2005 bottle consumed on 12-9-05.
Very big pssst upon opening. Clear, rust-copper-auburn colored body with a beige head, force carbonated, filtered, you know the drill (mostly diminishing to cover and then ring, little to no lacing, vigorous bubbles).
I hate to put myself out here like this, but it kind of smells like most other mid-gravity beers from Middle Ages. . .Nutty, buttercream, light fruits (apples, pears, cherries) and a dollop of vanilla cream.
Flavor is fruity, creamy and full of sweet malts. Light floral and sweaty/dusty hops in the background complement the sweetness initially, but soon give way to a fluffy, sweet toffee and maple-butter maltiness. Body is medium-full and very comforting. For once, though the bubbles are fierce, the carbonation does not seem to hinder or significantly loosen the mouthfeel. The more I swirl the glass, the more crisp, floral hops I detect. Hint of dryness/acidity on the end of the flavor, actually adds to the complexity and balance. Cherries come alive on the end and combine with the hops. Mouthfeel is very lightly creamy, rather aerated. No alcohol apparency and the yeast really fits in well to-style and grows on the palate (mine, anyways).

Deep gold color under a broken rocky head. Rich malt and fragrant hops in the aroma. Resiny flavor with a good sweet background. Long bitter finish with this full bodied brew. Easily the best offering I’ve had from Middle Ages.

Bottle via trade with Dan (jah noth). Deep red-copper body, thin/medium off-white to light cream head. The bottle says "screaming with hops" and the aroma says "screaming with butterscotch." There appears to be a diacetyl problem here, one that overwhelms any hops trying to make their presence known in the aroma. The flavor is quite butterscotchy, toasty, and sweet as well, but big bitter hops lurk in the background and especially in the finish. There’s a surprisingly hot alcohol bite at the end of the sip, too. Pine? It’s here. Citric fruit rinds? Here. Toast and hints of caramel? Here. Diacetyl? What the heck is that doing here? Disappointing in that regard. I’ve never had an I2PA plagued by that problem.

On tap, 9/17/2005 at Redbones. Can I just say, "What OldGrowth said."? Probably not. But that’s pretty much word for word how I see it. Mostly black with some very deep chestnut brown tinges on the sides. Seemingly opaque out of the keg, with a small, foamy beige head, poorly retained, little to no lacing. Aroma of fruity, green, fresh, bitter hops. Leafy and juicy, they are quite inviting. A bit of smoke, anise, dark fruits (prunes, raisins, blackberries, grapes) in the nose. Very fruity, all told, with some graham crackers, moderate roast and sweet toffee. Flavor starts out very bitter, bitter from black malt and from the fresh hops. Some floral notes, juicy (but very bitter) fruits and low on the citrus, thank god. Charred smoked salmon anyone? Maybe not salmon, but charred wood/cedar smoke in there for sure. Caramel and toffee sweetness, a bit of grittiness to the texture is pleasing, but the body is mostly pretty oily and viscous, with very low carbonation. Respectable enough stuff, not too much of any one thing, though I could do with a little less hops bitterness. Moderate acidity grows on the palate. Flavorful and a medium-full to full body, that is fairly substantial. Alcohol well-concealed. I wonder if they will filter the bottles that are coming out soon? Probably.

Tilter is a dark, ruby lit, brown beer that holds it’s rocky, off-white head for a wee bit. Warm, nutty, caramel aroma. Spicy sweet with notes of licorice and coffee. Creamy, full, smooth palate. Not bad.

2005 bottle consumed 8/2/2005. Smells leafy-hoppy, with some light fruitiness. Moderately dry oranges and light lemons. Pours a chill-hazed iron-rich clay color (copper to amber orange). Head is initially modest-sized and consists of medium-sized bubbles. Getting some orange-herbal tea out of the aroma. Good fresh hops with some perfume and light alcohol in the background. Smells like I’ve had it before . . . (that is to say, not terribly original). Flavor begins with a rush of bitterness and simultaneously moist, honey graham crackers. Some alcohol sort of detracts at the start, but it’s pretty well-hidden. Oranges and light grapefruit as it progresses, but still a touch of alcohol. Some very earthy, leafy, soily hops. Sort of a numbing/warming sensation on the palate. Pleasant, retronasal amarillo fruitiness (or is that the yeast??). Despite always pouring up a large amount of head, the retention is quite weak. A thin film on top with little to no lacing (filtered). Hops flavor does not get tiresome for me and some bready, biscuity malt adds to the complexity while all along a good enough, sweet crystally malt gives proper balance. It dosent wow me with malt complexity, but the hops are great and not overdone. At 10% abv, it’s pretty well-hidden while chilled, just warming and lightly perfumey. But as I drink more and as it has warmed by the end of the bottle there is a large acidity that grows on the palate (to be expected for the style). But adding to this is a nasty alcohol appearance in both the aroma and flavor. It is almost undrinkable after it has warmed to 60 degrees. I think filtration of this level (and MA HEAVILY filters their beers) inhibits alcohol concealment. But I’ve got nothing with which to back that up, other than what I’ve experienced. Kind of tastes like rubbing alcohol by the end. Why not just do this at 8% abv??

2005 bottle, fresh in on its MA debut. Definitely amber-ruby as said in the description. Lightly bubbly, off-white head runs for the sides of the glass and stays there, with no lacing as it goes down. Filtered and clear. Smells of buttercream, caramel and toffee. Flavor begins with crystally malt sugariness, bits of dry, earthy flavor and some brown bread or dry crackers. Very filtered tasting right away, with a lack of substance, nothing to stick to the palate and a short finish. Light papery astringency as well. Hops are lightly bitter and seemingly English or just very low alpha American. Fruity yeast is quite apparent. Too much forced carbonation really breaks up the flavors. Still, being quite fresh, the fruitiness and hops are good enough. Still getting lots of buttercream and then some light acidity on the end. Gets somewhat watery the more it warms and breathes. A touch of sticky maltiness shows good potential. Just too filtered, but I bet these beers could be great if they werent. Boring, though not poorly brewed.

Bottle: Poured a copper-brown color ale with a medium dark head with excellent retention. Aroma of strong malty sweetness with subtle alcohol notes is clearly evident. Taste has a real creamy feel to it with some malt but everything seems to be covered by strong bitter hops. Body is full and even though taste has a warming feel to it you cannot detect the alcohol. Good barleywine overall but I guess I prefer them without too many hops and more malt presence or again maybe I should have aged the bottle a bit more.