7.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

(On tap at Bar Hop, June 19, 2014) Pours a very lightly hazed deep reddish brown with a big, dense head of tan foam and lots of lace. Aroma is quite powerful, dried dark fruits and berries with loads of sweet toffee/caramel malts, just a little bit of spicy hop character manages to overcome the wall of malts. On the palate, rich and unctuous and sweet, a combination of fresh berries and stewed, sugared dark fruits paired with loads of brown sugar and caramel malt flavours. Towards the finish a little bit of hop bittering becomes apparent, as does some alcohol heat, especially as it warms - nonetheless the finish is still predominately sweet. The mouthfeel is extremely full, syrupy and viscous with very soft carbonation, and while the raw boozy edge does show up a bit it is extremely restrained given the ABV. Despite being listed as an American barley wine as the malts seem to have mostly overwhelmed the hop schedule but it would be an awesome backbone for a big whack of hops, or either barrel or bottle ageing. Even on its own it’s a dangerously drinkable post-supper sipper.