Marin Old Dipsea Barleywine

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

This is a bit thinner than I was expecting from a barleywine. It was a little too sweet as well. VERY glad I had some friends to split this with. Some hints of coffee and caramel, my friend tasted some licorice (I did not). No alcohol in the taste at all, which is nice, but pretty substandard for a barleywine overall. This has been an extremely lackluster beer night.

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

i really like most Marin beers, and even a bad barleywine is a pretty good beer overall, but that's just what this one is. thin and relatively flavorless in comparison to better Bw's. There's quite a few I can think of superior to this one.

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

This one held its own and was just enough 'UN-run of the mill' to be good. Pours a thick copper with good head and lace. On the nose its a concentrated sugary toasted toffee taste..... Its pretty sweet but has enough complexity to back it up. Woodsy, almost smoky notes come out. Very rich taste. Some dryness settles into the finish with a mellow hop flavor....... bottle says they use EKG's and styrian goldings hops, which give it a nice distinction over the usual C-hops.... mouthfeel of fine bubbles felt good, it got smoother as it warmed, pretty hearty, solid B/W

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

Poured a deep red, mahogany color with a medium sized, reddish tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of dried fruits, citrus, vanilla, caramel, piney hops, and some alcohol as well. Taste of sweet caramel, with dark fruits, vanilla, tobacco, and alcohol with a bitter finish.

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

One of the many high-alcohol beers sampled and discussed at the Foam On The Brain (homebrew club) meeting last night, where the theme was all-things Barleywine. After all was said and done, this particular beer was deemed pretty-much middle-of-the-road, as far as American Barleywines go.

There was nothing about this beer that could be clearly pointed out as faulty, but..., at the same time, there wasn't a lot here that marked it as anything but rather typical and uninspired.

Malty, slightly bitter aroma, with hints of estery alcohol notes in the mix. Ditto for the flavor profile, which seemed to highlight the mix of decidely West Coast hops (Chinook? Cascade?). Filling mouthfeel, with a rather overally-clean finish. And nothing truly ground-breaking, but quaffable, just the same.

I would think that I wouldn't have had a good feel for this beer, considering the quantity and quality of the beers sampled last night, and that perhaps my taste buds would be a little beat-down. But when an entire roomfull of beer geeks (in all ranges of sobriety) all come to the same conclusion (i.e. this beer is just "ok"), I have to think that my initial opinion is a valid one.

A fine Barleywine, that doesn't neccesarily disappoint, but also doesn't really seem to be trying very hard, either.
//TB

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

Mahogany color, medium head. Aroma is fruity and malty. A milder flavor and taste to this barleywine. Its not one of those smash you in the taste buds with a mallet style barleywine, it more subtle and mellow. Malty with a very definite chocolate, coffee and caramel flavor, there is also a bit of pineapple and fruit. Nice flavor, and hides the 9% alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is smooth. Aftertaste is malty and slightly sweet.

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

THis barley wine pours with a deep amber body topped by a thin head with a good amount of lacing. The aroma is sweet and very oaky with notes of alcohol and a touch of alcohol. The flavor is very similar with note of vanilla. Full bodied and warming.