Polyphemus - Elysian Brewing Company

barleywinefiend

Washington

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I do believe I had the possibly the last of this barleywine. I have the last rating since 2004. I love Elysian and Cyclops is a great barleywine so I was thrilled when I got Polyphemus from RoryGilmore.

Poured a deep orange color with little carbonation and whispy white head. Nose is malty, hops were pretty much gone on this one, grainy tasting with floral notes with maybe some citrus at one time. Taste was rather flat and grainy. Mouthfeel was rough, syrupy. Eventhough this beer did not hold up over time I will not give it a bad rating.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 02:34:21 | More by barleywinefiend

Crosling

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper.

Subtle, malty bouquet of dark fruits, caramel and sherry wine along with a nice piney hop presense.

An English, somewhat Americanized barley wine with some truly superb malt flavors and a well pronounced hop presense as well. Begins with notes of red apples, green apple skins, caramel and spoiled pear. Alcohol soaked fruits, mainly grapes, alcohol, wood, sugars and pine finish things out. This seemed very "Hair of the Doggish" to be and that is a good thing! Lovely.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2004 14:53:58 | More by Crosling

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Amber hue with very low apparent carbonation, almost still looking. Aroma is very sweet, brown sugar sweet in fact, but not too intense to get sticky or annoying. Subtle notes of grapes, orange, flour and citrus areall noticeable, although not really complementing each others, but rather just making an apparition one after the other. In mouth, there are obvious suggestions of brown chocolate which are pleasant and more or less unusual, scotch ale-ish with a truck of caramel, honey, "Sucre d’orge". There’s a very mild bitterness which just seems to threaten to come, but actually never does it. It’s a shame since overall, it appears ultimately too candy sweet to be top shelf, especially with the thin body it proposes. Thanks to RoyalT

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2004 04:34:57 | More by Rastacouere

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy apple-cider color. No head. No lace. Looks very much like brandy in the snifter. Aromas are very sweet, tinged with a red delicious apple note. Flavors are very smooth. Much like a caramelized apple in the glass. Interestingly, this also has a bit of an oak-aged flavor, too. Lots of sugar in this one. At 8.5% ABV, I was surprised to not notice the alcohol at all. Finishes with just a slight aftertaste of sherry. Very creamy smooth mouthfeel. Amazing smoothness from the bottle, much like I would imagine a cask version of this would taste like. Very, very drinkable beer. Nothing harsh in this one. Very well-balanced and well-done. A winner in my book.

Huge thanks to RoyalT for sending me this one out of the blue.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2003 01:09:34 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

RoyalT

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Dark, cloudy, dirty orange, like a brownish-orange, with little head.

Smell – The sharp hop flavors were stomped by the French oak aromas. This one has a tinge of vanilla and tons of sugar. The nose screams sherry.

Taste – Man, is this a heavy hitter. The huge oaky flavors couple with big, complex hops and a strong toasted malt base to make this one the “kitchen sink” of Elysian beers. Pour into the mix about 80 tablespoons of refined sugar and you’ve got a party. There’s also some light orange and melon fruiting in there. This Barley Wine is just plain crazy drink.

Mouthful – Fuller than full with just a slight warming from the ABV. You’ll want to eat this one with a spoon.

Drinkability – Love it or hate it, if you like extreme beers, you’ve GOT to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2003 03:45:19 | More by RoyalT