Heavyweight Old Salty

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

Bottled 2004. Purchased at Tri-State Liquors in Brunswick, MD. Pours a muddy/hazy brown with a thin tan head that fades quickly to a thin ring. The lacing is sparce, but sticks to the glass very nicely. Smell; lots or malty goodness. Brown sugar, caramel and molasses. Dark fruits are prevalent with rum soaked raisins, cherries and melons. Whatever hops this may have had, probably faded over the past three years as they are not really noticeable. Taste; the alcohol soaked fruits come out at first with cherries, raisins and dates. Caramel and molasses come out through the middle and the finish is a slightly burned toast and caramel with a little vanilla. I have to say that the finish o this one is really long, as the flavors seemed to just kept coming out long after each sip. Mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I would have expected, more medium than full bodied, but the overall drinkability is pretty good.

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

Poured a brown with redish edges. Aroma was of caramel. Flavor was much the same with chocolate and something that was a little sour. Problem with this one was not very well balanced. ugh

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

Bottle: Poured a deep mahogany color barleywine with a medium off-white foamy head with good retention. Aroma of plums and prunes with some sweet caramel malt. Taste is quite sweet but not disgustingly so with some nice touch of plums and prunes. Hops are clearly present bit not overpowering on the sweet caramel malt. Body is above average but could be a bit more full. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall a very good barleywine but missing some character to make this a truly great beer.

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

Vintage 2004. Pours a brown (some reddish hues) murky color with a reasonable off-white head, but only a little lacing. The aroma is of sour caramel and toffee. The flavor is much of the same with some chocolate and brown sugar mixed in there. Sweet sour complexity, that's the only plus. Man, HW sure knows how to sour up these "malty" beers. These sour caramel English beers don't do much for me. Mouthfeel is acidic and astringent. Hops anyone? Some? Anything? Need more bitter balance.

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

2004 version. Thanks to eaglefan538 for sharing as a birthday treat! Beer pours dark brown, virtually no head, lacing. Aroma is sweet, fruity. Complex taste, dark fruits, caramel, brown sugar taste...with that Heavyweight signature sour taste that fits this beer nicely. Very little carbonation or hops, though. But overall, I likey!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

01.13.05 12 oz bottle
2004, Clouded dark amber pour with thick and coating beige head. Aromas are thick, sweet, and bready with some underlying floral citrus; brandy-like. Flavors are bright up front, lively and grainy like biscuit with marmalade. Bitterness moves in mid-way and holds fast beyond the finish. A nice representation of an east coast style barleywine that’s not over the top with bitterness and focuses on balance. The beer ages well.

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

This is heavily carbonated. It foamed up a bit when opened. It didn't foam over, but did foam about 2/3 of an inch up the neck. It's a nice clear color that's too red for amber and too orange for ruby. Nice fruity nose. There's a bit of banana, bit of spice and there is a definite alcoholic note. The flavor is lacking, unfortunately. It needs more hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness. The mouthfeel is a bit fuzzy from the carbonation but far from thin.

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

A dark orange appearance with a medium head. Some oranges, cherries, and a whole bunch of alcohol showing in the flavor. I seem to detect some coconut flavors in there, am I crazy? The aftertaste is quite sweet. This was a good one but not very well balanced.

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

Medium to dark brown color. Small to no head. Aroma is malty, brown sugar and alcohol. A mediu bodied barley wine. Malts are fruity and sweet, touch of caramel and vanilla that went away after a while. Gives way to a lots of malt fruitiness. Nice smooth taste. Lots of brown sugar and fruity flavors that mix with the alcohol. Finishes a little thin. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet with a BIG alcohol finish.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

Very nice and smooth. Very young. Malty and rich in flavor. Really pleasant. It was cask conditioned. Clear orange in color. Generous in hop content.