Trainwreck Barley Wine
Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦
Barley Wine - Barley Special|
Score
6.10
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It's been a blast bringing back some of our favourite Phillips brews from the past, and we hope you enjoy our final 20 Years release! Be careful not to derail your caboose on this high ABV brew.
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
473ml can. (2022 vintage). Pours a clear red mahogany with a medium, foamy, short lived, beige head that laces. Sweet aroma of caramel malt, raisin, plum, cherry, light cinnamon and floral hops. Sweet flavour of caramel malt, brown sugar, plum, fig and cinnamon in a dry, mild bitter, warming booze finish. Medium body with a sticky, syrupy texture and soft carbonation. A bit thin for the style, but still tasty and enjoyable.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Poured from 473mL can (bb May 23, 2023). Clear-ish amber with small white head. Mild toffee and stale bread crust. Meh.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Hazy amber-brown. No head worth worrying about. Aroma is an assortment of stewed fruits. Some light malty-fruity stuff, but faint and without any distinctive character. Overall bland.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Bottle - 2013 Holiday Edition - Caramel and toffee malts with a bit of vinous notes. Cloudy amber brown with a rich beige head. Vinous, dark sugary malts and lots of booze. The heavy booze burn finish is really overwhelming and makes this a pass for me.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3
650 ml bottle. 2012 vintage. Pours brown with medium head. Aromas of nuts, grass. roasted malt, and a touch of toffee. Not much of a nose for a barley wine. Flavors of burnt sugar, unsalted peanuts, and alcohol. Very bitter mid to finish.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
2022-12-24, can from The Gull, North Vancouver, vintage 2022, 6-4-7-3-13=33
Dark amber colour, some haze, compact beige head. Some veggies, some celery, anise, and then caramel, alcohol; the mouthfeel is lean, the sweetness is on the low side for the style; nutty caramel, and this is not really exciting in a Barley Wine; the alcohol is strong.
Drinkable booze, but no point in buying this again soon, even if it's cheap.
2016-08-28, bottle from Liberty Wine on 10th Ave, Vancouver, vintage 2011, 5 years old, 6-3-6-3-12=30
Dull brown color, with no head; indeed it has low carbonation; the body is thinning and the signs of oxidisation show up; a bit nutty; quite shallow, 30 points is even generous.
2011-03-08, bottle at St. Augustine's, Vancouver, vintage 2010, 7-4-7-4-14=36
Dark amber color, clean, with a generous creamy head. Very light malt aroma in the beginning; then some nice creamy and cheesy aroma appears, and this is more interesting. The mouthfeel is very soft, the body is well built and round; there is some malt and caramel flavor but not impressive; correct bitterness, but without noticeable hop character.
A good powerful drink, but hardly a Barley Wine, not American nor English, without the necessary Barley mellow flavor.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
650mL bottle, pours dark amber with a small white head. Aroma of caramel malts, dark fruits, bready malts, spices and hops. Flavour of wood, grains, subdued hops, caramel and dried fruits. Grains and spices dominate - not a very good barley wine at all.