7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Dark red-brown beer, with huge, brownish, beaten eggwhite-like head. Dry and spicey, liqueurish nose, like a spiced liqueur from some very obscure and sophisticated monks. Alcohol already in the nose. Sweet, and again spicey taste, cloves, nutmeg; fruity notes, bits of citrus and dark fruit. Malts obvious. Very well bodied, slick MF. Dry finish, again quite liqueurish, alcohol. Quite unusual, nice and spicey. My best beer from Alesmith so far. Great catch, Tim.
Tried
on 16 Oct 2005
at 09:17
8.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at the RBG Low Countries 2005 tasting session
Off-white, clear brown-black body. Nose of straw, molasses, coffee, liquor. Lightly sweet, moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter (long) finish. Medium bodied. Soft carbonation. The 9.5% ABV isn’t apparent at all. Very smooth beer and well-balanced. Not a flavour-bomb, which I like in it.
Off-white, clear brown-black body. Nose of straw, molasses, coffee, liquor. Lightly sweet, moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter (long) finish. Medium bodied. Soft carbonation. The 9.5% ABV isn’t apparent at all. Very smooth beer and well-balanced. Not a flavour-bomb, which I like in it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Oct 2005
at 06:20
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at the RBG Low Countries 2005 tasting session
Amber to brown body. Fizzy, off-white head. Good lace. Mostly diminishing head. Nose of molasses. Lightly sweet, moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly sweet, heavily bitter finish. Fully bodied. Lightly alcoholic and metallic mouthfeel. Fully bodied. Very well balanced beer.
Amber to brown body. Fizzy, off-white head. Good lace. Mostly diminishing head. Nose of molasses. Lightly sweet, moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly sweet, heavily bitter finish. Fully bodied. Lightly alcoholic and metallic mouthfeel. Fully bodied. Very well balanced beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Oct 2005
at 05:41
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
BottleShared at the "Pitonka mini RB fest" shared by DrunkAsaSkunk Poures a very dark brown/black with a light tan head and heavy lacing. Aroma of coffee, but not as much as much as the non BA version as I recall. Heavy smooth feel with some dark roasted slight sour hints. Strong lingering smokey aftertaste. Very deserving of it’s reputation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Oct 2005
at 18:13
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Many thanks go out to JohnC who is truly a great and generous trader for providing this tasty brew! Another very well crafted gem from Alesmith! Deep brown with a beautiful red glow that comes through this one. Thin head of light brown. Complex aroma of caramel malts, butterscotch, some smoke, vanilla, and dark sugar. The flavor is sweet and deep with lots of caramel and toffee. Complex and smooth, wish I could get Alesmith here! Is there any style that Alesmith can’t brew well?
Tried
from Can
on 19 Sep 2005
at 08:10
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle Pours a clear very light golden with a very thick dense fluffy white head. Faint light aromsa of light grains and slight sweetness, honey maybe. Unfiltered cereal flavors with a papery aftertaste. Light on the hops and thic but clean feel. Refreshing and easy to put down.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Sep 2005
at 00:42
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
July 2005 bottle from FlacoAlto, thanks man! Drank this with Eyedrinkale on 8/20/2005. Pour is perfect enough for me. Deep copper-amber color,with an ever so slight hint of auburn. White, creamy head is initially large and dense. Recedes somewhat to one finger high, but is well-retained there and provides for much laing. Bottle has sediment at the bottom, while the beer is lightly hazy. Aroma of straight up citrus hops. Adding to that you get crystally malt sweetness and just a bit of that hard, crystal malt dryness/breadiness. Candied oranges and a fair dose of perfuminess. Flavor begins with a ample but yet not-quite-overthetop amount of hops bitterness. It’s oranges, orange rinds, grapefruits and marmalade, but it dosent make you cringe (or dosent make me cringe anyways). Soft, creamy toffee/caramel supports the hops nicely, while the mouthfeel is fluid and soft, the carbonation being gentle and only making itself known enough to assert that it is not loose or thin. Medium body on the maltiness, surprisingly light, which brings me to my first problem; it’s just not chewy and thick enough for me. I really was expecting a thick, creamy, chewy malt monster with a huge hops flavor. Sure it’s got the hops flavor, but unlike last summer’s version, this one backs off on the malt apparency (I sure loved last summer’s). Finish is balanced and clean, with grapefruit and light spiciness, caramel and some dry earthiness. A wonderfully-made, flawless beer, but I still prefer the maltier, chewier version. 8/5/8/4/15
Summer 2006 bomber consumed on 10/5/06
Still a wonderful appearance, great retention and lacing and all.
Nose seems a bit more alcoholic/harsh than I recall, with LOTS of bitterness and more pine resin than remembered. Still, it’s certainly lush, bold and aromatic. Something lightly sourdough-like creeps in, as if crystal malt has an effect.
