Young's Old Nick - Wells & Young's Ltd

Pencible

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Notes from 6/06:

A: Compared to the Rogue barleywine, this poured even darker brown, with very little head.
S: It had a thick barley scent.
T: The flavor was a sweet mix of barley and malt. There was a slight hops bitterness in the aftertaste, but it didn't build too much over time.
M: (no notes)
D: This tasted much like a good brown ale and was very easy to drink, especially considering its alcohol content (7.2%).

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 17:41:04 | More by Pencible

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The neck and back label clearly state that this was brewed at the Ram Brewery in Wadsworth. Best by 30th March 2007, so this was probably released in 2006? I picked this up a while back at State Line.

Is this supposed to be filtered? This beer is murky and hazy deep ruby red with a dense light brown head that recedes to a disk rather quickly. No real lace is present.

The nose is solid. A blend of caramel, a ton of dark fruit oxidation with raisins and a rich port-like character, this is quite excellent. I'm guessing the oxidation, which whelms the base beer, is also responsible for the murky appearance? Mild grainy astringency is present. The palate opens with flavors of oxidized barleywine i.e. raisins, sherry and caramel with a mild cherry-like tartness in the mid-palate. Brown sugar and caramel are moderately dominant, but I'm struck by how fruity this is, with pears and apples. Mildly sweet on the finish, there's a mild tannic character akin to fruit skins that I perceive. Medium in body with a low level of carbonation, this one is thoroughly decent. The big sweetness makes this a little difficult to drink a lot of, though.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 03:47:01 | More by DefenCorps