# 100 - Nøgne Ø - Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri A/S

voteforgoat

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

got it as a gift - thanks tony!

a - slightly cloudy, dark golden brown color. nice head, not much lacing, but long-lasting pleasant amount of carbonation

s- very appealing, hops, "dark fruit/raisins" whatever that means.

t- smooth barley wine, has very roasty taste and coffee notes. . reminds me of a stout but it is def. still a barley wine. very fun to drink.

m- nice thickness and light frothiness.

d- i could drink this for a while. the alcohol is very well masked, exceptionally well-masked even. this could be a treacherous drink.

the cost is holding me back from stock piling this beer. That's the reason I've never bought it. I would love to have some of these sitting around in my house.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 05:49:11 | More by voteforgoat

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 ml bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a murky brown/red color with about an inch and a half tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is nice, it smells like brown sugar, caramel, dark fruit and some citrusy hops (grapefruit, apricot). It tastes like toasted/grainy malt, grassy and citrusy hops, and a bit of dark fruit. There's also a long lasting bitter hoppy finish. The hops overpower the malty flavors in this beer. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and is well carbonated. Drinkability is decent, it's not hard to drink at all. I think it's an OK enough brew, but I don't think it's something I'd buy very often.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 22:27:11 | More by bluejacket74

StJamesGate

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a ruby brown-black, almost opaque, with a tan dense head that fades but puckers. Nose is dark grain and orange liqueur, together making strawberry with port notes. Licorice, sultana and pumpernickel malts followed by subtle earthy, orange oil hops. Spicy finish, medium-full body, chewy, no real burn.

Brewed on date 8.May.08, so that explains the muted hops - especially with the big American hops - and cooled down alcohol. Not as big as I expected, but that also means it's that much more drinkable.

Still, it'd be nice to taste it young.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 22:18:49 | More by StJamesGate

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to my brother for bringing this one to me from Louisiana.

The beer pours a murky medium-brown color with a large, cream-colored head. the aroma is licorice with some nutmeg and malt. The flavor is caramel malt along with piney and grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

This was an older bottle so the hops probably faded a bit, but it was still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2010 23:27:32 | More by Mora2000

snpub540

California

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy reddish, light brown hue. Soft white head that leaves delicate scattered lacing. A nice beer to look at the glass.

Smell is a mixture of dark fruits and bread. There are also some grassy hop notes in there as well.

Taste is a toasty, and slightly chocolatey malt presence up front. Hops are resiny, with pine and grass flavors appearing. The hops flavors are quite mellow. Nice warmth of alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel was wonderful. This was smooth and slick at times. Drinkability is good with the alcohol not being a burning sensation but more of a slow warm. Very nice and complex barleywine here.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 23:50:31 | More by snpub540

AdamGarcia

Pennsylvania

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

reviewed from notes: 2/23/10

A: Deep, murky mahogany. Large pillowy head. Tight bead and clingy lace.

S: Candied fruits and faint, mild hops. Some vanilla.

T: Nice rich malt sweetness. Toasty and biscuit-like. Buttery finish. Kind of reminded me of a mild red wine in some ways. A dose of centennial hops makes an appearance near the finish.

M: Carbonation is perfect. Velvety mouthfeel with the right amount of linger.

D: Does not drink @ 10%abv. Warmth not present in the smell or on the palate.

Became better and better as it warmed. I've read that this was intended to be an American DIPA by the brewer, and that the U.S. version of this bottle was labeled incorrectly as a Barleywine. I have no idea if that is even remotely valid, but it was in my head as I drank this one. I would have pegged this as a Strong Dark Ale. The 1st thing that comes to mind is Trois Pistoles. Whatever it is or isn't, I like it a lot. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 22:52:10 | More by AdamGarcia

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1pt .9fl oz. bottle served in my Old Stock snifter. Poured the color of cola, perhaps a touch redder, with a creamy, one inch off-white head embedded with ringlets. Head eventually settles into a fairly consistent skim with swaths of lacing adhering to the sides of the glass during the tasting. Nose is assertively hoppy in the forefront with some sugary malt in the background and a boozy alcohol/medicinal quality at the back.. Front starts off sugary/malty with a mild dark fruit character, gradually giving way to a light bitterness that peaks and lingers at the finish. A caramel character also comes out as it warms. Mouthfeel is medium-light, subtly carbonated and slightly creamy. Solid example of the style. This one has a couple years on it, so it's evened out a little bit (it must have been quite hoppy in it's prime) - might pick up another bottle to see how it mellows in a couple more years.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 02:02:55 | More by Jwale73

ndolover

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First off this is not an American Style Barley Wine...but that doesn't mean it is not great!

