Berkshire Holidale

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

bottle from Jenray, i was intrigued by this .. . pours a muddy tan .. medium foam head, light slashes of lacing .. . figs, cherry, chocolate tar, and De Gea .. . light mouth .. . doesn't drink like a 9.5 barleywine! .. . . Sneaking beer into work is easy. Especially when it's already inside your stomach.

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

Rich fruity aroma with influences of figs, caramel, cereal and rye. Dark copper pour, filmy head and full lacing. Medium bodied, drinkable and enjoyable. Toasty, roasted malts o' plenty with sweetened cereal and dark fruit flavors.

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

1999 vintage. Tasted at the April Northern California Beer Tasting. This barleywine pours a deep amber color from the bottle. Small sized white foamy head. The aroma was caramel malts and sweet. A medium bodied barleywine. The malts are caramel and sweet. The hops are earthy. There is a trace of Christmas spices left, but not much. More than a touch of oxidation here as well, which is kind of expected. Not a lot of carbonation left. Mouthfeel is round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

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

2006 Release, Sampled December 2007
When poured vigorously the head forms a fat-two-finger thick, tan colored head that sits atop a brilliantly clear, dark, cranberry red colored brew. Chewy, sweet malt aromatics mix with appetizing hop aromatics. Aromas of toffee, sweet caramel, berries, kiwi fruit and a green, slightly vegetal notes something like fresh cut milk-weed and a touch of warming alcohol towards the end are all noticed. Really the herbal & odd fruit notes are what dominate the aroma; this ends up being not nearly as malty as one would expect from a Barleywine.

Sweet & fruity tasting up front, again berry notes and something a bit sharper like kiwi and maybe strawberry flavors are definitely quite noticeable. That milk-weed note is here in the flavor as well, though it is a bit reduced. This green note definitely lingers on the palate through to a lingering finish. A noticeable, though not overwhelming (more of a secondary note), bitterness is found throughout each sip. Caramelized malt sugars (which accentuate the fruit notes) as well as a touch of toffee, some lightly toasted notes and some chewy bread flavors play a supporting role here. This does not have as much heft as I was expecting it too, but it definitely has a fullness to it that makes this a sipping brew. A bit of warming alcohol mixes with the weird herbal note in the finish.

The flavors in this beer are just a bit odd, not nearly malty enough & the hops have taken a weird, not quite herbal, not quite hop fruity character. Definitely interesting though & worth trying, I wonder how much more this will change with a couple more years of age on it.