Kosmyk Charlie Y2K Catastrophe Ale - Central Waters Brewing Company

BillHilly

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-31-2013 04:10:11 | More by BillHilly

wyatt13

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-20-2013 03:14:17 | More by wyatt13

EROCK75

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-13-2013 15:47:30 | More by EROCK75

bespin15

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-13-2013 00:59:51 | More by bespin15

ajzy

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +20.8%

05-12-2013 21:54:14 | More by ajzy

tclang

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-11-2013 14:30:27 | More by tclang

verndenherder

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-11-2013 03:06:15 | More by verndenherder

Petrofessor

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-10-2013 21:53:28 | More by Petrofessor

DMBTattoo

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-08-2013 22:24:05 | More by DMBTattoo

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-08-2013 00:09:51 | More by cadaugherty

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Special thanks to Ri0 for this bottle.

A - Pours a hazy toffee raisin brown color with light lacing.

S - Toffee, roasted caramel malt, pine, raisins, light maple, candi sugar, and light alcohol notes.

T - Follows the nose starting with roasted caramel, toffee, and alcohol, in the middle is light candi sugar, some maple, toasted brown sugar, and ends with a lingering bittersweet resiny pine finish.

M - Medium bod with light carbonation, sticky.

O - A solid barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:45:24 | More by jzeilinger

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out as a nice amber color with a decent white head on top. The smell of the beer is malty with a hoppy aroma. The taste is also loaded with toasted caramel malt and hops. It's piney with a sweetness in the background. The mouthfeel is smooth, nicely carbonated and slick. Overall this beer is pretty damn good. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 04:26:34 | More by Knapp85

BYOFB

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-03-2013 04:27:55 | More by BYOFB

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-26-2013 02:15:33 | More by stereosforgeeks

Hessian257

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-19-2013 02:00:55 | More by Hessian257

theminutemen

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

04-17-2013 21:04:29 | More by theminutemen

Zuidman

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-15-2013 02:42:09 | More by Zuidman

Hallertau

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-02-2013 01:27:20 | More by Hallertau

kojevergas

California

3.81/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard unbranded gold pressure cap and straightforward no-nonsense black label acquired in a trade from the very gracious Duff27 (who you should definitely trade with!) and served into my brand new Mitchells of Lancaster flared tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. 2012 Vintage; bottled in November. That makes this five months old; should be tasty. Expectations are high given the brewery, whose stouts I have enjoyed.

I chilled her a biteen in me fridge, but I don't like my barleywines too cold so I yanked her out after no more than fifteen minutes. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Not paired with food.

A: Pours a two finger light khaki colour head of nice cream and thickness, and very good (~5-6+ minute) retention for the high ABV. I loved the look of the liquid as I poured, and I dig its understated, refined appearance in my glass. Body colour is a lovely translucent amber with light orange hues. Semitransparent. That's the kind of colour and tone a barleywine should have. Not vibrant or flashy, just classy and understated. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Ideal even lacing on the sides of the glass as the head recedes. A fine looking beer for the style, and one that conceals its high ABV rather well. I'm impressed, and looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Light toasted malt. Deep floral hopping clings well to the malty base. Biscuit malt. Caramel. Toffee. Pine and maple wood. Unrefined sugars. Sure, graham cracker a bit. Sugar and resiny. A dash of candi sugar. Light raisin. A biteen hop forward for a barleywine, but pleasant and appealing across the board. It's not overwhelming or pungent; it matches the vibe of the appearance with an understated classiness. Above average to mild in strength. I'm looking forward to trying it. I do want more toasted character and caramel from it.

T: Resiny. More sweet than expected, especially as it approaches the climax. Buried caramel. Buried toffee. It's not as refined as the great beers I've had in the style; it comes off a bit young, actually. Good floral hopping with hints of pine and maybe crackers - though I'm always hesitant to claim a beer is cracker-flavoured. Not as malt-emphatic as I'm used to. The candi character is a bit too prominent here; I imagine this would fade and develop nicely with age. Marshmallow. A bit burnt. I do like it, and it drinks damn easily for 10%. I'd guess it was 7% tops. A bit of bitterness comes through on the finish. It has some subtlety, but it's not quite as complex as the best beers in the style. Well layered.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Nicely thick without being overbearing. Ideally carbonated. Good presence on the palate. Good body. Great for a barleywine, and it suits the flavour quite well. Well-executed.

Dr: Quite drinkable for the high ABV, which is very well hidden. I'm a big fan of what this is trying to do, but I think a good two years of age would benefit it; even at five months it's too candied and sweet. I enjoyed it as a sipper because it's worthy of respect. I'd like to revisit this with 2-5 years on it. A solid barleywine that isn't without its flaws. Looking forward to trying the bourbon barrel barleywine from Central Waters soon. Thanks again, Duff27!

Lowish B+

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:40:50 | More by kojevergas

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

03-26-2013 16:39:17 | More by jmarsh123

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-24-2013 21:00:12 | More by Sparky44

emyers

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Founders snifter. Bottle date December 2012.

Appearance: Dark amber with a thin white head. Decent head retention. Fades into lacing after a couple of minutes.

Smell: Deep caramel and toffee notes. Toasted biscuit, graham crackers. Some alcohol is present.

Taste: Similar to the nose with very strong caramel and toffee up front. Pine hops with a bit of floral comes in near the finish. Strong dose of bittering hops with some alcohol heat on the finish. Bittersweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall: Very solid American barleywine, but doesn't stand out all that much from other options. I'll take Central Waters BBBW any day.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:31:39 | More by emyers

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.84/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Jeff for this one. 2012 vintage poured into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Shared with schen9303. This is the base beer for Bourbon Barrel Barleywine.

Pours a 1 finger creamy milk-tea colored head with good retention. Beer is a semi-cloudy clay. Lacing is stringy with good cling. Thin legs. Solid.

Nose pine resin, caramel, brown sugar, maple and booze. Moderately sweet and rich with a big hop kick. I like it.

Opens tree sap resin hoppiness, caramel, some toffee and brown sugar. More hop bitterness in the middle with some molasses and sugary sweetness to balance things out. Resiny and a touch boozy at the end. Finishes sweet with a bitter, sappy aftertaste. Hop presence is a touch overwhelming but there is quite a bit going on here.

Medium to full bodied with low carbonation. Smooth and oily in the mouth and goes down boozy. Finish is messy with a long, lingering aftertaste. Pretty good.

I can see how the bourbon barrel aging really helps this beer. Y2K is a bit on the hoppy side with the malt backbone fighting futily through the big, hop presence. A decent beer overall but not nearly as good as the barrel-aged version. Worth a try still to see what the base is all about.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 00:43:52 | More by SpeedwayJim

Localdrinklax

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +20.8%

03-20-2013 02:46:23 | More by Localdrinklax

elroacho

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

03-17-2013 16:58:45 | More by elroacho