Widdershins - Left Hand Brewing Company

stimulus

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz red wax sealed bomber into a snifter glass.
2003 is imprinted in the wax over the cap.

A: Pours a hazy orange with few white bubbles, to be expected of a beer its age.
S: Caramel and sugary molasses, a hint of citrus as it warms, and no trace of alcohol.
T: Very sweet, but not much else going on here, tastes like an aged English Barleywine should without any bite, which is nice.
M: Medium bodied, somewhat watery and spritzy. Perhaps this was too old or just not stored well.
O: It's not as great as I had expected an 8 year old barleywine to be, but I wasn't even legal when it was bottled, so I have no idea how well it was stored by the time I came across it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 04:45:16 | More by stimulus

BGsWo22

New York

2.5/5  rDev -34%

03-23-2013 18:33:31 | More by BGsWo22

match1112

Illinois

3/5  rDev -20.8%

03-02-2013 19:40:45 | More by match1112

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3/5  rDev -20.8%

02-24-2013 01:16:26 | More by Sludgeman

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-27-2013 08:26:38 | More by RedneckBeerz

EyePeeAyBryan

Arizona

4.75/5  rDev +25.3%

10-02-2012 00:01:06 | More by EyePeeAyBryan

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Tasty Beverage on 8/22/12. Served in a snifter.

A - dark caramel brown with a little, soft, white head

S - very fruity; pear and apple, faint bread

T - bready up front followed by big fruit flavors: pear, apple, fig; some alcohol comes through in the finish

M - full bodied, smooth, well carbonated, warming alcohol

This is a decent beer though a bit fruity. I prefer a more malty Barleywine or perhaps a bit more hoppy. This wasn't bad by any means but the fruits dominated that flavor. I wouldn't turn this down though.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2012 14:33:49 | More by tdm168

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA (I think?)

Hazy, ruddy-brown pour, with a small whitish head; not much in the way of lacing or retention. Aroma of caramel, sweet malts, phenols, woody, with a bit of indistinct fruit. Similar taste, bready and malt-driven, sugary sweet with a vague medley of cherry juice, dried apricot, light citrus, notes of phenol and bitter hops, with a little heat from the alcohol, but not at all overbearing. Medium bodied, fairly smooth and a bit sticky. Not bad overall.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2012 04:15:44 | More by Rifugium

ObiWanKushnobi

Minnesota

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%

08-20-2012 02:43:24 | More by ObiWanKushnobi

videofrog

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

08-16-2012 03:58:18 | More by videofrog

dogfish7

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

07-25-2012 02:36:42 | More by dogfish7

Djenx

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%

07-18-2012 19:04:35 | More by Djenx

RyanGoodman

Bolivia

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

07-10-2012 23:39:03 | More by RyanGoodman

SaxmanRick

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.5%

05-29-2012 02:18:15 | More by SaxmanRick

kjkinsey

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-03-2012 17:53:45 | More by kjkinsey

elec

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-31-2012 03:24:11 | More by elec

quirkzoo

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Trinity while waiting for Younger. I actually didn't know this was an American Barleywine when i ordered it so it was kind of fun to try to place the style of beer.

Pours a really nice deep amber with a whisp of off white head. Smell is heavily caramel malts just barely accented by some hops. Pretty straightforward smell nothing too complex but still nice. The taste is a bit more complex than the nose. I get some nice dark fruity esters that complement the caramel maltiness, figs, peaches. Strong bitterness but the malt is still the center of the show. The mouthfeel was good but nothing special. Overall it is a solid, malt-centric American barleywine. Not very hoppy compared to Stone or even Old Ruffian but very good. If I see a bottle of this I will definitely pick it up to try with a bit of age on it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 16:04:27 | More by quirkzoo

greid

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-03-2012 21:52:45 | More by greid

cosmo4u

New York

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tap takeover at holy smoke

Pours a hazy rubied medium amber with a thick, sudsy tan head. The head looks like it might have grain husk and hop leafs knocking around in it--really chewy-looking stuff. Nice earthy and piney nose; you get big blasts of malt and hops at the same time. Body’s on the high side of medium, with soft carb. Clean, easy-drinking mid-palate with grain nusk, nuts, toast, and then some light resin and pineyness. This is pretty damn tasty. Curious what some age might do for it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 14:52:51 | More by cosmo4u

DavidEddie

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.5%

01-09-2012 20:28:10 | More by DavidEddie

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On draft at rustico:

Pours a very clear amber color with a thin white head. Minimal lacing and clear in appearance. The nose is somewhat disappointing, very weak, with oak, caramel, and malt in the forefront. The taste is slightly better, with oak, vanilla, citrus, hops, fruit, caramel malt in the mix. Feel is medium, with ok carbonation... Very dry finish as well. Overall, a decent brew for the style, but there are better examples.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 02:43:00 | More by jayhawk73

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a brown color with some amber highlights to it. the head was decent looking and white in color. The lacing was sticky along the glass. The smell of the beer was sweet with malts and caramel aromas. The taste was also sweet with some bitter hops in the mix along with a light herbal flavor in there. The mouthfeel was thick and pretty heavy actually. Overall this is a decent Barley Wine to me, I'm not the biggest fan of the style but I feel there are better ones out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 06:20:21 | More by Knapp85

The1WineGuy

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Left Hand Widdershins 2009 / Drinked ;-) 12-30-2011

Cellared for over a year then another 6 months in my fridge. No visible abv% on label.

Oaky-malt nose with twisting fruit ester sweetness.

First sip is a classic barleywine with a subtle tannic oak finish. The flavors switch from mid to back palate with each sip. Sweet fruit up front to Oak finish. The Widdershins doesn't come off as overly hopped and bitter. The malts and oak flavors fold over each other to hide the high abv%. It's stated that this is aged in Brandy casks, there is not much of a brandy flavor, maybe a touch, but more of an impression of clean white oak.

Nice flavorful medium-full mouthfeel of good carbs aids in disguising the alcohol content.

Happy to have found this beer and have tried it. Overall worthy of the purchase and redux.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 00:02:33 | More by The1WineGuy

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.5%

12-22-2011 15:26:18 | More by deapokid

trojankeg

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.5%

12-17-2011 03:07:49 | More by trojankeg