Barleywine Time! Easily my favorite beer. We were quite happy with the 2004 version and receive a bunch of positive feedback from ya'll. The Celebrator was also in agreement as they ranked our beer with the best of the barleywines they tasted last year. We sent some more bottles out this year and though I haven't seen the issue I believe we have once again been well ranked. The two aspects of last years beer that we decided to alter was bitterness and mouthfeel. We felt the beer a tad over hopped and so dropped the IBU's from 90 to 80. We also added CaraHell into our malt profile to add a bit of the residueals this dextrin malt leaves behind.
The nose is a bit understated and we'll work on bumping up the dry hopping next year. Can never add too many dry hops. I definitely like the hop and malt balance better this year. Could it perhaps use a tad more body? The flavors linger beautifully with that great warming in the ol' belly. I look forward to meeting this beer again next fall after it's had a chance to grow up and mature a wee bit.
Malt: Pilsner Malt,Pale Ale Malt,Caramunich,Aromatic Malt,
Special B,CaraHell,Brown Sugar
Hops: Simcoe - Bittering, Santiam & Cascade - Flavoring,
Santiam - Aroma, Warrior - Dry Hopping
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Stoutlover72 from Northern, California, USA who has tried this beer once. (1/16/2008 2:18:05 PM)
"I've been drinking a fair amount of barleywines this winter (okay, so I drink a fair amount all thru the year) and this barleywine just sort of...blah. It was easy enough to drink, but aroma and palate character were missing. It was kind of an empty beer if there ever was one. A "by the book" aroma of caramel with some hops present. Appearance was a dark burnt orange color with a nice off-white head. Mouthfeel was a little hot. Flavors combined elements of caramel malts, floral hops with a big dose of alcohol infusion. A pretty average attempt. I'd definitely drink it again, but I wouldn't be on the hunt for another bottle for sure."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.2)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[2] Review by bfeldmann from Wilmington, DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (9/15/2006 8:15:20 AM)
"Poured a stright amber color which was a lighter then i expected. good head Amazing lacing. Aroma was resinous. Flavor was the same with some caramel malts. okay beer but lacking things i expect from thsi style."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by poppopgod from Wilmington, DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (9/3/2006 4:25:29 PM)
"tastede kind of sweet at first impression but had a great hoppy finish which balanced well. Thin head, but appearance was deceiving due to a very carbonated mouthfeel. Hints of cloves underneath the piney hops. A very well baqlanced brew."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by doulos31 from Middletown, DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (9/3/2006 4:15:42 PM)
"Beer poured cider brown with next to no head or lacing. Aroma was pine and alcohol. Flavor was really strong fruity, malty base with a lotta lot of pine hop bitterness in the finish. A strong alcohol burn astringency was the only downside. Really "BIG" beer in all aspects. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $3.94 Unit Cost: $2.87 per Pint
[5] Review by biegaman from Toronto, Canada who has tried this beer once. (7/5/2006 12:52:55 PM)
"No real head forms. A sexy, sexy shade of cognac colour, and sparkling ruby when held to the light. Not quite clear, not quite cloudy - perfect. No hesitations giving this a perfect score for appearence. Simply beautiful. Aroma is only slightly less spectacular. Thick mouthfeel - spectacular. Heavy, thick malt but the hops push infront of them and nudge it down. Hops leave a sticky residue. I wish I could be more insightful and descriptive, but I enjoyed drinking it so much I could hardly bring myself to write anything down in my notes. Really impressed with this one, I kept saying 'spectacular'. So smooth, nothing aggresive. Literally, this one 'dances on the pallet' - literally. Big thanks Harry! "
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
10/10
Mouthfeel:
10/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
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(3.2)
