Mendocino Imperial Barley Wine

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

2010 version. Sat on this in hopes that it would mellow and be drinkable. Muddy brown pour, tight tan head, some lacing. Very earthy aroma and flavors: ripe pitted fruits, big earthy hops, dark brown sugar, near burnt biscuits. It is drinkable, but that is all.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

Strong aroma is fruity and syrupy, notes of caramel and cloves, a bit cloying. Pours a clear mahogany with a thick and rather fine-bubbled tan head. Flavor has a strong alcohol bite and a woody note, just a hint of fruit. Smooth texture has plenty of life, but finish is unpleasant. Well, a good effort.

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

pours a copper, almost ruby color with an insubstantial tan head and no lace. The aroma is a little sweet from what seems to be dark fruits. I get no hint of hops. Alcohol comes through, reminds me of a brandy. The malt is bigger as well, more toffee and bread-like. The taste starts out sweet with the bread malt and dark fruits mixing a little, but then the heat plays around on the back of the throat. The mouthfeel is watery and medium bodied. It's not balanced.

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

Had this beer a few times and was not impressed. The beer I’m having now has aged for about 18 months and I think improved a little. Reddish brown colour, with a thin bubbly white head which disappeared in a shot. Aroma is sweet, fruity and alcohol. Tastes sweet, sherry like with an alcohol burn followed by dry hop finish. Medium body. Won’t buy again.

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

Ms Marble to the doctor tomorrow, for her teeth .. . Pours a dark ruby tan .. light foam, light sticky lacing .. . 2 holes in the ceiling .. . light sherry, light oxidation, light monkey, some molasses, touch of booze, and cut finger .. . pretty nice, but pretty simplified and i can't see this aging more than 6 months .. . . Because one of you thought it would be a good idea to pull down your pants, ok, hover your butt cheeks over the urinal and squeeze out a chocolate hotdog, ok.

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

Aromas and flavor has a big raisin presence, and anise kind of unusual for the style. Also it has plenty of sweet caramel and bready malts, the citrus hops were subdued. Overall it's a bit strange, I am not sorry I bought it but I won't buy another

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 3

Hmm. A for effort? Pours clear Reddish clear with no head. Bland aroma, unbalanced, sweet and hops but not in a good way. A good idea gone awry i guess.

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

This poured a murky orange color with very little head. The aroma contains some alcohol, caramel, and citrus. The flavor is rather tame for a barleywine with some bready notes, citrus, caramel, and alcohol. The finish is rather sweet and boozy with a hint of hops. Overall this is an American Barleywine through and through, it’s ok but not amazing by any stretch.

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

pours a little dark, like a traditional old ale. sugary sweetness in the nose and flavor, tempered with some hops and a touch more carmel sweetness, which starts out nice, but becomes a little much by the end. like the scores indicate, better than average ale, poor barleywine.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

12oz bottle. Pours light brown with a medium creamy light tan head that retains fairly well and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is sweet figgy malts, toffee, cola, cardboard and alcohol.

The flavor is sweet malts, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruits (fig) with some alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and kind of watery.

Overall, it's too sweet for me with a bit of alcohol. Not balanced at all.