Willi Whammer
Willimantic Brewing Company in Willimantic, Connecticut, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
6.57
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 3
Pours hazy amber with a white head. Aroma of juniper and malt. Taste has Belgian yeast, slightly ferrous with earthy notes. Palate has intense pervasive yeast element on the nose. Eh.
Clarkvv (16760) reviewed Willi Whammer from Willimantic Brewing Company 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
On draught at the NEBF, 10/29/05. This version was a blend of the 02, 03, 04 and 05 vintages, aged in a Jack Daniels barrel for 6 months. The barrel was previously used to age their Raisin Old ale.
Appears a completely hazy deep auburn-copper with murky beige and chestnut tinges. Begins with a small amount of very creamy tan-beige head. Not terribly well-retained, but there is some lacing as it recedes. Appearance is not altogether unlike Thomas Hardys ale, though this has a much more pronounced reddish hue to it. Aroma is dry and earthy, with chewy-sweet dark fruits (figs, dates, raisins, black cherries) and a bit of floral hoppiness. Some sweet toffee seems out of place, while soft notes of wood and a hint of whiskey sit in the background. Flavor begins with a moderate amount of acidity, such that you might find in a flemish sour. The flavor includes some candy-like sugar notes, chocolate covered cherries and earthy yeast dryness. Towards the middle, a tartness builds on the mouth and then quickly fades back in to the toffe-caramel and date flavor, with lightly bitter, floral hops and a strong fruitiness. At the very end, and after it has warmed more, can be found a light bourbon note, slightly alcoholic, drying and with a touch of coconut. Not sure what is causing that tartness that gives it more a flemish sour-like flavor than barleywine. I don’t know what they added to their raisin old ale, and I didnt think they did brett beers here, but it is unmistakeably a wild yeast of some sort. Body is soft and supple with lots of caramel-like sugars creating an ample body. Mouthfeel is low on carbonation, smooth, though lightly sticky at times. The flemish sour aspect seems pitted against the barleywine characteristics, but both aspects are done well and make for a very unique and flavorful experience. Alcohol was well-concealed. Lots of yeast apparency.