Draught at the Freakin’ Frog, Las Vegas
Muddy amber color. The aroma doesn’t develop much beyond some caramel and a faint sweetness and fruitness; and maybe some hop, if you are patient and wait. But the flavor is much more powerful, with a sweet but not cloying fruity caramel and malt, light toffee, light maple syrup, hidden but good hopping, and the alcohol and bitterness seem to match the malt. Strong body, and the alcohol perception is not in the mouth: you will feel it in the blood later. Interesting, very good, for a lover of sweet Barley Wines like me.

On tap at the Hopyard, Pleasanton back in October. It poured a clear copper-ish red with a thin white head. It was served a bit on the cold side. The aroma is subdued – sleepy. I get sweet sugar malts, cherry hard candy, dark fruitiness that leans toward the light side and a note of alcohol. The alcohol nose is almost nothing considering the ABV. It comes off thick and viscous, how I prefer a barleywine, ushering in a brief muted wood note followed by sweet fruitiness like stewed cherries, plums and sweet dark grapes. A rye malt twang arrives about midway and plays beautifully against the fruity sweetness. Toward the finish a dryer red wine flavor wells up to aid the rye malts in fighting off the syrupy sweet fruitiness. Wow, awesome. The more I consume the more I like it.

Shared at the Bistro’s West Coast BA Fest, 11/10/07; Nose of caramel and fruitiness; copper orange with a small off-white head; flavor of sweet apricots and oranges!