Malthead Mayhem
McIlhenney Brewing Company in Alpine, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.89
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Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine
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8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Medium brown, no head. Toasty aroma, a fair bit of fruitiness. Almost a candied orange note. A touch more acidic with lighter residual sugars than a lot of modern barley wines but that also makes it drinkable and adds complexity. Not your average sugar bomb, and I like that.
Tried
on 16 Nov 2025
at 23:11
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 9
12oz Can from O'Sheas, poured into an old Kasteel glass on 31st July 2025 at my daughters place in Laguna Hills. Black bodied, tanned head. Boozy and malty with lots going on. Rich and lush body, it's a proper sipper and a great night-cap.
Tried
from Can
from
O'Sheas Brewing Co.
on 31 Jul 2025
at 22:00
7/10
Sweet, boozy, malty,nice amount of bourbon, very nice.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Jan 2025
at 02:04
9.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
375ml can at tasting. Thx tiong! Poured dark brown in color, thin head. Aroma has notes of bourbon, raisins, wood and malts. All in perfect balance. Soft and round mouthfeel, full bodied. One of the best beers I have had in a loong time.
Tried
from Can
on 19 May 2023
at 12:50
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can at home, Espoo. Thanks tiong! Color is slightly cloudy Brown with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Ripe fruits, some bourbon, caramel, malts.... very soft. Excellent.
Tried
from Can
on 18 May 2023
at 17:25
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
(Can, 0.375l, thanks tiong, at VastActiv, 20230518) The beer poured dark brown and nearly clear. Its head was small and lightly brown. Aroma had toasted malts, vanilla, raisins, wood, caramel and toffee. Palate was full bodied and dry with medium carbonation. Flavours were toasted malts, vanilla, wood, raisins, prunes, toffee and bitterness. Aftertaste had wood, vanilla, caramel and bitterness. Delicious.
Tried
from Can
on 18 May 2023
at 17:23
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Giddey-Up. Let's do this. 12oz can pours with a mahogany colored body that supports a thin light tan head of foam. The aroma offers up dates and prunes drenched in smooth smelling bourbon and then sliding into a growing caramel to maltiness. The taste comes across pretty well integrated and boozy. I get smooth slick bourbon leading to booze infused dates and prune like dark fruity esters. To midway the smooth slick sweet maltiness picks up along with a bit of kettle caramelization. This attains great balance and depth and makes for a great sipper. This will only improve with a bit of cellar time.
Tried
from Can
on 13 Dec 2022
at 02:14
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Re-rated, 330ml can. Smooth and more mellow than it was fresh, feels a lot more balanced now. Loads of malts, raisins, figs, toffee, caramel, syrup, hints of bourbon and vanilla.
Tried
from Can
on 10 Dec 2022
at 17:49