Barley Wine
Nils Oscar

Barley WineBarley Wine
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From:
Nils Oscar
 
Sweden
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
10.4%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 12.77%
Reviews:
73
Ratings:
119
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 14, 2020
Added:
Oct 22, 2002
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  3
20.3° Plato.

Also sold as "Swedish Barley Wine-Style Ale"
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Photo of Steve555
Reviewed by Steve555 from Wales

3.82/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Body is dark brown with a purple tinge. Generous head that dissipates quickly. Sweet smell of sour fruit. Taste is fruity, cherries, blackberries and a generous helping of alcohol that is controlled by a strong malt base. Mouthfeel is slightly sickly. Overall I found this well balanced for a barley wine and although a sipper fairly drinkable, perhaps because I remember days of being dreadfully ill drinking Gold Label many years ago. This is far better.
Aug 14, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chico1985 from Massachusetts

Jul 17, 2020
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

3.59/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz undated bottle poured into a tulip glass at just above fridge temp 9.5% ABV. The beer pours barely hazy medium to dark amber with light khaki head. The head never really builds and forms a pencil thin ring around the glass. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with light caramel, raisin and wet cardboard. The taste is semisweet caramel again with some heavily oxidized notes and hints of raisin and plum. Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good. I'm a little disappointed with this. I took a gamble on a room temperature bottle at an out of town shop. The bottle cap is not the oxygen absorbing type and the oxidation has moved past pleasant to muting the flavor of this bottle. It's labeled as Swedish Barley Wine-Style Ale.
Mar 13, 2020
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

2.57/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
This one pours a muddy light brownish color, with a small head, and nl acing.

This smells like rotten fruit, grain alcohol, red wine, and cardboard.

This is just not good. I'm not sure of the vintage, but it's gotta be old, as it's just oxidized to the moon and back, with rotten wine flavors, and tons of cardboard. There's some light hop bitterness, and a very sweet malt backbone.

This is medium bodied, and syrupy, with basically no drinkability whatsoever.

This is quite the disappointment. Can't really recommend this at all.
May 13, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Unknown vintage; drank 10/23/16 @ the Yarchives.

See-through purple/red appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small, noisy khaki head which quickly dissipated; decent lace.

Caramel, apple cider, cherry & faint booze heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Caramel, apple cider & baking soda flavors; mild booze heat emerged as this warmed.

Too sweet for this palate; I'm not sure how old this is but I can't say I'm dying to track down another.
Feb 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.02 by Muss42 from Michigan

Dec 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.99 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

May 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.88 by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

May 24, 2017
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
At the time of consumption, this is roughly 6 years old. 11oz bottle into a wine glass appears a beautiful copper color with white head that fades back to large bubs.

Aroma is caramel sweetness with light accenting fruity quality. Sugary with almost a currant character to it.

Taste is malt centric but without much residual sweetness. Lightly toasty breadiness with slight bitter fruit flavor, currants and neutral alcohol.

Light in body with light carbonation. A solid brew I would drink again.
Jan 12, 2017
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.31/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
A lighter SRM than average for a barleywine, this one came in a more orange and yellow color than it did brown or auburn. Smallish 1/3" off white head. Aroma has some sweetness, maltiness to it more than anything else.

Taste was again sweet, but not adjunct sweet. Something yeast wise giving me a complex interplay of vanilla, wood and anise. Alcohol plenty pronounced. Interesting stuff, but not worth the price of admission. Caramel and dark fruit in the mouth feel.
Nov 10, 2016
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.46/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
a nearly perfect barleywine, maybe the best not barrel aged example of the style i have ever had. a tiny and ancient bottle, i think something like 2008, man does this age gracefully! really light in color, light amber, copper even, perfectly clear, strong airy head, great retention. the aroma knocks my socks off, grape jelly, right from the plaid smuckers jar, amazing, sweet and fruity both, minimal oxidation for its age, a slight woody sweetness (although this sees no wood), honey, very little alcohol presence too, likely a product of the time in the cellar. the flavor is incredible too, every bit as dynamic as the nose, with less of a grape complexion, although there are suggestions of red wine here, prune, and raisin. its lighter than many in terms of the flavor it seems to get from the malt, the layers come from the yeast it seems like, something high gravity, mature, and foreign to me. caramel and fig, brown sugar and flower honey, smooth maple and new paper. i love the depth of flavor this has, how light and airy the feel is for what it is, not too much body, hardly any residual sugar, and just a trace of warming alcohol in the very late stages. this is wonderfully delicious beer, probably as good a barleywine as i have ever had. need to try this fresh to see what difference the age makes, but i suspect it is substantial. this is the new gold standard in the style for me, unforgettable! appallingly underrated here on BA...
Sep 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by RGPeters from Virginia

Oct 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by WastingFreetime from Wisconsin

Oct 26, 2015
 
Rated: 2.98 by deonreds from New York

Oct 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by GRG1313 from California

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Griffith from Connecticut

Nov 10, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Evil_Pidde from Sweden

Oct 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by KAF from Iowa

Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by davidwhatshisnam from New York

Jun 19, 2014
Barley Wine from Nils Oscar
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 119 ratings