6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 5
Overall 5.5
16 oz. can, pours jet black with a small brown head. Nose is full of allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon upfront, followed by dark roasted malt and espresso. Flavour is intensely spiced, with intense nutmeg, allspice galore, and cinnamon, followed by roast and some dark espresso. Way too spice-heavy—the allspice and nutmeg are too domineering. Obviously a good base, but the spices ruin this for me.
Tried
from Draft
at
AleSmith Brewing Company
on 14 Dec 2025
at 01:48
7.6/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Sample, thanks fonefan! Black, no head. Potent aroma of coffee, treacle and bourbon. Sweet with full to massive body and rounded mouthfeel, Treacle, coffee, licorice and bourbon. Warming bitter finish.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2025
at 23:00
3.6/10
—
Appearance 5
Aroma 5.5
Flavor 3
Texture 3
Overall 2
11.2 oz. bottle, pours an opaque muddy dull orange / diarrheal brown with a small white head. Aroma has pitted apricots, some grape must, bugs, and dull earthiness. Flavour is full of acetone, with harsh, perfumey, acetonic apricots, a touch of grape juice, and some bugs underneath. Way too acidic and harsh. This is not even close to AleSmith’s standards.
Tried
from Bottle
at
AleSmith Brewing Company
on 13 Dec 2025
at 06:14
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Fles uit een trade met richiesd. Zwarte kleur, met nog steeds een mooie lichtbruine kraag. Geur is fruitig, gebrand. Retronasaal: zoetig, gebrand, fruitig, wel duidelijk ouder. Smaak is zoetig, chocola, bitterig. Medium body. Lange nasmaak, geroosterd, bitterig.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Kim Jong-Un Buurtcentrum Zaandam
on 12 Dec 2025
at 19:04
7.4/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle shared at the 2025 Pre-Christmas/NY Zaandam Borrel. Poured a slightly murky dark brown colour with a round frothy tan head. The aroma is roasty, light coffee. The flavour is moderate sweet and liquorice bitter, with a smooth, rich, earthy, herbal, light coffee, warm boozy, liquorice bitter palate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Dec 2025
at 19:00
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared at kermis tasting thanks to Potje. Almost black. Herbal, dank coffee, toffee, roasted malts, oak, light herbal. Solid medium sweet, medium bitter. Solid medium bodied.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Dec 2025
at 18:53
8/10
Tried
on 12 Dec 2025
at 18:52
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
75cl Fles, sample bij Kerst/NY tasting Zaandam. Zwarte kleur, beige kraag. Koffie, droog, gebrand, caramel, chocolade, smaak is wat dun geworden en heeft port/madeira-zoetje gekregen wat niet matcht met de rest van de gebrande smaken, mooie gebrande koffie-finish, bitter. Medium body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Dec 2025
at 11:10
7.6/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 8.5
Can from Tavour. Pours dark brn/blk with a large creamy tan head that didn't persist for long. aroma of coffee, chocolate and pecans. Approaching full body. Not dry. Burnt malt bitter. Flavor is coffee, pecans and chocolate. Has a hint of the old jello chocolate pudding. With time it heads towards mildly astringent dryness. Doesn't get all the way tho.
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 12 Dec 2025
at 00:24
9/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
On tap at AleSmith, pours a deep dark mahogany with a small beige head. Aroma has rich dark dried fruits, pungent resinous hops still hitting through, and gentle rum barrels. Flavour is complex and cohesive, with semi-hot rum barrels, huge resinous hop bitterness, big caramel, and dark dried fruits. How can a rum BA barleywine still be this hoppy? Remarkably constructed.
Tried
from Draft
at
AleSmith Brewing Company
on 11 Dec 2025
at 07:18