderate caramel and moderate sweetness which is more than countered by a moderately-strong hops bitterness. There is a little bit of the citrus hops flavor left. Some fruitiness with a moderately-light red cherry flavor and orange. The balance is moderately bitter with a medium finish. The aftertaste is of slightly lingering hops bitterness that is a lot like a bitter orange rind.

M: Medium full bodied with moderate carbonation and a moderate creaminess. Moderate alcohol warmth.

O: This beer has nicely mellowed over the year and could be a little dangerous for as smooth as it is. The alcohol warmth is there but one could easily sip themselves into a stopper if the was served in a pint glass.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 23:49:21 | More by MadScientist

Aaron_Ramson

California

4.31/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Purchased this and Avery Brewing Company's Hog Heaven for a beer club barleywine tasting last night. This was a very good barleywine, better than most of the competition. It was rich and dark with sweet caramel, molasses and raisin flavors dominating. There was a lot of boozy warmth and very little hop bitterness near the end. Old Numbskull definitely stood out among the crowd as an exceptional barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 21:42:09 | More by Aaron_Ramson

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jtd1969 for sharing this one.

A - dark brownish amber with a big, brownish head that has great retention

S - candy sugar, caramel, hints of vanilla, rich, sweet

T - caramel, bread, sweet sugar, light nuttiness, mild bitterness in the finish

M - full bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This was a fantastic barleywine. The ABV is almost completely hidden. The malt is sweet but not cloying, full flavored, and delicious. There is just enough of a hop bite in the finish to round this one out. This is delicious and dangerously drinkable. I will definitely try to get my hands on this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 00:42:18 | More by tdm168

Treebs

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle served in a Westbrook tulip. Thanks to BA kevanb for the bottle in a trade long, long ago.

A: Pours a dark ruby color with a fluffy and thick light khaki head forming on the pour. It recedes slowly to a thick ring and sticky sheets of lace are left behind.

S: Dark fruits with some brown sugar, biscuit and a little caramel malt. Some mild sweetness as well.

T: Heavier on the malts. Some biscuit and caramel malt flavors with some light dark fruit. A little raisin and slightly nutty as well. A touch of dried grass from some residual hops as well.

M: Medium bodied with a medium low carbonation level. Nice drinkability as well.

O: This was a solid drink. Not extremely complex as the malt dominated, but it was nicely put together.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:06:27 | More by Treebs

cjoc83

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Does Alesmith provide bottled-on dates for their beers? In any case, I couldn't find one. Pours into a chalice with a surprisingly massive (for a barleywine) 3 finger light tan head that sticks around for a while before receding to a ring but leaves spidery lacing throughout.

Wow...all kinds of things going on in the nose of this! Some tropical fruit and piney hops rumble with sweet caramel malts, brown sugar, plum, rum soaked raisins and fig.

Some juicy/earthy hops jump out first on the tongue but are quickly assuaged by big caramel and biscuity malts and lots of dark fruit dusted with a touch of brown sugar. Finishes rather sweet despite the formidable hop presence, and with some heat. Slightly boozy and cloying.

This is a big, bold barleywine, so I'm not going to mark it down for being a little boozy, but the sweetness can be a little cloying. Smooth mouthfeel though, full bodied, low carbonation. Definitely a sipper.

Overall this is a super enjoyable barleywine. Nice hop profile, and plenty dark fruit notes. I only wish it was a little less sweet, but it's a small snafu in an otherwise really enjoyable brew. Really nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 00:53:22 | More by cjoc83

smakawhat

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a large snifter glass.

Real big billowing pillow tan head, very large at four fingers, creamy and rich looking. Body color is a slightly dull peach amber body. Head has lots of staying power and spotted leopard lacing.

Nose hits of lots of fruit, and caramel rich malt. Apricot rind and hop mellow bitterness.

Palate hits with a wonderful creamy character. All notes on the nose hit nicely and as expected just considerably larger. Washing apricot juice and rindy flesh in the palate. Sweet tolerable caramel rush on the aftertaste. Good hop front, and a real juicy fruit character that takes over as it warms. Lips coat with honey mild sweetness.

Overall a real solid barleywine, rich and big and delivering on all fronts simply and nicely.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 01:01:06 | More by smakawhat