The first half of the bottle proved rather harsh, heavy and somewhat overdone in bitterness and it was getting difficult to keep going, but then, somehow, the flavors began to come together and it began to get very enjoyable. Fruitiness emerges, followed by a backing off of the pine and heavy grapefruit. Some light malt sweetness helps soften things, while more alcohol actually seems to work beneficially in drying out the finish and taking some focus off of the heavy hop bitterness. In the end, the fruitiness proves to save the day, though. And the texture, which is always a strong point with AleSmith. 7/5/8/4/14
Summer 2006 bomber consumed on 10/5/06
Still a wonderful appearance, great retention and lacing and all.
Nose seems a bit more alcoholic/harsh than I recall, with LOTS of bitterness and more pine resin than remembered. Still, it’s certainly lush, bold and aromatic. Something lightly sourdough-like creeps in, as if crystal malt has an effect.
The first half of the bottle proved rather harsh, heavy and somewhat overdone in bitterness and it was getting difficult to keep going, but then, somehow, the flavors began to come together and it began to get very enjoyable. Fruitiness emerges, followed by a backing off of the pine and heavy grapefruit. Some light malt sweetness helps soften things, while more alcohol actually seems to work beneficially in drying out the finish and taking some focus off of the heavy hop bitterness. In the end, the fruitiness proves to save the day, though. And the texture, which is always a strong point with AleSmith. 7/5/8/4/14
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Aug 2005
at 17:07
8.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
(Bottle 75 cl) Hazy amber golden with a handsome, creamy head. Sweetish, vinous aromas. Extremely full-bodied, sweet with tons of malt and honeyish notes. Touches of wood surrounding a base of dried fruit - raisins for sure. Very, very complex and delicate. A grand beer indeed. 120805 and 061006
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Aug 2005
at 06:12
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled @RBESG’05
Nut brown, not much head. Smokey, woody, some cheesy notes. Full-bodied. Licorice, oaky notes, barley. Liquerish palate. Good barley-wine, but why so high-rated, hype?
Nut brown, not much head. Smokey, woody, some cheesy notes. Full-bodied. Licorice, oaky notes, barley. Liquerish palate. Good barley-wine, but why so high-rated, hype?
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Aug 2005
at 12:07
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle number 37/100 big thanks to MI2CA for the bonus in our trade a while back. Shared with Eyedrinkale on 8/5/2005.
Pours a thick, opaque, dark, dark brownish-black body, with a huge head formation, that is not that long-lasting, though there are bits of lacing down the glass. Smells of rich, green, bitter, mega-hoppiness, thick, salty, bitter roast and dark chocolate. Rich, heavy caramel sweetness. The flavor, personified, is like a thick, hot, humid night with heavy, stifling air and no moonlight. Good lord, this is one of the most powerful, richest, just all out massive beers I’ve ever had. Huge hops bitterness (and a weird dill-like note), salty, thick, rich black malts, massive caramel and bitter baker’s chocolate. The body is awesome, even at 3 years of age, it still shows no signs of aging, while the carbonation is low, with a creamy and sticky consistency (which really saves the palate score, as this stuff demonstrates no balance). Alcohol is hidden as in regular Old Numbskull (seems to be variability on alcohol apparency looking at other ratings). The barrel aging is not overdone, which is another impressive aspect. Just enough to add some character without dominating the beer (though in actuality, it would take a lot to dominate this monster).
What do I think??? I hate it and can’t even drink my half of the bottle, but then, it’s no surprise, as this aint my thing. Do I think it’s all hype?? No, not really hype as much as peoples’ preference for big, rich, hoppy beers. And that’s cool, this is a barleywine after all, as EDA says. I’ll try this one again in about 5 years, I should like it more then, as I really think it’s a well made beer, just ridiculously unbalanced/young at this point.
Pours a thick, opaque, dark, dark brownish-black body, with a huge head formation, that is not that long-lasting, though there are bits of lacing down the glass. Smells of rich, green, bitter, mega-hoppiness, thick, salty, bitter roast and dark chocolate. Rich, heavy caramel sweetness. The flavor, personified, is like a thick, hot, humid night with heavy, stifling air and no moonlight. Good lord, this is one of the most powerful, richest, just all out massive beers I’ve ever had. Huge hops bitterness (and a weird dill-like note), salty, thick, rich black malts, massive caramel and bitter baker’s chocolate. The body is awesome, even at 3 years of age, it still shows no signs of aging, while the carbonation is low, with a creamy and sticky consistency (which really saves the palate score, as this stuff demonstrates no balance). Alcohol is hidden as in regular Old Numbskull (seems to be variability on alcohol apparency looking at other ratings). The barrel aging is not overdone, which is another impressive aspect. Just enough to add some character without dominating the beer (though in actuality, it would take a lot to dominate this monster).
What do I think??? I hate it and can’t even drink my half of the bottle, but then, it’s no surprise, as this aint my thing. Do I think it’s all hype?? No, not really hype as much as peoples’ preference for big, rich, hoppy beers. And that’s cool, this is a barleywine after all, as EDA says. I’ll try this one again in about 5 years, I should like it more then, as I really think it’s a well made beer, just ridiculously unbalanced/young at this point.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Aug 2005
at 16:50