12/02/06 Walk the Line Barleywine Festival, Dunedin, FL. 2002 vintage sampled from 12oz bottle. Hazy orange color with off white head. Very light aroma with some mild malt sweetness and a hint of maybe citrus. Tastes a bit tart with pale malts, pine and citrus hops.

2002 sampled in a flute at cellar temp. This foamed heavily upon opening. Not a gush but a slow continous eruption and poured a huge head that wouldn’t die down. Peaks like merengue. The bottle continues to push foam out for 10 minutes after opening. The body is hazy and golden in color. Very fruity aroma with oranges and caramel. The flavor is sweet and fruity but not cloying in any way, alcohol and hops at the back. Very well balanced and warming. Good body and mouthfeel but this isn’t a heavy syrupy type Barleywine. Enjoyable sipping.

2002 bottle sampled in Nov. 2004. Pours a wonderfully yeasty deep orange and copper. Some lighter yellow tones float throughout. Not quite as dark as I’d like though. Good off-white head and moderate lacing. Aroma is superb; light hops mixed with yeast, english toffee and a big caramel malt kick. Strong and rich, this prepares you for a big flavor. Unfortunately , I cant get excited about the flavor. It starts out with a good dose of caramel and toffee malt notes, moderately sweet. You get some bitter, but fresh hops in the mix towards the end and then it is just alcohol lingering on the very end and aftertaste. Body is surprisingly light. Only medium flavor at best. It’s strange trying an English style barleywine made with American Alpha hops. I know they hops would die down in another year or so, and they are not that inrusive now, but the body just does not live up to the aroma. Thin and already showing signs of age. Great flavors, just needs more malt.

12 ounce bottle: 2002 batch. Amber colour with orange highlights and trillions of small bubbles rising from the bottom. Large dense off-white head takes a few minutes to die down to 'drinkable' level. Strong aroma of hops, pit fruit, alcohol, peachie and caramel. Medium-bodied; Full of carbonation. Strong hoppyness, flavours of alcohol, fruit (oranges and plums), malt and spices are very strong. The palate is left with an alcoholic burn, a fizzy mouthful and a slew of bittering agents from the malt and the hops (primarily). Overall, this barley wine has high carbonation (rarer for a Barley Wine), strong alcohol kick (not my favourite for the style), and a good amount of hops (a great addition :-). It's worth a try, especially if you like their other beers! I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia.

2002 bottle - 12 oz. bottle - This sucker has the hugh, frothy head I've come to expect from their beers - it forms a mound a good 1/2 inch over the top of the glass - a bit cloudy in the body, though. Aroma is all yeast and fruit, which carries over into the initial flavor. Flavor begins yeasty, bready, with slightly sweet fruits, then a hop bitterness takes its place, and both flavors merge in the finish, and some dough/cookie qualities come into play as well. With this young sample the flavors don't seem to balance as well as I would like. However, I think with some aging this will be an outstanding barleywine.

2002 Bottle: Hoo-yeah, this is a potent beer! Dark murky amber color with an insanely thick off-white head. As with other HOTD beers, this one took awhile to pour. Aroma of hops and pepper resonates throughout the glass. Definitely has some Imperial IPA qualities in the flavor, with strong hops, alcohol, and some fruit. There is enough malt in the flavor and in the finish to balance it out and to make for a nice seasonal Barley Wine.