22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 10/26/2013. Pours slightly hazy deep reddish copper color with a 2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, raisin, plum, fig, caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, floral, grass, pine, and floral/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/pine hops, dark fruit, and dark/bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, raisin, plum, fig, caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, pine, floral, grass, and floral/toasted earthiness. Fair amount of pine/grassy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, orange zest, raisin, plum, fig, caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, pine, and floral/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops, dark fruit, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a smooth, fairly creamy, and lightly slick/sticky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent American barelywine style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops, dark fruit, and dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.

2013 bottle, 650ml, 13C. Copper with a beige head that lasts as a coat. Aroma of toffee, some butterscotch, raisins, dried peach, orange peel. Rich and sweet with toffee, peach, hints of dried fruit, a brandy-like booziness that fits fine. Strong, lasting bitterness with bitter oranges. Still pretty hoppy. Like it a lot now, certainly has the structure to go a few years but maybe the malt side of things is not interesting enough to dominate the show. Nothing fancy, just very good.

Bottle. Deep amber color, clear, cream colored head. Aroma of dark fruit, toffee. Taste is mixed winter fruit, butterscotch, alcohol warming. Very tasty.

Truly a superior barley wine. Pours amber with good head and lacing. Lots of hops, booze and caramelized malt. Citrus, candied plum and pine. Pours cloudy brown with good head and lacing. Finishes bittersweet. Soft carbonation. Tap at Smoke and Barrel.