Arcadia Cereal Killer Barley Wine - Arcadia Brewing Company

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found a bottle of this 2010 vintage tucked away at my favorite beer store, so I thought I'd give it a go. It was reviewed and enjoyed on 2/18/2012.

Poured from a bottle into a New Belgium tulip. Nice, hazy, reddish-mahogany color with a thin off-white head.
Modest carbonation. Nose has notes of caramel, dried fruit, and some toffee.

Malt flavors dominate up-front and remind me of spicy holiday cookies. At mid-palate a nice, slightly tart cherry taste comes in. Faint touch of alcohol on the finish. Nice warming sensation without being boozy or medicinal. Hops are very tamed, as would be expected from an English-style BW. Still, I would not call this a ``malt bomb" as the spiciness and tart fruit flavors contribute complementary notes to the sweetness. Mouthfeel is firm. The beer has nice body and is slightly creamy.

I'm not sure what this beer tastes like fresh, but it's very enjoyable with 2 years on it.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 22:51:27 | More by deadonhisfeet

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

05-22-2013 01:16:42 | More by mikeincharleston

IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-19-2013 15:47:42 | More by IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

buzzy

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

05-11-2013 20:55:40 | More by buzzy

jewellrunner

Missouri

4/5  rDev +5%

05-09-2013 23:26:05 | More by jewellrunner

NorthSideSean

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-09-2013 01:22:27 | More by NorthSideSean

skaboom420

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-08-2013 21:33:57 | More by skaboom420

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-07-2013 21:43:28 | More by dalepryor

Buckeye982

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-05-2013 00:33:51 | More by Buckeye982

superspak

Michigan

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter; 3 year cellar aged version released this year, making it a 2010 vintage. Pours lightly hazy dark ruby red color with a small dense cream colored head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, fig, apple, caramel, molasses, toast, sherry, brown sugar, light chocolate, light pepper, and earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt/fruity notes; very sweet, but not offensively so. Taste of raisin, fig, apple, caramel, molasses, toast, sherry, brown sugar, light chocolate, light pepper, and earthiness. Lingering notes of dark fruits, caramel, molasses, toast, brown sugar, sherry, light chocolate, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very good balance and complexity of malt and fruity notes; with no cloying sweetness present after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full bodied; with a creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice English Barleywine. All around nice balance and complexity of malt and fruity flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 04:57:35 | More by superspak

langchops

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

04-29-2013 14:44:07 | More by langchops

alphaacid9000

Michigan

4.11/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle 2010

Pours a dark chocolate color with just a hint of ruby around the edges. Lightly carbonated with almost no head.

Aroma is wonderful. Dark fruits and malts dominate the nose. Raisin, cherry, alcohol and bready malt

Sticky sweet and medium to full mouthfeel. Assertive bitterness with almost no hop flavor at this age. Malts dominate the flavor and pleasantly supported by alcohol heat.

Overall a fantastic beer and even better with a couple years of age on it

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 03:09:19 | More by alphaacid9000

jmendels

Michigan

4.29/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I've been on a journey to try Michigan beers lately. Arcadia Ales is certainly one brand that stands a bit taller and this beer contributes to their stature.It pours a beautiful reddish brown,with only a small amount of lace. The smell is rather complex and should take a couple whiffs to fully appreciate. There are the usual toffee smells, but also subtle hints of cereal. The taste is sublime, having a mellow sweetness balanced with the aged flavor natural to this type of beer. It then finishes with a touch of bittersweet thickness. Good beer and a good example of the Barleywine Style.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:10:12 | More by jmendels

reitzbrewing

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%

04-18-2013 21:24:26 | More by reitzbrewing

jpatton0127

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

04-16-2013 13:03:29 | More by jpatton0127

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

04-12-2013 01:54:04 | More by thebouch01

Omensetter

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-11-2013 01:52:49 | More by Omensetter

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Deep murky brown with some ruby at the edges, light ring of off white head at the edges, no lace. Smell is a nice mix of fruit and malts, cherry and darker fruit, some dark sugars as well here, a bit of earthy hops as well as raisin. Taste has big malty flavours, cherry raisin and dark fruit are all present, fruity/earthy hop bill make for a nice restrained bitterness, mild caramel and toffee sweetness, aftertaste of fruit in dark sugar. Lightly carbonated, medium body. A solid and serviceable barleywine, a very enjoyable slow sipper.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 20:04:17 | More by peensteen

YCantWeNotBeSober

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

A - Pours a dark mahogany brown, minimal head retention

S - Malty sweet, cherry, whiskey-like notes,

T - Starts with that sweet pineapple-like flavor unique to barleywines fading to intense piney hop bitterness and a surprising amount of heat from alcohol. Some vanilla or Bourbon notes lie in the background but are dominated by the tannic bitterness. Some smokier malt flavor lingers after the sip.

M - Oily, slick,

O - Being relatively new the style, I could definitely tell it fits the description of barleywine, but Cereal Killer has fallen short of the others I've tried (Founders Bolt Cutter, DFH Olde School). However, the complexity of the style may have me coming back to this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 01:34:55 | More by YCantWeNotBeSober

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-30-2013 18:33:24 | More by rodlavers

outoffocus

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

03-30-2013 14:03:04 | More by outoffocus

WCW

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5%

03-24-2013 20:59:58 | More by WCW

kirkfrailey

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

03-22-2013 14:33:22 | More by kirkfrailey

DrGonzoDDS

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

03-18-2013 23:07:12 | More by DrGonzoDDS

Hopheadjeffery

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

03-16-2013 11:52:17 | More by Hopheadjeffery