Little Korkny Ale - Nørrebro Bryghus

rarbring

Sweden

3.2/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer is clouded dark brown, has a small off-white head with little lacing, but good curtains.

The smell is yeast, sherry, raisins. Some old sausage as well...

Tasting sweet, raisins, figs, sherry, port, old cheese.

Low carbonation, minimal bubbles, soft, sticky and oily, a slightly dry finish. You can somewhat feel the alcohol.

Well, not really singing to me, immature and a bit boozy. But I might be wrong, sometimes I have problems appreciating barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 19:21:09 | More by rarbring

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Poured a dark amber colour with no head at all. Appears to be very lightly carbonated.

S - Very sweet. Dark caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisins, figs. Some noticeable alcohol.

T - Follows the nose. Very sweet with a noticeable alcohol taste. Brown sugar, dark caramel, dark fruit (raisin, figs), toffee. No hops are noticeable at all.

M - Medium body and next to no carbonation. It is almost bordering on flat but has just enough carbonation to be drinkable.

D -A decent example of the style but the price point would make this one impossible for me to ever buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 02:53:05 | More by TheSevenDuffs

BeerSox

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

600ml bottle into 8oz snifter. 2006. 12%ABV on the label.

Dark plum hue with a very thin tan head that settles to just about nothing.

Thick and syrupy hop aromas, packed with citrus. The malts provide a little bit of a sweet candy fruit aroma.

Very sweet fruit flavors coming from the malt, which are very thick and provide a coating feel. The carbonation is low, so that adds to the syrupy feel. The alcohol is well perceived, adding some harshness to the flavor.

Could maybe use another year to tame the beer. The alcohol is still somewhat sharp and really lowers the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 03:44:17 | More by BeerSox

mulder1010

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to me for buying this. Damned high price tag though.
Good beer for a CBS tulip though.
I think a 2008 vintage.

A-- Poured a dark, murky orange brown color. Some nice ruby hues to this. Half finger of light brown head that fizzled away quickly to nothing. Looks like a flat coke really. No real obvious ABV legs. Press on with this I think.

S-- Brown sugar, carmel, brandy, figs and plumb. Good nose for what is there but not real deep though.

T-- Prickly carbonation to start. Just a bit of hop bite. White grape, brown sugar, fig, strawberry and plumb jam, rum and raisin. Slightly sweet and syrupy but not too bad.

M-- Slightly sweet, syrupy and sticky in the mid and back. As noted prickly carbonation in the front that slowly cuts through the sweetness and smooths it out. Has held up well for its age. More about strawberry and plum jam with brandy and rum in the mid and back. Lots of booze though.

O-- not too bad. Has held up well. Not a deep beer at all and that is OK. Good jammy notes and enough carbonation to keep it quite interesting and cut down the sweetness. Alcohol is very obvious at the halfway point. Think this can still age well for a while.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 15:37:17 | More by mulder1010

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.46/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

2008 vintage. aside from the crème brule from southern tier, this is debatably the sweetest beer I have ever consumed. I have often been critical of American style barleywines for getting way too hoppy lately, but this puppy could use some balance. it pours a crimson to auburn color, dense and bubbly too, with a prominent off white head of two fingers, lasting for several minutes. the nose is really sweet, like straight up brown sugar. I smell some sweeter malts, maybe even a touch of dryer red malt, and honey. the first sip instantly coats my mouth and fills my stomach, this is diabetes juice. any woody, earthy, or malt subtleties are run out of town by the sweetness. im not even sure how they achieved such a high abv with so much sugar left over. it must have something nonfermentable in it, but hell if I can pick out what it is. the booze doesn't help things, and is the only other notable feature of this beer. there is a full body and surprisingly robust carbonation, but its way too late after my teeth are rotting out of my head here. overall there must be a crowd of people out there who like this kind of thing, and it is well made, but even a small glass of this is too much for me. not sure it fits the American barleywine bill particularly well either, but it may be worth a try if sugar high and wasted is your go to combination...

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 20:46:12 | More by StonedTrippin

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

20.3 fl oz brown bottle; served in a snifter.
Vintage 2005.

Pours a very hazy, deep oak in color. No visible head whatsoever; unable to leave any lacing. On looks, it appears that this ale has gone flat.