A: A bit cloudy and murky...tons of yeast at the bottom of the bottle. Dark brown with a nice brown collar that clings to the glass.

S: Roasty malt backbone with up front hop aroma consisting of citrus American hops, cascade, simcoe, etc. Noticed pinabpple, and as it warms grapefruit.

T: Fresh hop burst surrounds a nice roasty malt flavor, chocolate, biscuit, and bread notes dance nicely.

M: Warm, medium body with nice carbonation, I love the bottle condition and it seemed to have traveled well!

D: Overall a wonderful beer to drink! I would think of this as an American black IPA instead of a Barley wine. GET THIS BEER!

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 01:14:57 | More by ndolover

asabreed

New York

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

16.9 oz. bottle into a Brooklyn tulip.

Appearance: Very dark, murky amber brown color, which is almost hazy opaque, which may not make sense. Good tan lacing that's pretty dense and is slow to dissipate. A swirl of the glass recharges, if you will, the carbonation quite nicely as the bubbles slide slowly down the glass each time it happens.

Smell: Candied grapefruit and brighter fruit and berries esters are initially the biggest thing here, along with fresh leafy tobacco, mocha and mild black coffee, some funk and sweat sock, caramel and maple syrup, red fruits like berries along with hints of cherry and strawberry. All seems to be buried under huge spiciness and citrus from the meld of all the hop varieties.

Taste: Big spiciness off the bat, combined with a good sense of citrus bitterness and sweetness. There's some mild coffee, tobacco, a lot of earthiness and grain, some underlying buttery caramel and cream. Also the notes of bright strawberry is here more in the taste, and it finishes long with a good amalgam of bitter and sweeter earthy citrus from the hops, with lingering strawberry fighting its way through.

Mouthfeel: A big beer that's also ultra-creamy and dense, with near-perfect carbonation from the first sip to the last. Nogne Ø seems to always be pretty awesome in this area, for at least the few that I've had thus far.

Drinkability: I understand why these brews are so much, but I'm always a bit hesitant to pay the around $10 price for one bottle. That said, I sipped this for over three hours, and I enjoyed everything about it. I'm just not sure it's all I expected and more, which was what I was hoping for. I wonder how great this would be in bourbon barrels, even though many breweries seem to be doing that these days. This is such a solid beer overall, and everything they do is quality, that it's hard to find something to pick on at all. And though I'm not, I just wonder if for the price, you couldn't get a few domestics just as good, since more and more domestic craft and microbreweries seem to be stepping it up with the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 21:38:37 | More by asabreed

champ103

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark ruby/brown color. A large beige head rises to over two finger, and has great retention. Lots of sticky lace is left behind.
S: A floral, leafy, herbal hop aroma is up front and strong. A light grapefruit bitterness. Lots of other fruity flavors linger as well. A great caramel malt sweetness balances everything out. A really complex nose.
T: Lots of hops, but it is never overly bitter. Floral, grassy, herbal hops again. A light sweetness lingers.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Dry and crisp. Soapy and oily from the hops. Easy to sip on. I am enjoying this bottle.

This is an excellent American Barleywine. Tons of hops without being overly bitter and some sweetness for balance. Something I highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 02:56:49 | More by champ103

melagnus

California

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Moderate pour into snifter produces finger-thick light tan head that produces medium head-retention and slowly fizzles out to thin film. Swirling beer in glass rouses head, alcohol sticks slightly to side of glass, though lacing is not too prevalent. Density of head is quite thick and when poured into a tulip glass, head retention is incredible and produces more lacing than in a snifter! Chill haze provides slightly opaque appearance. Amber-Brown to Brown in appearance (SRM 19) with possibly a slight Ruby hue to it.

S - Intense floral bouquet of hops & malts mix together beautifully! Biscuity note by way of the Maris-Otter Pale Malt mixes with syrupy sweet caramel. Chocolate malts come through with a slightly roasted note, though mild at best. Alcohol fusel tops out the mixture. Slight orange aspect mixes with the chocolate, which makes me think of chocolate orange ice cream that I had once in Paris! No pine resin is noticeable, though with having used Columbus, Chinook and Centennial hops, there's no doubt that this beer should be yielding this under different circumstances. Clearly, this beer is malt-forward, which is to style!

