Cyclops Barleywine - Elysian Brewing Company

badbeer

Iowa

3.15/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Amber with a white colored head that has decent retention. Pine sap, booze, sweet malt in the nose, though it is a bit watery. Grainy taste with grass, biscuit, and a little bit of earthy hops. Medium body and light carbonation. Drinkability was alright, but I don't know that I'd have too many of these.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 03:48:25 | More by badbeer

Kevlee722

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage poured into tulip glass.

Ok, zero head except from some tightly packed bubbles where the beer meets the glass despite a heavy pour. Copper color, cloudy. Not the prettiest BW, but decent in presentation.

Smell is nice, burnt sugars, caramel and vanilla. Not overly so, but sweet smelling with a hint of citrus.

Taste is sweet without being cloying, once again the burnt sugar and caramel, a hint of spice and some astringency. Hop presence is null with the slight impression of some citrus.

Mouthfeel gets the low marks for almost no carbonation. Storage problem perhaps? Really wanted to like this beer but simply couldn't score it higher. Flat with the tiniest remnants of carbonation. Otherwise medium body with a drier finish.

Would love to try a fresh version and also one with maybe a year on it. Love stuff from Elysian, but this misses the mark a bit IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 08:29:57 | More by Kevlee722

beertunes

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -19%

01-11-2013 22:47:37 | More by beertunes

stript

4.25/5  rDev +6%

12-01-2012 18:43:05 | More by stript

Glibber

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

10-07-2012 02:27:52 | More by Glibber

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

09-26-2012 02:05:25 | More by t0rin0

BraatenBrew

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

04-11-2012 02:39:33 | More by BraatenBrew

doughanson78

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

01-05-2012 03:56:55 | More by doughanson78

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

12-02-2011 03:32:10 | More by ChrisPro

Exiled

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.2%

11-14-2011 20:21:53 | More by Exiled

seanwhite

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -0.2%

11-14-2011 17:11:36 | More by seanwhite

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to 5000 for sending me this beer. Cracked open to celebrate my Rangers going to the World Series.

The beer pours a brownish-amber color with a small white head. The aroma is very heavy on the brown sugar with some caramel and alcohol notes also mixed in. I also get a little bit of orange from the hops.

The flavor is more of the same. I get some extremely juicy orange citrus notes as well as a lot of brown sugar, toffee and caramel malt. The alcohol is definitely noticeable but the beer is still easy to drink.

Medium to thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 03:50:53 | More by Mora2000

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a slightly hazy deep amber body with a small head that doesn't last long.

Smell. Caramel, brown sugar, apples and pears and some citrus hops.

Taste. Toasty light grains and caramel ...lots of both. Some pine needles, citrus rind and green apples.

Mouthfeel. Medium-full body with medium carbonation.

Overall. Good barleywine without being "over the top". Pretty easy drinking as far as the style goes.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 03:45:56 | More by Rutager

BillHilly

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle not dated, but believe to be '08.

A: Classic BW appearance, light on lacing.

S: Fantastic big malt

T: American sweet malt, the hops have faded substantially, to be expected, slight caramel.

M: Wish it had a bit more carbonation, dulled down quite a bit in 3 years, yet has a nice viscosity to it.

O: Man, for $4 a bottle, hard to beat and worth trying if you are a BW person.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 01:35:54 | More by BillHilly

oberon

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a no joke American style BW.Poured into an oversized wine glass a lemon tea color with no head to speak of at all,murky and plain lookin.The aromas woke this beer up,fruity and somewhat floral,very juicy and provacitive to say the least.Flavors of sweet cake and dark fruit turns into bigtime citric and piny hop,its a real shot in the face.Alot of brewers could use this as a an American DIPA but the big fruity malt profile makes it a barleywine,a great beer that folks from other countries need to try to see what a true American barleywine is and should be.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 23:54:39 | More by oberon

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, vintage 2007.

Pours dark copper with good clarity and a thin, tan head. A partial skim coat on the surface and elongated dots of lacing throughout the glass.

Aromatics lead off with chewy caramel, toffee, plump malt, and golden raisins. Ripe figs and a hint of booze-infused fruit follow through.

On the thicker, chewier side of medium bodied. Tacky and gummy with light carbonation.

Doughy malt, dark caramel, ripe fruit, and warming booze start the palate. Shades of toffee, tobacco and leather step forward.

Finishes with plenty of sweet malt, warming fusels, and a hint of cardboard.

