Rudyard's Rare Barley Wine - Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on 3/5/11 into a Town Hall stemware glass.

Pours a very dark amber with 1 finger of head that is off white. Head dissipates after several minutes and leaves little to medium lacing.

Smells of roasted malts and lots of fruit.

Taste is malt, fruit and for the first time I think I can actually taste a tobacco taste... Wow. Should I start smoking since I like this??? Anyway, tastes good. Missing a little more fruity to balance the tobacco/date flavor but it has a good taste.

Mouthfeel is medium to heavy with almost no bite but a little booziness on the back end. Resin leaves the fruit and tobacco taste lingering in the mouth. Nice feel.

Drinkability is good. I like this Barley Wine and let me tell you why. Most barley wines I have tried need at least 2 years to rid it of the huge phenol booziness. This one however is good to go just shortly it was bottled and I like that aspect of it. I will have to try this one after it has 2 or 3 years on it.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 08:41:09 | More by UMNbeerhunter

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

05-12-2013 18:37:16 | More by Bonko_the_sane

Hoppy_McMalt

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-18-2013 23:04:55 | More by Hoppy_McMalt

JasonSiedman

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

03-12-2013 01:40:19 | More by JasonSiedman

Braz

Washington

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bought from BevMo. Pours a ruddy murky red brown color. Little white head dissipates quickly leaving almost no trace. Aromas of dark fruit, plums and raisins. Taste is rather sweet and heavy. A little fruity with some boozy undertones. Very warming and a nice sipper. Lightly carbonated for a nice mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 03:20:27 | More by Braz

Kopfschuss

Oregon

4/5  rDev +3.1%

02-25-2013 01:35:28 | More by Kopfschuss

kemoarps

Washington

3.99/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 edition

Super hazy super opaque. Medium brown, like a really thick homemade apple cider. Minimal head.

Smells good. some malty sweet, caramel. A little grassy hops somewhere in there, but not rull strong.

Follows suit. There's even some dark prune/plum fruit in there somewhere too. Spicy grassy notes, some alcohol, but not a whole lot. malts, but not as sweet as it smells.

I don't know if it is as good fresh, but at a year plus, it is quite delicious.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 10:32:33 | More by kemoarps

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

02-09-2013 18:26:09 | More by powdersoldier

Kevin73

Washington

3.71/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Pours brownish amber with almost no head poured vigorously from a bottle. The nose is nice with notes of lavender, banana, other fruits, leather, caramel, and hops. The hops flavor is very strong and overpowers many of the more subtle sweet notes masking the alcohol. Medium bodied, mouthfeel is average. Not a bad barleywine but it lacks balance.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 03:57:12 | More by Kevin73

leedorham

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.1%

01-25-2013 17:07:59 | More by leedorham

sukwonee

Washington

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

2010 vintage consumed on 10/9/2012

before I begin - while this is not a bad beer by any means, this did not taste like a barleywine. I definitely wouldn't call this an IPA, but it was one of those cross-breeds.

A: Nothing special here. Brown with thin head, some lacing. There is a bit of red tint.

S: Hops, caramel, some exotic fruits (I want to say blood orange, grapefruit, and dried cherries or prune).

T: It starts off with blood orange, quickly followed by caramel malt, sugar, booziness, then dark fruits, finishes off with hop bitterness. It's quite sweet, hoppy, malty, and boozy. Big beer for sure. This sort of reminded me of Short's blood orange wheatwine.

M: Thick, syrupy, but caronation is there. Slightly hot from alcohol.

O: It's the best Hale's beer I have had, but to be honest, I am not a huge fan of Hale's. This one was alright and it felt like it could benefit from further aging.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 04:59:04 | More by sukwonee

t0rin0

California

4.5/5  rDev +16%

10-10-2012 02:15:22 | More by t0rin0

gpawned

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

09-30-2012 06:23:54 | More by gpawned

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage.

Pours a dark chestnut brown color that's completely opaque with a one finger, light beige head that slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Streaks of soapy lacing left behind. Surprising considering the style and ABV.

