fonefan (84534) reviewed Little Toot from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Cask (gravity) @ GBBF 2015, Great British Beer Festival, London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX. [ As Marshall Wharf Little Toot ].Clear medium yellow color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, pale malt, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus, flowers, peach. Flavor is moderate to light light heavy sweet and bitter with a average to long duration, citrus, fruity, peach - passion fruit. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20150812]
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Cask gravity @ GBBF 2015. Pours a hazy golden color with a small longlasting white head. Has a fruity citrus hoppy aroma. Fruity malty hoppy citrus flavor. Has a fruity malty weak hoppy citrus finish.
JK (8181) reviewed Sexy Chaos from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Canned i liked this and foundnit in the character of an English stout. Low carbonation, soy sauce, chocolate. Some sweetness. I liked the palate.
deyholla (22727) reviewed Sexy Chaos from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7.5
Can shared by Tom! Pours black with a dark brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has dark grains and roasted malts with a decent amount of dark fruits underlying. Flavor has sweet dark grains and dark fruits with a touch of earthy roasted malts.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draught, MW 8th anniversary, 10/17/15.
Deep magenta-tinged mahogany with medium clarity and a fully fading beige head.
Woof, this is just loads of sherry bursting with both alcohol and tremendous amounts of fruitiness. Dry vanilla, moderate oxidation and some sourdough-like character from malt and wood.
In the flavor its fruity and woody, which isn’t my favorite combination, though some sweet caramel-laced vanilla-like sugars do help brace the palate for impact. Ranging from oily-to-creamy (though tending oily) with plenty of barrel influence adding some lightly astringent woodiness, hints of fruity, lighthearted vinegar and more oxidation in the form of light soy and peanut brittle. Ok, I did it, I tried one of these things. There were four other barrel-aged beers I’d never tried or rated (sherry and bourbon Cant Dog, bourbon Old 62 and bourbon Chaos) but I just couldn’t continue to take the punishment. If I can do one to two new ones a year, that’ll be an accomplishment (though surprisingly, the Old No. 60 barrel variants were very tame and low (relatively speaking) on the barrel character).
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Draught at MW’s 8th anniverary, 10/17/15.
Wonderfully bright appearance shows an amber liquid topped by a light beige head with moderate to strong retention.
Big caramel and toffee notes collide with vanilla, leafy, lightly citric hops and lots of fruity yeast esters (cherry and apple primarily, mixing with the malt and alcohol to produce candied-like notes). As far as non-barrel aged barleywines go, this nails it, with clean, round, succulent malt character, apparent but not overdone hoppiness and alcohol that is contained but also used to create interesting aromatics.
In the flavor it’s richly malty, with plentiful sweet caramel and toffee, big citrus hop notes (with a moderate amount of resulting bitterness) and candied fruit notes. Hints of alcohol add spiciness and vanilla character while ample carbonation makes it about as drinkable as you’re going to get for a barleywine of its size (still undrinkable....IMHO). Clean, in great condition and really well done.
That I couldn’t drink more than about three sips is irrelevant as I just can’t drink barleywines anymore. While the alcohol does bother me, to a degree, it’s really just the monotonous caramel/toffee/rich honey malt that I can’t deal with. Absolutely no finesse, charm or complexity to these things. And that’s just an inherent flaw with the style, I think. Even something like Bells Batch 6000, which I think I have at a 4.7, I can still remember vividly. And it wasn’t any different than this, fresh. Hoppy as all hell (it had more hop complexity, but also more resin as well) and just no malt depth/complexity. So take my rating with a grain of salt. I guess if you just love booze, bitterness and rich medium malts, than this is about as good as it’s going to get, barleywine-wise. Tried to be fair and give it an objective score as opposed to about a 2.0, which is the subjective score I’d give it.
2009 batch 1 on draught at 9th anniversary.
Obviously the age here has calmed it down significantly. And as with most MW beers, it has oxidized impossibly minimally. I don't know how they do it, but this stuff still seems like it would be only 3 or 4 years old. Except for the extreme mildness of it. Raisin, fig, cherry, caramel, light orange rind....rich and rewarding with minimal but spritzy carbonation, no alcohol and tons of fruitiness and malt lingering on the finish.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Sexy Chaos from Marshall Wharf Brewing Company 10 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draught at MW’s 8th anniversary, 10/17/15.
