Alaskan Brewing Barley Wine (Big Nugget)

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

2011 bottle - spectacular amber/brown pour with a thick white head that offers superb lacing. This is a malt bomb on the nose, biscuity and potent. Strong sweetness up front with notes of caramel, molasses, dates, figs, and wheat bread. A slight oakiness rounds it out nicely. This is a superb entry in the style.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Today 06-17-2011 I am consuming a 2007 dated bottle. Nicely complex, a little sweet, but well worth the experience. Pours a nice burn maple syrup color, very brief head, with a slightly unfortunate clash of bitterness at the end of the sip. It would be interesting to see how the bottle would react to another 3 years of aging, but alas it is not to be. Find a bottle and buy it, make it a thrill for your taste buds!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

The appearance is a dark amber color with a beige head. The aroma contains some caramel, alcohol, cherries, nutmeg. The flavor is rather sweet with some caramel, raisins, toffee, and a huge dose of alcohol. The aftertaste is rather sweet and boozy. Overall this is pretty good but might need some age to calm down the hotness.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

The appearance is quite stunning, a deep dark ruby with a thin foamy head and extemely clear. The aroma is kind of a letdown, a little malty and alcohol on the back, not much else. The flavor is very interesting, not the heavy malts you would expect and thinned out a bit by the high alcohol flavor. The alcohol flavor is a little over the top and kills the other flavors of this beer which is a little dissappointing.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

22oz bottle -

I’ve been waiting to land this beer for what seems like years, but then a BevMo has it on the shelf one afternoon and my search has ended. Aroma has some nice notes of hazlenuts, caramel, a touch alcohol, toffee and really light vanilla. The flavor is very rich, full of caramel malt (I mean REALLY pronounced), honey, a green/earthy bitterness about it, and a dose of alcohol. Perhaps not as stellar as I was hoping, but damn good and that’s fine by me.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

Saw this at a local store, 2009 on the label. Label states you can store this for years. Hmm..this is a year old and its a bit thin, insipid in flavor and a rather nasty brown color. Its a barley wine for certain sure. There is some alcohol in there some where! Not close to Ole Guardian, sure not Old Saguaro, its just ok. Malty murk with and alcohol back. For $4.00 a bottle it would be ok. At 6? No thanks.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle from bockyhorsey. The pour was a deep reddish brown color, small off-colored head. The aroma was fruity dark raisins and brown sugar, caramel, no hops. The flavor followed the aroma, fruity, metallic, raisins, brown sugar, tobacco, in need of some hops to make it outstanding, but within an English-style BWine, decent. Thanks, Bill, a fun one!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a deep coper color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light citrus hops with some sweet malt. Taste is also dominated by sweet malt with some light dry fruit and a dry bitter and citrusy finish courtesy of some West Coast hops. Body was about average for the style with some good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well made and even though I prefer my barleywine with some limited hops I thought this example was very well balanced and it is definitively one that I would like to try again.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a dark brown/red with light tan head and thick lace. Aromas of caramel malts, pineapple, grapefruit, sweetgrass, hops, and mild spices. The mouthfeel is smooth and full-bodied. Flavors of caramel malts, hops, grapefruit, mint, light berry, and spices. Mild and smooth.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Tasted on tap at the Celebrator Best of the West Beerfest on 2/15/2009. This barley wine pours a deep amber color from the tap. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, fruity and sweet with a touch of hops. A medium to full bodied barleywine. The malts are fruity, caramel and sweet. The hops are citrusy and piney. A big boozy barleywine, a little hot but nice caramel and fruity flavors. Balance is way toward the malts, but there are enough hops to keep it balanced. Good carbonation. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet with a touch of alcohol bite.