smellysell
Go Vols!!!
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2007
- Messages
- 9,881
The California beer bombers (Mas_Puros & kiwifruit) hit me with this a while back. The only other AleSmith beer I’ve had is the Speedway Stout, which is amazing, so I had high hopes for this too.
Style – English Barleywine
ABV - 11%
Brewed In – San Diego, CA
Availability – Rotating Release
Appearance
Poured a very vibrant and hazy dark amber. It had a 1 finger head that was light tan and very creamy. The retention of the head was very impressive, and the extremely thick lacking held onto the glass until I was done and rinsed it out. This was an extremely impressive looking brew.
Smell
The nose was very pungent and hoppy. The hops smell was very resiny and produced a nice grapefruit aroma too. There was also some faint hints of sweet, caramel malts.
Taste
The hops and malt really wrestled with each other, but in a very good way. It was also fairly hot, but this wasn't really a bad thing. The flavors upfront were rum, caramel, and citrus. It finished with pungent, bitter hops and dry malt that really lingered on my tongue. The complexity of this was very enjoyable, but at the same time it was very well balanced.
Feel
Very creamy and considering the ABV was pretty smooth. Had a just a little light carbonation which worked perfectly with the consistency and flavors.
Verdict
This was easily one of the best barleywines I’ve had. Everything about it, from the appearance, to the flavors, to how it feels in your mouth was almost perfect. I couldn’t recommend this more. Thanks again to the Cali beer bombers!
Style – English Barleywine
ABV - 11%
Brewed In – San Diego, CA
Availability – Rotating Release
Appearance
Poured a very vibrant and hazy dark amber. It had a 1 finger head that was light tan and very creamy. The retention of the head was very impressive, and the extremely thick lacking held onto the glass until I was done and rinsed it out. This was an extremely impressive looking brew.
Smell
The nose was very pungent and hoppy. The hops smell was very resiny and produced a nice grapefruit aroma too. There was also some faint hints of sweet, caramel malts.
Taste
The hops and malt really wrestled with each other, but in a very good way. It was also fairly hot, but this wasn't really a bad thing. The flavors upfront were rum, caramel, and citrus. It finished with pungent, bitter hops and dry malt that really lingered on my tongue. The complexity of this was very enjoyable, but at the same time it was very well balanced.
Feel
Very creamy and considering the ABV was pretty smooth. Had a just a little light carbonation which worked perfectly with the consistency and flavors.
Verdict
This was easily one of the best barleywines I’ve had. Everything about it, from the appearance, to the flavors, to how it feels in your mouth was almost perfect. I couldn’t recommend this more. Thanks again to the Cali beer bombers!
might have to wake it soon and revisit.
