AleSmith Old Numbskull - AleSmith Brewing Company

Pahn

New York

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. Not sure when this was bottled, but I've had the bottle for about 6 months.

Appearance: Free pour yields a two and a half inch fluffy offwhite head that dissipates very slowly and sticks all over the side of the glass. Pours a translucent, orange-ish dark red and leaves streaks and walls of thick lacing. Looks great.

Smell: Cascade hops and sugary malt reminiscent of other great American barleywines like Great Divide's Old Ruffian or Avery's Hog Heaven. The sugary sweet notes are very deep... they're thick and fruity; decadent. One sniff tells you exactly what style of beer this is, and that it's probably a pretty good representation of the style.

Taste: Up front there's the same sugary, caramely, fruity sweetness infused with Cascade (I think) hops as in the smell, followed by a pleasantly strong bitterness tinged with some emerging chocolate flavor that segues into a slightly roasted tasting finish. Alcohol is felt in the chest but not in the taste.

I seem to be writing "taste follows smell" in a lot of recent reviews, but the degree to which it's true in this beer is particularly notable. I'll go with the most ridiculous analogy that came to mind... it's like the smell is getting a good look at an attractive person, while the taste is making love to that person. You experience all the things that drew you in from the start, only more closely and potently, along with additional surprises.

At first, I considered giving this only a 4.0, because while the tastes are deep and great, they're not really anything I've not had before. I bumped it up to 4.5 because the malt flavor up front really is excellent, and the way it incorporates bitterness, extra notes of roasted flavors and chocolate, without any solvent like alcohol (in an 11% beer) is very impressive.

Mouthfeel: The weakest aspect of this beer, which isn't saying much considering that the beer is quite good. Medium body that's a little on the thin side. Mild carbonation. Approaches creamy but doesn't really get there.

Drinkability: This beer nails the style, so if you like spending a night with slow drinking, solid American barleywine, you'll have nothing to complain about with Old Numbskull. I'm not sure I'd pick it up if I saw it on the shelf next to the other barleywines I've mentioned above, but in a more abstract, generalized way of looking at it, I would definitely have this beer again.

Old Numbskull is a pretty refined take on its style. The flavors are distinct and clean, the bitterness is amped up but used to great effect, and the alcohol is well-hidden (at least as far as the taste is concerned).

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 02:16:08 | More by Pahn

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle. Pours a dark brown murky swamp water color with lots of sediment floating around and an inch of head. Lots of lacing. The aroma is boozey with sweet caramel and bread. Some citrus and spicy hop notes. The taste is the nice alcohol burn with some orange peel and caramel. Some breadiness and piney hops. Warming alcohol at the finish. Pretty well balanced. Creamy mouthfeel with a good deal of carbonation. Overall, this is a well crafted Barleywine. I hope I can grab a bottle to age.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 01:32:09 | More by PicoPapa

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

05-22-2013 01:24:42 | More by mikeincharleston

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-20-2013 19:55:52 | More by InspectorBob

Geno206

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-20-2013 04:32:06 | More by Geno206

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

davesway10

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-19-2013 11:33:26 | More by davesway10

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-18-2013 23:57:04 | More by Photekut

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev -3.8%

05-18-2013 14:28:21 | More by drgonzo2k2

megamass

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.8%

05-18-2013 04:19:37 | More by megamass

largadeer

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-17-2013 20:43:19 | More by largadeer

Zbeetleman

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-15-2013 05:00:53 | More by Zbeetleman

caverog

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-10-2013 19:55:54 | More by caverog

admonster00

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-10-2013 02:53:33 | More by admonster00

ADTaber

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -3.8%

05-09-2013 00:12:12 | More by ADTaber

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

leftoverburrito

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -39.9%

05-08-2013 03:17:10 | More by leftoverburrito

DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-05-2013 17:57:50 | More by DarthGuitarHero

atone315

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -3.8%

05-04-2013 12:30:01 | More by atone315

SocalKicks

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-03-2013 13:12:34 | More by SocalKicks

Twal

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

05-01-2013 03:48:39 | More by Twal

fsck

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-30-2013 04:53:36 | More by fsck

BillRoth

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-30-2013 02:06:59 | More by BillRoth

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

04-29-2013 06:05:41 | More by Kelp

LSMroz

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-22-2013 04:34:12 | More by LSMroz