Little-to-no dark beige head atop the dark ebony body. Low clarity.
Vanilla, plentiful sugars and a bit of an oak-infused chocolate character. Was hoping the oak and perhaps the vanilla would help brighten the rather dull, chocolate-heavy nose that is the regular Chaos Chaos. To some extent, the vanilla adds levity, but where I wanted some nice dry, rich, woody oak notes, I get only a bit of dry wood and alcohol.
The flavor seems sweeter, I assume this is the lower carbonation from the aging, and perhaps the oak and vanilla intensifying the flavors? Whatever the case, I thought the vanilla was a bit too prominent (though not obnoxious by any stretch) and could actually use some more oak dryness (though it’s there lightly on the finish). Can’t think of too many stouts where I thought vanilla really improved it; just don’t think vanilla is a great addition and it’s almost always used too liberally, which is probably my main gripe with it. Nonetheless, still drinkable, enjoyable and all, but like the regular version, needs more oomph to the texture. A touch too thin. And texture is a HUGE thing for me when it comes to stouts.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Draught at MW’s 8th anniversary, 10/17/15.
Clear, very light golden body has a small white head that quickly fades to a ring.
Incredibly fresh habaneros in the nose provide the bulk of the aroma, with a touch of light honey, dry cracker-like grains and just a pinch of yeast-derived fruitiness. Very light, though you can tell the habaneros are there for sure.
And so it goes in the flavor, which is bursting with tons of fresh pepper spiciness. Fleshy, light, bright and enjoyable, it nonetheless comes off as a bit of a one-trick pony. Which is fine. Ilegal Ale-ien is a pretty straightforward drinkin beer with a fairly low flavor profile. Thus, this comes off as a light, habanero-infused golden ale. Very short finish, without a ton of actual heat. Very light bodied, little malt structure, no sweetness to be found. Would be great mid-July.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Draught at MW’s 8th anniversary, 10/17/15.
Favorite of the day here, by a good margin (even if the rating dosent suggest it). A deep ebony body with some mahogany edges and a beige head that is well-retained.
Caramel, toffee, raisins, prunes and mild hop notes (spicy, floral, vague citrus) are all very nicely balanced in the nose. No alcohol or flaw.
Very substantial body to it and a chewy texture, no doubt thanks in part to the oats. Pretty much everything that Chaos Chaos lacks...a rich English-like toffee character almost redolent of a barleywine, yet with enough roast and coffee notes to give it a stout feel. Light prune and tobacco notes build complexity and the alcohol never emerges. Vanilla, salty toffee and caramel all linger on the finish. Malty and yet appropriately dry and drinkable, with ample carbonation and no flaws. Wonderful stuff!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draught at MW’s 8th anniversary, 10/17/15.
Deep, inky, dark ebony body is opaque and has a fairly light colored beige head atop with moderate to moderately-low retention.
Chocolate, licorice and vanilla dominate the nose, which is less given to roastiness than a majority of imperial stouts I’ve had. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but it dosent make for quite as big an aroma, nor is there much vinousness/plum/prune-like notes in the nose that I associate with a good dose of roasted barley. Clean, however, as their beers always are and with some alcohol sharpness, but not a boozey mess by any means.
Malty and yet rather drinkable for its size, which is surprising. I do see what people are saying regarding it being not quite as thick and chewy as it could be. Yet for all its lighter bodied character (for the style, of course), it is still decidedly bitter (chocolate malt) and does have a bit of an alcoholic edge to it (seems inevitable at this size). Vanilla, mild coffee and light hop bitterness are all notable. Texture is slick and malty with ample carbonation. I love the drinkability here, even though that’s not something I or many people really look for in an Imperial. But it’s nice to be able to drink more than 2 ounces of an Imperial stout without your palate being wrecked. Don’t see that a lot anymore these days. Still, a little more chewiness/suppleness to the body would be appreciated, as well as a touch more complexity.