Slick and sweet candied malt with lots of residual sugars. Aged, vinous fruit matured with a mellow alcohol character; plum, raisin. Rich milk chocolate; brown sugar and nutmeg.

Creamy chocolate, caramel, light molasses amidst a holiday spice: brown sugar, nutmeg. Alcohol-soaked vinous fruit: fig, raisin, plum. The port-like alcohol presence starts rather mellow, but becomes very cutting and gaseous and lasts well into the aftertaste.

Almost full bodied; despite my suspicions, this one isn't flat. It has a very smooth, mellow body with a slick feel in the finish due to the sharp alcohol.

A big, somewhat bulky barleywine. Bold flavors, just rough around the edges. One I would try again to ensure freshness, and I'll truly decide then.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2008 11:40:27 | More by NEhophead

Sigmund

Norway

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Draught at the brewpub, RBESG. Fresh and aged versions. I liked the fresh one better, so my ratings are for that one. Comments aged version: Cloudy brown colour, decent head. Yeasty and strong wort aroma, smells kind of "unfinished / immature". (5/10) Flavour is worty sweet, again "unfinished / immature". (5/10) Not my favourite this one. Overall 11/20.
Comments fresh version:
Cloudy brown colour. Aroma is malty and "fresher" than the aged one, fruity elements. Some oaky notes too. Flavour is malty / worty sweet - too sweet. Still better than the aged one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2006 20:49:46 | More by Sigmund

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

600ml bottle from the LCBO, split with bobsy. $22 bucks is a hefty sum.

Pours a ruddy brown with hints of amber, a little bit of creamy eggshell head which dies down and has just a few bubbles.

Nose is classic English bwine notes, loads of sticky toffee, raisin, caramel, brown sugar, earth and perhaps a touch of tobacco.

Taste has all those lovely characteristics in it along with cocoa, fruit bread, molasses; but is unbalanced, sticky sweetness is too dominant and borders on syrupy, which is aided by the low carb. Hides the ABV quite well but the sweetness limits the drinkability, as does the price. Worth a try but certainly not worth the price.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 21:27:34 | More by ritzkiss

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Little Korkny has a fairly dull and murky tone that is hardly worth noting, except that when held into the light it looks like Cassis. Otherwise, it miserably fails to arouse the senses. What's worse is pieces of suspended yeast look like slide samples from an entomologist's lab - that'll teach me for tempting fate with the last few ounces.

There is a slight unbalance in the nose pertaining to the ratio of malt to alcohol. I fully expect some (heck, even a fair bit of) booze in a 12% beer, but ester-y vapors outweigh sticky, rich malt. And since this is self-described as an "American interpretation" it's also fair to note the disproportionate amount of sticky, pine-y hops too.

Barleywines are known for their rich malt profiles. This one, however, has a malt profile that is more upper-middle class; it's wealthy, but I wouldn't call it rich. Its dark berry and grape-y fruitiness has a Madeira-like tone but not the sweetness or complexity of port. The hops have a leafy bitterness, something like tobacco or tomato leaf.

Barleywines should instill the sensation that what you're drinking is something special. This one, however, fails to do so. It is bitter without being gratifying; strong without being flavourful. The aftertaste isn't fruit bread or molasses (like the flavour) but a drying, insipid combination of chew tobacco, stale raisin and wet leather.

The brewery is lucky that 'value for the consumer' is not a graded category. The overall score would dip substantially. I am at a complete loss as far as imagining what in the world could have been put in or done to this beer to account for its $22 price tag. I wasn't expecting gold leaf lettering on the bottle, no, but a more than mediocre beer in it, yes.

A barleywine can work only in one way but can go wrong in many. This one failed in a few but it failed first and foremost in not having a character - and, specifically, a malt profile - that is stronger than its alcohol content. Nørrebro Bryghus is a really good brewery, but compared against the best American examples of the style, drinking this beer is like listening to Bach on the recorder. Save your money for more deserving offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 05:52:43 | More by biegaman

StJamesGate

New York

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Viscous leather brown with ruby highlights and a cap of sienna foam that's gone in a flash due to the ABV, no doubt. Rich brandy booze notes with red berry, raisin, brown sugar and wood plus a touch of pine sap.
Raisin danish and strawberry compote, some dates and Concord grapes in the middle, and deep dried orange rind hops.
Spicy rum finish and bitter fruity linger. Medium to full, chewy, hot.