Earthy, leathery malt aroma with spicy hops, sweet alcohol and subtle dark fruit notes. Surprising hop presence with some grass and resinous pine followed by alcohol, leathery malt, caramel, toffee, plum and fig.

On the fuller end of medium bodied with a spicy hop bite that lingers over the earthy, leathery malt and sweet booze into a hot, bone dry finish. Again, it's surprisingly hop forward with lots of dry, earthy bitterness and resinous pine flavor dominating until the malts and booze come in on the back end. The leathery malts compliments the earthy hops but it could use a bit more sweetness. There's some caramel and toffee but the vinous dark fruit notes found in the nose are barely noticeable. Some boozy heat in the finish that provides some nice warmth, but overall the high ABV is decently masked. Not very complex but still a flavorful sipper.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 06:58:46 | More by corby112

justiceavocado

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From a bottle at Concordia in Portland. After a really, too big meal.

A -- just fine. Better than average lacing, eggshell white head, really really dark brown-red, as close to opaque as you can get.

S-- smaller than you'd think for its big big flavor. Mostly a smoky caramel smell, a kind of funky fruit maybe too, like old prunes and walnuts.

T -- whammo. Huge hop nose, the piney, leafy kind, immediately followed by funky fruit -- dates, prunes, dried apricots, all overripe; these are good flavors, sweet and bitter in the hops, sweet and bitter in the yeast, understated but powerful malts... Yes, Hale's Ales Ltd., yes.

M -- feels anti climactic to talk about this now, but the fermentation obviously didn't over-carbonate this bad boy. Suede, yo.

O -- this is what we mean when we say barley wine. Pay attention, other barley winers.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 06:46:56 | More by justiceavocado

lacqueredmouse

Australia

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

On-tap at the brewery in Seattle.

Pours a deep amber, slightly hazed colour, with a very solid body that holds lots of static, fine-bubbled carbonation. Head is a firm, full crown of yellowish off-white that leaves some streaky lacing. Good looking brew.

Nose is rich with chewy, sticky caramel, shot through with singular hops that give a bright contrast. Aromas of musk come through as well giving a nice twist. Good stuff.

Caramel entry, big and chewy, which is soon joined by some light citric lemon characters and a dash of pepper. There's a touch of mild astringency on the finish, along with a boozy note on the back (the only hint of its rather heavy weight yet). There's a slight build up of bitterness after a while, but it creeps up, and isn't immediately noticeable after your first couple of sips.

Feel is chick and chewy, as you'd expect.

This ticks the boxes for a barleywine. Does it go beyond this? Not much beyond, but even getting a beer this big to feel so coherent and tasty is a good achievement.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 03:47:25 | More by lacqueredmouse

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 7/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark, dark maroon amber with a hint of a head and no lacing. Intense barley wine aroma. Heavy with dark fruits, figs, dates, dark malts, molasses. Nice rich flavor, but a bit too bitter; very astringent, medicinal bitterness in the finish spoils the experience. I have a few aging and will review again later.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 22:30:36 | More by LiquidAmber

BillHilly

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

07-27-2012 01:54:55 | More by BillHilly

ChadQuest

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2011
The color of the body is a dark cola color.
The nose is saying toffee, over caramelized sugars half burnt.
Flavors are brown sugar on rye bread, toffee, grapefruit hop note that doesn't mesh very well, will probably be a good deal better once the hops integrate more i think. Fruits like Figs and Dates and Prunes.
Feel is slightly sticky, medium body.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 04:11:56 | More by ChadQuest

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-04-2012 22:15:20 | More by muchloveforhops3

jpbebeau

Washington

2.75/5  rDev -29.1%

04-04-2012 00:30:33 | More by jpbebeau

sharpski

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -35.6%

02-15-2012 20:57:39 | More by sharpski

cougarbait

Washington

3/5  rDev -22.7%

01-21-2012 07:32:17 | More by cougarbait

BraatenBrew

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.1%

01-12-2012 05:16:31 | More by BraatenBrew

ATPete

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

01-05-2012 21:14:28 | More by ATPete