Big Beer Series: Barleywine Style Ale
Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, New Hampshire, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.24
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First brewed in England, these potent, malty monsters were frequently aged before being put into small bottles and sold as strong beers or even medicinal tonics. The American version has been blown up with more alcohol, larger bottles and more hops.
Smuttynose Barleywine straddles these two branches of the barleywine tree. When you taste it, you’ll notice deep, rich caramel malt flavors, balanced with hop bitterness. Fruity hop flavors act as a garnish for its amped-up but classic flavor. For a more refined experience, tuck a few bottles away for a year or two. The alcohol will mellow and the hop aromas will fade into the background, leaving the luscious malt to shine on its own.
Smuttynose Barleywine straddles these two branches of the barleywine tree. When you taste it, you’ll notice deep, rich caramel malt flavors, balanced with hop bitterness. Fruity hop flavors act as a garnish for its amped-up but classic flavor. For a more refined experience, tuck a few bottles away for a year or two. The alcohol will mellow and the hop aromas will fade into the background, leaving the luscious malt to shine on its own.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
(Bottle 65 cl) Slightly hazy reddish amber with a small, off-white head. Fat aroma of caramel and aroma hops. Solid and full-bodied with a lot of sweet caramel. Very distinct hoppiness. Interesting but fairly hoppy Barley Wine. 011206
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Dec 2006
at 14:31
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
A hazy amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet malty with primary notes of caramel, but also hints of alcohol. The flavor is sweet malty again with caramel being most dominant, but also the alcohol showing itself off with a slight burn.
Tried
on 07 Dec 2006
at 14:04
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle: Poured a medium dark copper color ale with a medium foamy head with average retention. Aroma of sweet malt with some traces of dry figs. Taste is mostly dominated by some strong and sweet malt with a nice subtle floral touch. Dry figs and prunes are present though not overly dominant. Body is above average and alcohol is well hidden. Overall, this is a very nice barleywine but lack of complexity doesn’t allow to elevate to great status.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 May 2006
at 08:52
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Clear amber color with a medium light brown head. Aroma of hops with caramel notes. Flavor had hints of pine with a sweet caramel end.
Tried
on 28 Feb 2006
at 21:19
5.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Bottled. Clear reddish brown, no head. Appley vodka aroma with some grapefruit and toffee. Very sweet with syrupy mouthfeel. Resiny bitter finish. The malt flavours are drowning in a thick blanket of syrup.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Feb 2005
at 10:43
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2003 bottle. Nice dark brown/chestnut. Good amount of light yellow/brown head. Medium cloudiness. Smells of lots of malted barley and some spicy hops. Quite strong, Opens up very profound with lots of barley malt and some alcohol underlying the flavor. The hops reserve themselves for the finish which is moderately bitter and acidic. Great balance, as it warms gets slightly thinner is my biggest qualm. Very good flavor though. No aging needed.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Nov 2003
at 15:13
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Rich, vibrant blood orange colour. Rich malty nose (brown sugar, peaches, biscuits, stroop). Thick body showing alcohol (stronger than the 7% indicated), peaches, oranges, and loads of earthy, sticky malt like sponge toffee. Sweet finish.
Tried
on 06 Oct 2003
at 15:40
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Dark amber colour with absolutely no head. The smell is pretty malty, but some hops do come out if you smell long enough. Some sweet smells seeming like rasins and plums also come out. Full-bodied mouthful with a large amount of carbonation. A big hop kick initially, and subsides to a good malty flavour. The alcohol is definately evident, even though its only 7%. A decent beer, but not great for the style. I had this out of a 22 ounce bottle purchased from Beers of the World in Rochester, New York.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jul 2003
at 18:58
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
I don't know what everyone else has been drinking, but this is a pretty darn good barley wine. Cloudy ruby appearance with a decent lacing. Aroma of cherries, heavy with malts and alcohol. The beer is astrigent at first, but that goes away after warming a bit. Perfect body for a barley wine. Complex flavor - esters of cherries and raisins - caramel and toffee flavors. Some hops in the finish. This will probably age very well.
Tried
on 19 Mar 2003
at 09:29