2009 vintage, 3 years old: Muddy dull amber. The aroma is bright and hoppy, with orchard fruit accents. The hops are bright on the palate, but with lots of chewiness and bitterness as well. I don’t know if it has improved, but this bottle has held up quite nicely under adverse conditions. Enjoyable stuff.

Old rating: I have to say I’m surprised I never bothered to rate this on Ratebeer before now. I’ve certainly had it enough times. Cloudy dark amber with a thick, rocky head. Rich hoppy aroma - wood, orange - with abundant caramel. Drips with rich, tangy hops, and has a sticky maltiness from that caramel malt (too much of it, really). These elements duke it out for control of my palate. Sometimes one wins, sometimes the other but it’s always an intense and pleasurable experience.

Draught, 2006-12-16, 7-4-8-5-16=40
Beautiful hazy light amber color. The aroma is hoppy, a bit fruity and flowery. The taste is malty enough, with a powerful and aromatic hopping, a lot of hop oils, some resins and little fruitness. Good.

Bottle, vintage 2002, 1 year old, 2003-11-15, 9-4-7-5-15=40
Light amber color. Wonderful hoppy/Cascade aroma; fruity, apricots. Dry, ordinary mouthfeel, less interesting than suspected. Of course, very strong and long final.

Great hop flavor to this brew. Kind of a amber pour with a head that lasts for a few seconds. Clean taste at first and then you get the hops on the back of the tounge. Excellent brew for the novice to the pro.

2015-12-08, bottle, vintage 2012, bb 02/02/13, 3 years old, 8-5-8-4-17=42
It pours a dark brown color with compact beige head. Deep aroma, leafy and resiny hops, old cheese rind. The flavor is very strong, at this age the elements are in balance, the bitterness is still strong, it has a nutty character, and also an unusual spicy character probably from the yeast, and not yet sings of oxidisation.
Excellent American Barley Wine.

2013-03-19, bottle, vintage 2012, bb 02/02/13, 8-5-8-3-16=40
Hazy dark amber color with red shades; generous rocky head, stable, with nice lace. Very nice aroma. Malt, caramel, hops; but also a bit soapy. Full bodied, with strong caramel flavor, sweet, but mostly bitter, with aggressive resins; the final is maybe too bitter, with some roasted nuts.
Better to wait a few years…

2006-01-12, draught at Bishop’s Arms, Malmö, 9-5-9-5-18=46
Wonderful aroma, with lovely hops and malt. Thick, malty, hopped, extreme. Maybe less mature than in the bottle, but so impressive!

2003-11-06, bottle, vintage 2003, 9-5-9-5-17=45
Hazy dark amber color; thin creamy head. Strong malt and phenol nose; caramel and nuts; fudge, gingerbread. Strong body, malty, more character than many others Barley Wines, loads of caramel; very well balanced by a bold bitterness, leading to an extremely strong and long final. Aaaah the hops…

2008-08-27, draught at Cockney Pub, Århus, 6-3-6-3-12=30
Dark brown color with mahogany shades. Some roasted malt and caramel, medium sweet, not aggressive, but not too complex.

2003-11-05, bottle, 9-5-7-5-16=42
Dark color; beige creamy head. Very nice aroma: malt, roasted malt, coffee, hop, light cardboard, phenol. Dry mouthfeel, but very well balanced. Very good final, quite complex, dominated by the roasted, and then the caramel, the hop, the liquorice.