[1] Review by bfeldmann from Wilmington, DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/2/2008 8:49:58 AM)
"Poured a hazy brownish color with good head. ARoma was lots of floral and tea bags. Flavor was of light fruits grapes and pears some apple some hops in there. Very nice beer. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by doulos31 from Middletown, DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/10/2008 7:05:58 AM)
"Thanks to eaglefan538 for sharing. Pour was a dark orange color, with a surprising little head and good lacing. Flavor was a mish-mash of fruit, mostly overripe grapes, but pear and other fruities and some floral notes that didn't mix well as well over a caramel malt base. A touch of teabag was present as well. The mouthfeel was a bit thin and hollow. Okay, but nothing earthshattering."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by eaglefan538 from DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/9/2008 10:19:19 PM)
"Bottle from CaptainCougar. Pour was hazy orangey-brown, nice initial head (great pssst on bottle opening, was expecting a little flatter), good lacing. The aroma was fruity and floral some caramel and faint tea bags (the latter worried me). The flavor was grapes, pears, strawberries, caramel, gentle floral hops, slight hop-spicey finish too. No signs of oxidation, fairly smooth and drinkable, odd floral and fruity combo, yet decent. Mouthfeel moderate, short of sticky, moderately carbonated. Thanks, Tom, a nice one."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (8/8/2007 2:35:16 AM)
"Sampled August 2007
Quite rich smelling, clearly starting to age a bit, but it does not seem to be detrimental yet. The hazy, concentrated amber colored beer is topped by an initially, fat, one-finger thick, tan colored head. Aromatic notes of concentrated fruitiness (raisins & prunes), herbaceous & fruity hops (both citrus notes and a berry character) as well as aged malt notes of sherry, caramelized malt and significant brown sugar are all quite noticeable here. Some light oxidation notes have added a complex, almost meaty (really more umami like than meat like) quality to the aroma that really integrates quite well and makes this all that more complex. This still has a fairly vibrant malt and hop character to it; the age has muted these notes for sure, but not yet suppressed them and it has added other layered aromatics to the nose.
Creamy feeling as it hits my mouth, the carbonation is fairly light, but still adds a touch of a prickly sensation to the tongue. The oxidation / aged notes are not quite as present as in the aroma, and they certainly were not dominant there, but they do adds some dustiness to the malt character, a touch of sherry and it definitely seems to amplify fruity notes of prunes and raisins (all of these notes are more noticeable towards or even well into the finish). The hop character still has a vibrant edge to it (this must have been quite hoppy when fresh, because it is still quite hoppy); notes of candied grapefruit, orange zest, tangelo, a backdrop of menthol and pine as well as a solid, yet in no way dominating bitterness. Thick and chewy without being sticky; this is definitely a sipping brew as the malt and hop character demand that you savor each sip.
This beer might be at its peak right now; ample fresh hop and malt notes are still quite noticeable, but these are tempered by an almost perfect amount of age and oxidation that is not yet dominating the flavor profile, instead it is accentuating & adding to the complexity of this brew. This is one of those beers that seems to grow on me; dissecting the flavor components and aged components is such an enjoyable task that this beer only get better with each sip. It is surprising at times how well integrated and how much the aged / oxidation character add to this brew; with the big caveat that I have not had this beer when it was fresh, I think that this really might be peaking right now. This reminds me a lot of the balance, if not necessarily the specific flavors, of that magical time for every vintage of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot when it is between 2 and 4 years of age. This ends up being so tasty, such a consummate sipping brew, I can’t help but thoroughly enjoy this brew. My enjoyment of this is certainly a bit situational, but regardless this is one impressive brew. I see that the early ratings state that this was sort of an English balanced Barley wine, if this is true then watch out, because this might still improve for another 10 years"
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
10/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[5] Review by Stoutlover72 from Northern, California, USA who has tried this beer once. (6/14/2007 4:49:01 PM)
"NorCal tasting June '07 - It had been awhile since I had a barleywine of this caliber, so this was a real treat. An excellent aroma of caramel, cedar, vanilla, bourbon, and apples. Appearance was like melted caramel with a small off-white head. Mouthfeel was sticky, chewey and oh so nice. Flavor was just a complex blast of flavors to rush from your tongue to your brain. Caramel, apples, brown sugar, light oxidation, vanilla, and creme brullee, which mingles all together incredibly well. Easily one of my favorite b-wines ever. Outstanding."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
10/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
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(3.7)