Labeled at 12%, I expect some serious depth of flavor, and it's not here. On the contrary, it's pretty flat. Fruity malts put this on the winey side of barleywine, but for being labeled American, it's lacking for hops.

I see the deviation for ratings on this is pretty wide; mark me among those who don't get the fuss.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 22:09:29 | More by StJamesGate

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a medium copper color ale with a nice foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of caramelized with light toffee notes. Taste is also dominated by caramel notes with light dry raisins and light toffee. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol which is a bit surprising. Well brewed without being overly complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 20:22:15 | More by Phyl21ca

ToolHead

Denmark

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Draught at Nørrebro Bryghus; served in snifter. Slightly hazy amber/brownish color; small head. Impressive, well-rounded aroma dominated by hops and alcohol; powerful, alcoholic taste with a long, warming, slightly burnt finish. Definitely a sipping beer. Served too cold.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2004 20:59:22 | More by ToolHead

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2005 version, picked up a couple of bottles on my last beer.

A - nice mahogany color, light wisp of a head
S - dark ripe fruits, caramel, figs, sweet malts
T - heavy sweet malts, dark ripe fruits, caramel
M - full bodied, lightly carbonated, sweet lingering finish
D - sweet, heavy, warm sipping barleywine. Probably best if the bottle is split with a friend.

I was surprised to see this listed as an american barleywine, but hey 3 years and it's morphing into a whole new aspect. It's bottle conditioned so I'm looking forward to a few more years to tap the next one.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 01:12:01 | More by barleywinebrewer

jdubjacket

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased a bottle of this at Green's, and after working 11 hours, I decided to pop this open. 2006 vintage. Pours a murky brown color with no head or lacing on the glass. Smell is very sweet with a lot of brown sugar in the nose. Taste is a mixture of toffee, sweet candies, brown sugar, raisins, and a touch of booze. Almost no carbonation in the mouth. High ABV makes this a little tough to drink. It's tasty and the ABV is fairly well masked. Good brew for a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 01:00:32 | More by jdubjacket

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2006 vintage.

Appearance: Pours a dark, deep amber body. We're missing a head here, but, at over 12% ABV, I guess it comes with the territory.

Smell: Reduced, condensed aroma of caramel, toffee, plums, raisins, and alcohol.

Taste: Dark caramel and rich toffee stirred together and ready to deliver a full sweetness. Oh, and it's plenty fruity -- both juicy plums and raisins. Earthy bitterness. A bit boozey, but only a bit. Fruity, definitely sweet finish with a touch of citrus.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium-low carbonation.

Drinkability: It's good! Overpriced, sure, but good.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 02:30:34 | More by ChainGangGuy

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Mondiale 2009. Tasty barleywine with a moderate brown colour. Above average mouthfeel, undestated carbonation. Decent barley aroma.Dark fruit sugar, caramel, brown sugar -its sweetish. Very Good drinkability for a high a.b.v.and the alcohol is hidden.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 23:15:10 | More by northyorksammy

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a murky brown body with no head and lot's of carbonation.

S - Dark fruits and lot's of sweet candy sugar. Mild hop there as well with a toffee-like candy aspect too.

T - Really sweet but not cloying, just really sweet. Lot's of that dark fruit and toffee with more candy notes.

M - Attacks the mouth, filling up every nook and cranny, mild carbonation feeling with a full body.

D - Awfully sweet but not to the degree that I couldn't finish what I had in front of me. Good to split but a full bottle would have been alot.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 19:41:16 | More by tbeckett

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From ½ liter bottle - Pours a brownish/orange with a small head very low in carbonation. Strong smells fruits and malts. First sip is honey and fruity with a slight oxidation. Start sweet, finishes bitter and very well carbonated. Nice body - strong malty backbone.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 23:49:46 | More by ATLbeerDog

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer is dark brown. Absolutely no head, even with a vigorous pour. Just fizzles away like a soft drink.

Big smell. Wood, dark fruits, caramel, brown sugar and a generous amount of booze.

