Old Tom
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
 
United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
9.7%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
4.24 | pDev: 5.42%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
3
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 21, 2008
Added:
Dec 07, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of miketd
Reviewed by miketd from Ohio

4.42/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Wilmington Iron Hill. Pour is cloudy and dark. Not much of a head...just a white ring around the glass. Aroma is tart and woody, wine like. Flavor is full. Some tartness, but very smooth and drinkable. This reminds me of CL SFTO Wine, but I enjoy this much more. The fresh version also was much better than the handbottle we had a couple weeks ago.
Dec 21, 2008
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Served on-tap at the Wilmington brewpub. This is Old Tom, aged in an oak barrel and liberally dosed with sour buggers. The brewpub lists it as an English barleywine.

A: The ale is a ruddy amber color, brown with a moderate level of translucence. A small head blankets the top of the ale and lasts for the first few sips of the ale.

S: The nose is sour, pleasantly tart with some indication of both oak and barleywine maltiness.

T: The barleywine is interesting. It seems like all three flavors (barleywine, oak barrel and funk) are all competing with each other. The conflict results in uneven transitions, moments of oak sweetnees followed by funk (brett, pedio- and lacto bacillis all appear). On second thought, the ale isn't funky. The brett is not dominant, only the tart flavors emerge. A decent drink but too many things are trying to happen at once.

M: The mouthfeel covers the range of flavors: tart, sweet, bready, oaky. The flavors don't seque in the smoothest of manners.

D: At 9.5% (per the stat sheet), this is a sippin' beer. If the flavors meshed better, this would be a great ale.
Dec 07, 2008
Photo of jojox
Reviewed by jojox from Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Old Tom is a barleywine aged in barrels used to make Lambic-style beers at Iron Hill.

a - very cloudy, chestnut brown with minimal head.

s - very lambic funky. Sourness and some funk, almost "hairy" smelling. Some malt in the background, maybe, but dominated by sour/funk. It's complex and leaving you wondering what the taste will be like.

t - lambic-like sour flavors up front; followed quickly by funk , coming next is rich malt which steals away most of the sour, with the horseblanket funk holding through the finish. Not a hint of alcohol. Clean at the end. Unique and impressive!

m - good balance. What a strange hybrid of barleywine and wild yeast/bacteria. I would think that everything except brett is finished at 9.X% abv, but there are clear influences of Cantillon-like bugs in the front and especially on the nose.

d - first sip or two were shocking and strange, but it becomes more and more appealing, very easy to get into! Lack of alcohol taste is deceiving and a small glass left me feeling it.

I would think that everything except brett is finished at 9.X% abv, but there are clear influences of Cantillon-like bugs in the front and especially on the nose. Really interesting beer, well done by IH which typically caters to BMC drinkers wanting to branch out, and those exploring the details of mainstream styles.
Dec 07, 2008
Old Tom from Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Beer rating: 4.24 out of 5 with 3 ratings