Great
Alpine Beer Company in Alpine, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.90
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Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Great from Alpine Beer Company 18 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
375mL bottle at O’Briens on 3/23/07
Deep amber-cherry with some darker beige hues, a medium-high clarity and a dark beige head that was quite creamy and well-retained, lacing lightly.
Sweet coconut/pineapple shows off the bourbon immediately, but it’s neither dominant nor exposed, as a strong toffee-vanilla-like maltiness quickly backs it up and fills in all of the gaps. What’s left is a sumptuous, very deep aroma that, though seemingly simple at first (toffee, light raisins, vanilla, bourbon), actually imparts interesting phenols, wood tannins, a surprisingly elegant yeast and plenty of interesting citrus fruit nuances (marmalade and other citric hop notes). Quite rich and sniffable, it definitely feels quite sweet, but for some reason, I wasnt put-off by it in the least. Moderate acidity from the barrel/yeast balances the sweetness, on the finish, with hop bitterness actually secondary to this, I found. Very unique, to say the least. Alcohol wasn’t overt for its size, just adding more dryness/breadiness on the end.
Extensive malt depth allows all permutations of caramel, toffee, butter toffee, cream, maple, vanilla, raisins, and even light sherry notes. Definitely sweet, but I think the barrel dryness imparts just enough balance, without adding any significant tannic astringency. It’s a slightly oily, but very well-polished wood character that dosent pump out acidity. Nor does the bourbon flavor sit incohesively apart from the malt flavors, but rather makes you believe its all part of the whole. Very soft, creamy body has an ample level of carbonation, giving it an almost fluffy feel at times. Strong esters emerge with warming, with a touch of alcohol bite, but no more than would be inevitable at this level. I hate excess breadiness, and happily, there wasnt too much here. One of the better bourbon barrel beers I’ve had in a long time. As Chris Q reported while sharing this with me, this bottle was quite different from some other bottles he’d experienced, as my rating seems to confirm.
Ibrew2or3 (10819) reviewed Great from Alpine Beer Company 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle purchased at the brewery 10/06 consumed Feb. 9th, 2007. After pulling the foil off I noticed this puppy was filled to within a quarter inch of the cap so 0.375L+(that's good for me, eh). Pours slightly hazy brown with orange highlights. The tan head dissipated in under a minute. The aroma is pretty strong with caramel, alcohol, dark fruitiness, molasses, wood planks and just a hint of whiskey. Wow, I was expecting a more aggressive taste from this big beer. It starts off with a nice Barleywine date and cherry dark fruitiness mix with sweet caramel and toffee. About midway the whiskey, vanilla and oak notes surface. There's also light hints of alcohol and grape tartness. From midway on this beer gives a nice warming feeling that seems comforting. Great sipping beer. Re-rate on 10/29/07. Pours a clear copper to brown color with lasting thin tan head. The aroma is up in your face big and bold with the aroma of a oak paneled shed followed by sweet creamy caramel candy and some chocolate malts. It also has a sizable load of fruity esters with prunes, dates and a bucket of raisins. The alcohol is not all that well hidden for a 10% beer. But for this beers big ABV it isn't too bad. The flavor is just as bold as the aroma with a whack in the face by a freshly milled oak plank followed quickly by red wine grapes, red wine tannins mixed with rich caramel candy. The alcohol is there too. Nice. Another decade of age could see this good beer turn truly great.
omhper (44752) reviewed Great from Alpine Beer Company 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottled. Hazy reddish brown. Very roasty with strong notes of madeira. Sweet with lots of malt and distinctive sharp bourbon flavour. The woodiness goes a bit overboard, and the mouthfeel is somewhat raw. Lingering salty finish. A bit rude on first sip, but also very complex and interesting.