Bottle sample at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Thanks zvikar. 2012 bottle. Deep reddish amber-brown. Aroma of plums, raisins, malt, caramel, sherry and a bit of alcohol. Sweet boozy flavor with malt, caramel, sherry and dark fruits. Slightly syrupy.

Pour is a dark brown with almost no head at all. Aroma is a sugary molasses and toffee malt. Flavor is a big dose of sugar with some dark fruit and alcohol. Finish is sweet caramel and mouth drying alcohol. While decent this could have been laid down for awhile more. Still a bit to sweet and boozy.

11.2oz bottle. Deep brown body, thin beige head. Berry aroma. The amber malt combined with the English malts and yeast, really give it a fruity flavor. Big, with a different complexity than an American version of the style. Subtle port, red wine notes. Different layers of malt depth. Lots of dark fruit character. Approaching Old Ale. Very nice beer. Unique, tasty.

12 ounce bottle. Pours a dark red color with a small white head. A sweet toffee and fruity nose. Odd flavor: oxidation, caramel, toffee, strawberries, paper. Hmm. Bitter oak. Odd. Just ends up too sweet, yeasty, some oak.

Bottle marked 2012 vintage - hey, an actually British barley wine available in the states - these have been in short supply as of late (aside from the countless versions of Harvest Ale), so naturally I had to pick it up - pours a dark ruby - nose of treacle, raisin, prune, sherry, earthy maltiness, fig - yup, smells British alright - carbonation is very low, almost cask like, although there is no indication that this is bottle conditioned - flavor has a surprising amount of bitterness and a sort of roasted/charred malt character - aside from that, it has many of the components of the aroma - treacle, raisin, date - a bit of sherry and a warming finish - overall very enjoyable.

11.2oz bottle poured into an Old Wolly snifter glass (my official barleywine glass). I haven’t had an English barleywine in a while and the cold gave me craving. Was happy to spot something new and affordable ($3.50). The bottle is marked 2012 even though this just hit the States. The beer pours much darker than expected. Its a very dark ruby brown, too dark to see through. Small head fades quickly. Aroma is strong malts, mostly dusty British malts. Raison and caramel apple representing the alcohol. Flavor is more caramel malts heavy but well attenuated, not a lot of leftover fermentables. Dried out caramel heavy raisin. Pretty light on the tongue. Long bitter and dry raisin aftertaste. Its not exactly what I was hoping for but its definitely strong and British. Bottom of the bottle is completely clear. Sort of represents the stripped out feel of the beer, I am just left with the major elements and little nuance.

Bottle at Gingerman. Pours deep mahogany with 2 cm head. Nose of dark fruits. Tastes lovely of plums, figs, oak, pepper, cocoa powder, and fresh grass. Creamy palate with medium carbonation. Very pleasant not too sweet barleywine with no alcohol burn which is rare for style

An unexpected, but surprisingly good, style from this British brewer. Dark Brown/ruby with spare head. Dried fruit aroma and taste with a bit of a tang to it. Alcohol peeks out from behind the tartness. Slightly sweetish, but not cloying, some alcohol warmth. Good fall seasonal.

New Beer Distributors, NY 33cl ($4): Pours mahogany with a beige head. Aroma is dark fruit akin to a dark BSA, coupled with leather. Taste is malty, but not the body is not that heavy. This seems to be lacking in a complexity, and I would go so far as to say that it ain’t even as heavy as it should be. That being said, it is remarkably drinkable for the high alcohol percentage.