Country of Origin: United States
Availability: Fall seasonal. I got lucky.
Price comparison: About the same as everyday beer.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 11%
Cute bottle/label? Standard twelve-ounce brown glass; the label has a "man in the moon" crescent moon wearing a nightcap, lying on his "back" and snoring tiny Zs into the night sky.
Appearance: Deep tawny brown with sheets of spotty ivory lace left on the glass.
Scent: Sweet malt, black grapes, vanilla or caramel, and some light hops.
Flavor: Grapefruit, a bit of pepper, and hops, with a very easy malt finish.
Impressions: Far more dry than the aroma suggested, and absolutely less sweet than the average barleywine. The malt is balanced to the point where the alcohol is not terribly blatant, and it's eminently drinkable. I'm thinking this would go well anywhere that a fine burgundy would go.
I absolutely recommend this barleywine to anyone who claims that all barleywines are too sweet to be drinkable.
Will I buy this beer again? If it wouldn't already be after 8:00 pm by the time I got there, I'd already be on my way to the package store. I hope it isn't all gone by the time I get back over there, or I'll have to wait till fall rolls around again.
Rating:
4 out of 5 cute beer glasses
Reviewed: June 13, 2005