F/M - Hops & malts constantly are vieing for position! Chocolate malt and hops leave a bitter kiss on the palate that lingers for some time. Alcohol warms the throat and mouth and a syrupy sweet taste of caramel and raisins helps to balance out the hops. Finish is wet, though does dry out with time, which shows that this beer was aged fairly extensively. A very slight tinge of roasty character does come through, which although isn't to style is welcomed. A piney note comes through when swirling the beer around on the palate, which is interesting, for I wasn't able to pick this up in the aroma. The orange that I noticed in the aroma comes through slightly, though despite the 80 IBUs, this beer maintains impressive notes of malt. With this said, hop-forward it is and the palate is quite taxed after several quaffs! As the beer dries out, lemon drops come to mind and the tongue feels like a tired marathon runner that's looking for more liquid to quench his/her thirst :) Carbonation is medium and provides a bit of tingling feeling and warmth from alcohol is moderate. Wheat malt provides for a bit of grit and chewyness

D/C - This beer at 10% ABV definitely packs a punch! Of all the Barleywines I've had though, this definitely ranks up there as one of the finer! A truly incredible interpretation of New World meets Old World and is something that I would continue to rely on at the ski lodge in Scandinavia.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 01:09:18 | More by melagnus

Patrick999

Florida

2.7/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

It's been a little while since I reviewed a beer. #100 for my 450th review.

I chose the big balloon snifter for this one. Wow, does this look appetizing. First of all, this is a really dark barleywine; it has a dark cherry wood color. Awesome foam with great retention and swirl-ability. Outstanding.

Some light smokiness in the aroma along with raisin and bright hops.

Hmmm. After a promising start, I just cannot say that I am crazy about the flavor here. Where to begin....it seems very lacking up front, without much malty sweetness, just a little straight-up bitter chocolate, quickly transitioning into what I can only describe as a dull bitter hop character. Very bitter, and not in a very interesting way, I'm afraid. It's hoppy as hell, sure. Yet while b-wines like Bigfoot, Old Guardian, Old Ruffian and the like are all hoppy as hell, they back it up with something, imbue it with some nice malt character to play off the hops. This doesn't have that. I have no doubt that there's plenty of malt in here...but it's just not working for me, it's not creating any meaningful balance. Sorry. I really didn't expect to rate this so poorly.

Feel is fine. Hell, feel is excellent. Good creaminess, very good soft carbonation. I only wish I was enjoying the taste more.

For me, this beer pretty much excels in all areas except actual taste. Damn. I was expecting an easy overall score of 4.0+. I have no reason at all to believe this is a bad bottle, either. It just comes off to me as bitter hop for the sake of bitter hop....I can find more interesting hop/malt interplay in west coast DIPAs, even. It doesn't seem well thought-out, which I find surprising given that I've absolutely loved every Nogne O beer I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 23:03:58 | More by Patrick999

becktone

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From notes 1-4-10

Eye: Brown in color and clear looking, though you can't tell because the color is so dark, with garnet highlights. Head is creamy and thick looking, tan in color with about 3/4 finger head retention and good lacing. They don't get better than this.

Nose: Aroma fills the room once this brew is poured. Alcohol is strong. Huge malt sweetness. The aroma is so strong I can taste it on the back of my tongue, all the sweet malted barley notes. Upon further inspection, with my nose to the glass I get a bunch of dark fruits and sweet candied aromas, though its definitely not like to that of any belgian, not nearly as fruity. This aroma is very familiar, just hard to put a finger on....

edit: dark fruit character akin to prunes, weak aroma of a mash being done whilst brewing, but not nearly as heavenly or strong....more hop than anything, green a bit floral and definitely resinious...kinda smells like fresh hops....this was definitely dry hopped...resiny and leafy green and sticky like whole hops just before being added to kettle.

Tongue: Alcohol is evident and definitely does alot to balance out the sweetness. Bitterness from hops along with some grassy notes sit on the back of the tongue. Toasty notes in the finish lingering on in the aftertaste. Notes of grain bitterness, though not as in a stout...they're here but are again balanced and subdued by alchol and malt flavor. I'm finding it hard to describe this beer, its good but I'm not sure how to describe it. Bitterness is high and gives some seriously needed balance to the brew. If bitterness weren't where it is this beer wouldn't work. All in all pretty good, I think I'd still go for Old Guardian over this though.