Pretty tasty and quite easy to drink. Still a bit weak and underhopped for my liking though.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 01:36:36 | More by brewandbbq

olympuszymurgus

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

02 vs 03 Cyclopian battle.

a- both poured a reddish/orangy hue, with light, but sufficient, carbonation in each.

s- the 02 had a little caramel, a touch of vanilla and booziness, and a little citrus. the 03 was vanilla dominant with a little caramel and citrus, not much alcohol.

t- interestingly, these two seemed to trade vanilla flavor for smell. the 02 had a strong vanilla flavor with a little bit of caramel while the 03 was a nice blend of all the flavors evident in the nose. the older tastes newer.

m- both coated the mouth well without being too boozy at under 10%. a little warming but the vanilla lingers a bit.

d- very smooth and easy. split many ways, these two disappeared quickly.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2009 07:34:56 | More by olympuszymurgus

RustyDiamond

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

9.85% on bottle, no date. Dark chesnut brown pour into my nice little Brooklyn snifter. Off white 1/4 inch and that's about it. Poured strictly to guidelines set forth by Brothers Alstrom. Smells like a cross between a heath bar and butterfinger. Nice and bitter on the nose, popcorn molasses and caramel meets hop tasty. Hoppy for sure, big backbone of caramel stiffness. Good and fumey and hoppy as the best of them...piney with the malt flavor. Hops and dark rye real nutty. Pistachio nuttiness. Dry and bitter mouthfeel, love it. If you want a Barleywine, this is it. Simple and difficult.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2009 03:11:15 | More by RustyDiamond

snaotheus

Washington

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a goblet

Looks like a fairly clear orange-amber with very little head. Pours like a thin gel. Smells of alcohol and old wood, sour fruit.

Taste is rich, astringent, complex -- lots of sourness and bitterness. Maybe some citrus and a little floral, tannic bitterness.

Mouthfeel is thick and heavy, a little sticky. Pleasant, but slow drinker.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 23:16:22 | More by snaotheus

JasonA

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a darktranslucent carmel copper. Some head with lacing. Have to take off .5 for twist top.

Malt and hops ... good start. I prefer more malt than hops for the style. Dark rum raisin, very appealing. Im more than happy that hops is not overpowering this example.

Wow, smooth mellow sweet delicious hops. Faint yet prevelent hops with just enough aroma hops. Maybe some deeper malt, but nothing really to bad to say here.

Sits yummy in the mouth, exactly the reason I love BWs. So smooth for an American. I find they are usually bitter than their English counter parts (as expected), but the hops arent bittering, more aroma, very nicely balanced.

Yes, yes yes. More please. Also, im sure these age well also. Mine is at least 6mo old.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 18:22:02 | More by JasonA

jletts

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

2005 Cyclops Barley Wine

Appeared light orange-amber with a thin head and smelled of sour pear, dates, alcohol, plums, champagne grape, a little coconut and even (stay with me here) some summer melon and occasional light sweet floral notes. Figs and cloves filled out the flavor, along with peppery alcohol, light toasted coconut, and hops lingering around at the end. This beer was gentle and smooth but the hops were still quite fresh tasting. Truly delicious. I just love this barley wine and it seems to age nicely. Strangely I enjoyed the taste of the 2007 version just a little more. Can't wait to taste that one in a couple of years.

2008 Cyclops Barley Wine, 10 months cellar time

Smelled of sugar cane and molasses, layered with notes of prunes and some lingering stringency. Flavors of molasses and raisins emerged up front, finishing hoppy, though quickly turning peppery and very neat with a clean alcohol vapor on exhale. A silky smoothness and a sugary thickness finished up a fantastic drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2009 05:15:32 | More by jletts

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to RoryGilmore for this!!! He came through because I have been trying to get my hands on this for a looong time now. Poured a deep orangish with a flat head that kind of took the wind out my sails. However, the nose was sweet, sticky, malty and smelled of caramel and dried fruit. Taste followed suit, dried fruit, caramel malt, earthiness tone too. It was pretty boozy for the ABV. It goes to show you dont need 12ABV to make a good bwine. Mouthfeel was good. Overall, this was just as GREAT as I expected.

///
1 Aug 2009: Just had the 07 andaAfter two years it was good but peaked for sure.
///
8 Oct 09: Just had an 08 and she was just right!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 00:19:37 | More by barleywinefiend

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nicely hopped barleywine, 2007 edition The aroma is rich malts and barley, the appearance is a golden-brown with some white halo head, and spider lacing follows. The hops were magnum, amarillo, and centennial. Ageing lead to a nice mouthfeel, most drinkable, with a citrus undercurrent and finish, however also boozy finish.Overall, bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2009 02:25:16 | More by northyorksammy

dirtylou

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz, obtained at bottleworks in seattle - brought back via northwest airlines

"04" written in marker on the cap

appearance: poured into my de koninck chalice, very murky mud-amber body, light beige lacing

smell: lots of sweet dark fruit, boozy, dwindling hops, sugary sweet...not a full on blast on the nose, but nice

taste: this one is still pretty hot even 5 years out...big sweet malty core - really really good. this one resembles a number of old ales...fairly strong bourbon/alcohol presence that warms the body. really smooth, spicy and tight

mouthfeel: smooth, sticky hop resin in the finish

drinkability: pretty good

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 02:14:02 | More by dirtylou

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sample at the Pike Street location. This brew is a clear amber color with a compact off-white head that recedes steadily. Patches of lacing. Aroma of malt and butterscotch, along with some hops. Rich and sweet mouthfeel with flavors of caramel malt, dark fruit and toffee flavors. Hops are present, as is some alcohol but both are hidden. The finish is sweet at first with some hops becoming more assertive on the back end. Above average overall.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2009 20:18:54 | More by Dogbrick