7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Barleywine by a line-up of some of Italy’s leading craft breweries, apparently made in memory of a deceased metalhead named Adry ‘Metal’ Ventura – too bad there is no further detail about who this person was. Pale yellowish beige, tightly moussy but eventually opening, edge-retaining head on a clear deep caramel brown beer with ruddy-coppery glow. Aroma of caramel candy, beef stock, blackberry juice, red wine, fig compote, reduced gravy, dried porcini, medlar, brown sugar and a hint of tomato concentrate. Sweetish onset, dried apple peel, sourish blackberry- or grape-ish undertone, but also (certainly for style) quite pronounced beef stock-like umami; softish carb, full and bit sticky mouthfeel. Caramelly and brown-bready malts offering core sweetness but this umami element continues as well, becoming a tad annoying; tea-ish herbal hop bitterness in the end, along with warming liqueurish alcohol and lingering dried red fruit and caramel associations. The alcohol does become a bit too hot in the end even for the intended style – a style rarely executed to its full potential, alas, and that is no different here. Still a decent sipper, for sure, but I was expecting a bit more, to be honest.

7.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

F: thin, tan, quick gone. C: dark brown, opaque. A: sweet caramel malty, dates, vinous, chocolate, cocoa, bit red fruits, woody. T: malty, chocolate, dates, caramel, chocolate, bit red wine, dried fruits, honey touch, full body, not very complex but pleasant still, lower carbonation, enjoyed, 33cl bottle from Brasserie 28 by Caulier in Brussels.

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle. Color: Dark ruby, firm light brown head. Aroma: Alcohol, malt, dark red fruit, plum, caramel. Taste: Medium sweet, malty. Slightly vinuous. Dark red fruit, cherries, plum, dates. Notes of caramel, hints of cocoa and brown sugar. Pretty smooth mouthfeel. Bittery palate at finish. Over medium body, just below average carbonation. Pretty nice.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle sample at a tasting at kerenmk's place. Thanks Cris. Hazy amber-brown. Fruitiness, malt, caramel, cookies, sweet, medium-bodied.

10

Christmas cake in a glass. Lots of mild spices and a hazlenut character. Great soft malts and nice use of hops. Really clean. Grande.

6.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

on tap deep amber intense malty note dried fruit good body bit warming ramato carico maltata esteri frutta secca buon corpo riscaldante