Feel and Drinkability: Finish is clean and dry, leaves you wanting more, very dry almost to the point of parching the palate, making the tongue feel swollen. Carbonation is low as it should be and for a 10% beer and a barley wine its not nearly as warming as I thought it'd be. For a barley wine this is an easy drinker, though I'm not sure that is what I really want when it comes to the style, I want something that demands sipping. I mean this doesn't demand sipping, it doesn't encourage quaffing either, but I think it goes down "too easily" for a barleywine. Body is slick and full and leaves some alcohol on the palate after being swallowed. Good beer, but not great. Give it a shot, but I'm still a much bigger fan of Old Guardian. Very good, but should not be almost ten dollars for a single, then again its an import so I'll deal...I love everything else I've had from Nogne-O and I like this one too. Sweet and sticky on the lips....

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 21:57:21 | More by becktone

SShelly

California

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a murky brown with low offwhite head that fades fast.

Aroma is heavy on the hops with some spicy sweetness behind.

flavor has some malt and caramel that is mostly covered up by large hop flavors, some hop bitterness clings on the pallet.

this beer is suprisingly thin, the mid palate flavor is a little oily.

A good beer but I was expecting more, could be phenomenal if it had a larger malt backbone to support all of the the hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 03:27:18 | More by SShelly

weissbierdrinker

Belgium

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a dark ruby red with a thick off white head that hangs around for about a minute. When it finally fades there is little to no lacing around the glass.

Smell is of raisins and cinnamon.

Has a malty sweetness. Caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon are present. Has spicy bitterness with notes of raisins and maybe some plum, orange fruity flavors.

An amazingly delicious beer! Great mouthfeel not oily, a little chewy. Well balanced and everything works together. Alcohol is well hidden and I can easily drink this without being to overwhelmed.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 20:27:43 | More by weissbierdrinker

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle served in a Duvel tulip. Been saving this one for rating #100, how appropriate.

Pours brown with a two finger light tan head that holds together very nicely and leaves lots of lacing.

Big time aroma of resin hops up front, some citrus, but also plenty of sweet malts, caramel, dark fruits, some brown sugar, vanilla, a touch of chocolate. Quite complex on the nose.

Flavor starts with sweet caramel malts, brown sugar, vanilla, some chocolate, then follows with some bitter resinous hops on the finish.

Mouthfeel is very full and creamy, medium carbonation.

Is this a DIPA or a barleywine? I think it falls somewhere in between the two. An immensely enjoyable and unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 05:22:59 | More by elgiacomo

Travlr

District of Columbia

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

A: Light maroon color with a tiny bubble head that setles quickly to rim bubbles, great lacing.
S: Aroma of scotch and spice, possibly cinnamon.
T: MALT!! One of the other tasters said "this one is hi octane." Decently complex, warmly sweet and satisfying.
M: Nice body.
D: should be consumed with caution, but o/w a very nice one.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2009 13:29:28 | More by Travlr

peabody

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out really nice dark brown with three fingers of really creamy suds. Lacing galore here on the rim of the Stone Barleywine glass.
Smell is a fruity raisin with clove and butterscotch aromas. Slight yeast burn and an alcohol hint.
Taste is caramel and burnt sugars along with a bitter blackness. The latter is mixed with the leftover sugar from the initial taste. A hint of alcohol in the back of the throat.
Mouthfeel is very clean for such a sweet concotion. Only gets sticky after the bitterness leaves the mouth.
Drinkability is pretty nice for such a high abv drink. I really admire this barley wine. Top notch!.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 22:12:16 | More by peabody

jwinship83

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle drank from my duvel tulip. no freshness dating/best by info to be found.

A- a slightly darker than normal copper colored beer pours from this bottle. a large fluffy off white head forms and sticks around for most of the drink leaving behind rings of lacing.

S- the nose starts off with sweet caramel and fruity malts. cherries and plums mostly. a small amount of dark chocolate which seems out of place in here. the end smells strongly of piny and grapefruit hops.

T- is starts off very sweet and fruity. caramel and toffee with lots of cherries, plums, and pear. theres definitely some chocolate in here as well, interesting. moderately detectable alcohol. the finish is very hoppy with lots of grapefruit and resiny pine. this must be a fresh bottle.

M- medium to full bodied. theres a moderate warming from the alcohol in this one, but thats expected for the style. the carbonation comes off as a too high and harsh.

