Wooden Hell - Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

seaoflament

California

4.72/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks goes out to imperialking for trading me this great beer. I took this one to La Bella on 11/24.

I have been looking forward to trying this beer for a while now. The beer pours a reddish brown with a quarter inch of light kaki colored foam.

The aroma is intoxicating with a burst of booze/bourbon soaked raisins, dates, lots of toast, caramel, toffee, hints of cherries, strawberries, chocolate, and coco. Also has a nicely intense multi-grain malt profile and a combination of various dark fruits and sweet caramel maltiness.

Wow, lots of chocolate, multi-grain bread, toast, toffee, caramel, vanilla, oak, and a bit of hop earthiness in the finish. Raisins, fleshy and sweet, dates, brown sugar, nutty with some almonds in the finish. Nice low level of oxidation (almonds) that brings a layer of complexity to the beer. The bourbon seems to be mellowing out and is currently blending well with the beer, wouldn't want to have it any lower and think it's at a great moment in time. Creamy and rich mouthfeel, no hint of alcohol with a low carbonation.

I've had some pretty amazing barleywines (Midnight Sun-M; both vintages of Pelican- Perfect Storm; both Heaven Hill and Old Fitzgerald BA Old Dipsea; BA Old Numbskull, etc..) and this beer certainly holds it's own against any of those. Easily a top 5 BA Barleywine for me. Would love to have this one again, and it's a shame it wont be made again.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 19:55:24 | More by seaoflament

beernads

Florida

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

06-03-2013 17:31:10 | More by beernads

Greenplastic615

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -39.6%

05-06-2013 21:08:24 | More by Greenplastic615

cfrances33

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

04-29-2013 01:37:24 | More by cfrances33

BeerWorld

New York

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

04-18-2013 13:36:12 | More by BeerWorld

jbuddle

New York

4.09/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Mike for providing this one I've been hoping to try for a long time. 4/17/13.

Pours a bit muddy and opaque with a small amount of head that quickly falls apart. Aroma of caramel, burnt sugar, touch of oxidation and some sweet malt. Just a hint of vanilla. Taking a sip brings to mind a very well crafted barleywine with just a touch of sweetness and well integrated barrel notes. Fairly subtle and nuanced with a touch of oxidation on the back end. Very light notes of barrel aging with some vanilla and booze, but it drinks very light for the ABV, and nothing really stands out. Slick and medium bodied.

I've heard there is significant bottle variation at this point, but this one was one of my top barleywines to date and an absolute treat.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 13:10:42 | More by jbuddle

EvilKeith

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

04-16-2013 16:31:56 | More by EvilKeith

BucketBoy

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

One of the better bottles of Wooden Hell I've had, and my last. I'm finally reviewing this beer. Pours a golden flax flecked walnut, almost clear in my glass with some sticky foam on top. Very nice-looking. Smooth nose is sweet molasses, burnt brown sugar. Perhaps even a bit of cream of soda, vanilla, bourbon, oak - just beautiful sweetness to the English barley wine. The flavor at this point is still very fragrant, just perfect sweetness and toast balance with nuanced layers, still nice barrel presence that provides a lovely vanilla and a touch of oak. Smallest hint of aged English hops that are just enough. Layers and layrrs of flavor wash over my palate. Great flavor; a superior barleywine. Mouthfeel is smooth, just enough carbonation, slick, viscous, and a hint oily to coat my mouth. Lovely! The last bottle I opened was very underwhelming, boring even. This bottle, however, was fantastic, especially as rated by style.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 20:54:09 | More by BucketBoy

Shmeal

Oregon

5/5  rDev +9.9%

03-12-2013 06:45:29 | More by Shmeal

Shilt

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +4.4%

01-26-2013 15:09:46 | More by Shilt

spycow

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +4.4%

01-18-2013 05:12:05 | More by spycow

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +4.4%

01-16-2013 00:10:44 | More by ChrisPro

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

01-09-2013 12:42:55 | More by trxxpaxxs

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks metalgdog for sharing this!
The beer pours a dark brown with thin halo of a white head. Its nose is woody, caramely, with a faint touch of warming alcohol. As expected the taste is smooth, sweet with wood sugars and a hint of alcohol. The beer's mouthfeel is perfectly smooth and sweet with a touch of oak and alcohol. This beer is highly drinkable and is just plain well made.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 01:31:51 | More by ThePorterSorter

Lethargy99

New York

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

01-07-2013 18:55:24 | More by Lethargy99

sliverX

S. Georgia & S. Sandwich Isls.

3.5/5  rDev -23.1%

01-06-2013 20:01:52 | More by sliverX

laxer8811

New York

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

01-06-2013 14:31:58 | More by laxer8811

dogfishandi

New York

4.18/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to metalgdog! Brandon is the man! Never in a lifetime thought I would taste this.

Pours out a cloudy reddish, orange, brown color. Murky looking in a way. A light beige colored head, decent retention.

Aroma is a bit off from what I expected. Seaweed and very earthy. A sweet caramels bourbon BW base is lost somewhere in the back.

An exceptional taste, different complexities come with each sip. The seaweed and earth from the aroma is there, perhaps from oxidation, but compliments the beer much more nicely. Lots of sweet caramel/ burnt sugars, tons of oak and fig like dark fruits. Just a bit of bourbon, but whatever booze was there seems to have mellowed very nicely with age. Sweetness all over.

Very smooth and easy drinking for what it is. Fairly thick bodied, and just a bit light on the carbonation.

I'm super excited for trying a beer I never thought would even be a possibility. But I had it, and despite the whale status, I'm a bit underwhelmed. The seaweed earth aspect, especially in the aroma, wasn't very welcomed, still the taste was pretty amazing. So happy in got the opportunity, thanks again Brandon!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 05:40:02 | More by dogfishandi

metalgdog

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

01-06-2013 04:37:39 | More by metalgdog

merc7186

New York

4.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Metalgdog

Bomber into tasting glass.

A: Brownish Hue, Passes Mild Light, White Head, Mild Lacing

S: Honey, Bourbon, Sweet Dried Fruit

T: Bourbon, Sweet Fruit, Bready

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Boozy, Mildly Sweet

Overall, a really decent bourbon barleywine with a nice balanced taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:11:33 | More by merc7186

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.6%

11-12-2012 18:53:42 | More by SpdKilz

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

11-09-2012 19:05:09 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

t0rin0

California

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

09-27-2012 01:10:46 | More by t0rin0

jethrodium

California

4.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle generously shared by cpferris. Huge thanks to Chad for sharing this rarity. Pours a dark copper brown with no head, just a couple of bubbles at the edge of the glass and no lacing. The aroma is lots of bourbon, vanilla, and oak. There is also some caramel and toffee as well as a hint of some oxidation and some light alcohol. The taste is sweet with toffee and caramel. There is also a lot of bourbon, some vanilla, oak, a bit of cherry and some plum. Just a hint of oxidation present. The finish is smooth with just a bit of alcohol and some lingering bourbon and caramel. Medium body. Low carbonation. This was quite good. All the flavors are well integrated. Certainly one of the better barley wine I have had, but there are a few others that are just as good.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 21:57:10 | More by jethrodium

MrFootstones

California

4.5/5  rDev -1.1%

08-25-2012 05:39:17 | More by MrFootstones