Taste is quite similar to the nose. Raisin, fig, caramel, brown sugar, wood, alcohol. Fairly sweet- syurpy. Some alcohol heat. Quite good. Not sure how it was when bottled a year or so ago, but it is drinking well now.

Full bodied, moderate to high carbonation, syrupy. Sweetness dries the mouth somewhat.

Overall, a pretty good barleywine. Certainly the best of the Norrebro Bryghus offerings that the LCBO brought in last year.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 20:07:46 | More by jrenihan

Jsenay

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 Vintage bottle served into snifter

A - Pours with a heavy effervescent bubbling into the glass with a dark amber almost brown color.

S - It has a volatile smell that is off rotten fruit when first poured out but, this dissipates into a sweet brandy, plums, muddled raisins, caramel, brown sugar.

T - Taste has raisins, sweet figs, plums, caramel, marshmallow, candi sugar and dark chocolate notes.

M - Not the syrupy mouth feel that I was expecting it to have. The carbonation helps keep it rolling along the palate instead of just clinging to the tongue. It warms the palate at the beginning and rolls into a lingering sweetness with a dry finish.

O - The carbonation made this beer very enjoyable. If it wasn't present this would be a tough beer to take down. Such heavy dark flavors would have destroyed the palate but, with the perky carbonation it helped keep the beer moving over the palate. This is a rather tasty and easy drinking barley wine.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 21:43:25 | More by Jsenay

snaotheus

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

1 pint 4.3oz bottle poured into a giant snifter (2006; bought it at Malt & Vine in Redmond)

Pours extremely dark honey in color, pours thick and gelid. No head, and bubbles seem suspended. Smell is thick and sweet and heavy with molasses. A large portion of the bottle is still in the bottom carrying lots of sediment. I wanted to taste it without chunks first.

Taste is very sweet with very noticeable alcohol taste. Molasses is prevalent. Toffee, too. Bitter and sour aftertaste clenches the jaw, not unpleasantly.

Mouthfeel is thick and heavy, stays in the mouth a long time. Even for barleywines, this is a strong tasting brew, although pleasant. I don't think I could drink two of them.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 00:53:16 | More by snaotheus

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Kind of an odd duck. Poured with a soda pop head: fizzed way up and down to no head at all right away; no lace. Color is a hazy dark copper red brown amber. Aroma is very good - vineous, dark ripe fruit, yeast, malt. Flavor is like aroma plus has cocoa, caramel, toffee. Body is full and carbonation is light, which fits this beer, but doesn't really stand out. Finish is like flavor with great interplay with bitter and sweet. No off flavors at all. A little bit of booze at the very end. A sipper.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2010 23:24:33 | More by drpimento

mentor

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Crosling, thanks a million. Pours a red-brown liquid with yellow-brown head. Smells chocolate, fresh-water lake, clean alcohol. Toasty and biscuit malt. Caramel with searching.

Tastes toffee, caramel, mild chocolate. Minimal dark fruits. Aftertaste has layers of caramel amid an alcohols ting. Md-thick and creamy. Hangs on the tongue despite alcohol fighting to clear things away. Great sipper.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 21:03:39 | More by mentor

mcallister

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Orangish red in color with absolutely no head and very still in nature. Nothing extraordinary yet satisfying.

Huge on brown sugar, caramel, dates, sweet cane sugars, dried candied fruits, fig, prune, raisin and a dose of toffee.

Nice and tasty, good alcohol in the mouth that pierces the toungue, huge brown sugar, large in fig and date character, very english in style thankfully, great dessert style, prune and toffee with a slight hint of marmalade.

Creamy thick and slightly syrupy. Not as complex as my friends from England but in the right direction.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 01:28:56 | More by mcallister

kirok1999

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to mcallister for sharing...this is getting to be a habit in my reviews.
Pours a very nice looking copper, very flat and dense with no head or lacing.
Smells very typical of the style, fruity sweet and yet a nice amount of hops come through.
Taste is much like the smell, very sweet with lots of dark fruity tastes. Caramel, raisin and a huge mix of other fruits.
Thick and creamy with very, very little carbonation. Feels syrupy and smooth and is really wonderful to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2008 01:28:47 | More by kirok1999