D- an interesting slight twist on the style with the chocolate malt in here. easy enough to finish this bottle. the 10$ price tag makes me uncertain how quickly i would want to drink another.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 16:06:11 | More by jwinship83

beveritt

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: Poured from 1 pt 9 fl oz brown bottle into an Imperial pint glass. Normally these go into my Duvel chalice, but it is dirty tonight. Label is simple Nøgne Ø style with a description on the back of both the beer and the brewery. 22.5 degrees P, 80 IBU, 10% ABV.

Appearance: pours with 1 1/2 finger of tan head. This settles slowly, dropping to a thin yet complete coating of foam and leaving behind nearly complete lacing coverage. The beer itself is a reddish muddy brown and has substantial sedimentation and particulate suspension.

Smell: Caramel malt with orange citrus hop notes. Hints of tart cherries.

Taste: Sharp and biting carbonation upfront, followed by a slightly sweet cherry caramel flavor. Hop bitterness throughout, though nicely counterbalanced by a solid malt backbone.

Mouthfeel: As previously mentioned, hella carbonation. Body is good.

Drinkability: All in all, a nice barleywine with sufficient kick from both hops and alcohol. Not a favorite however, and not one I will be tracking down again.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 04:38:20 | More by beveritt

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

GLASS: Snifter
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 50 degrees

This pours an opaque, dark, brown color. Over two-fingers of creamy, light tan colored foam form the head. Retention is very good and lacing is in thick, sticky, ropes.

There is a good deal of malty sweetness in this glass. You get to it by going passed the nice, big, hoppiness that dominates the nose of this one. It has a nice, big, pine presence. There is also a fair amount of citrus hop presence.

This is actually quite well-balanced. The big hops notes are countered by a big maltiness, which brings a good deal of sweetness to counter all of that bitterness. The hops have a slight dominant edge, but just slight.
Very nice, indeed.

This one is full-bodied with a wonderful, medium level of carbonation. It is smooth and has a medium level of creaminess. Not quite velvet-like, but at least velour quality mouthfeel.

It's indeed a tasty brew. The high abv will keep you out of it though, except in small doses.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2009 03:54:27 | More by coldmeat23

MM3

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Apearance: Red/brown with a little head.

Smell: The smell is a combination of hop aroma and alcohol sweetness.

Taste: The taste is a bit similar to the taste, but it is a bit sweeter and less hoppy. The aftertaste is quite bitter.

Mouthfeel: The beer has nice body that produces a smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: The beer is easy to drink, but could have a bit more taste to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 19:00:44 | More by MM3

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had an opportunity to have a couple of glasses of this last night at a buddy's. My favorite beer of the night by far. This is a big beer, but the balance was unreal.

Pours a deep dull dark shoe polish brown color with a tan head that rises about a finger and a half. The head has excellent retention and slowly settles back into the beer. Surprised by the amount of lacing.

Aroma was your next hint that this was a BIG beer. Huge Pine, citrus, sweet malts.. Just fantastic.

As mentioned above. The balance here is quite amazing. Brown sugar, pine resin, molasses, dark caramel. Excellent hop bitterness in the finish. I thought the ABV was well hidden.

Thick, robust body and huge presence in your mouth.

Just a great American Barleywine (from Norway!)

I will definitely grab another bottle or two of this gem.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 14:42:03 | More by Reagan1984

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pitch black with only the slightest of mahogany edges when held to a light source and a massive three finger frothy, pillowy coffee colored head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading into a thick cap that coats the glass with chunks of soapy lacing.

Very malty aroma with deep roasted coffee bean, hazelnut, chocolate and sweet alcohol notes. There are also some subtle hops but I'm really surprised so far how malt this beer looks and smells. Much more like a stout than barleywine.

The motuhfeel is extremely rich, resinous and chewy and the flavor is again dominated by a strong malt character. Lots of roasted chocolate malt, coffee bean, hazelnut and sweet alcohol. Again, some subtle hops shine through but this beer is extremely malty with plenty of roasted notes. There is a bit of sweet alcohol flavor and warmth but overall the alcohol is excellently masked resulting in an extremely drinkable beer.

To me this beer is much closer to an Imperial Stout than a barleywine in pretty much every aspect.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 21:37:07 | More by corby112

srandycarter

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours cola brown... good head retention. Lacing up the wazoo.

S - Big ass bag o malt.

T - Gigantic malt presence followed by perfectly lined up hops. A nice mix.

M - Thick, really thick. Lots of thick malt followed by heavy bitter hops. It evens out well.

D - If I had a 6 pack, I would drink it.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 04:43:37 | More by srandycarter