Green Flash Anniversary Ale 2004
04/04/06- Purchased at Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley, CA. Presentation- 22oz bottle with a nice gold foil over the cap. 2004 vintage. Poured into my Duvel tulip. Appearance- One of the more darker barleywines I have seen. Deep dark brown, maybe even approaching a porter color. Half inch off white head with better than average lacing. Smell- Wonderful smell of deep roasted malt, caramel, and bitter hops. Taste- At first the malts seemed a bit too roasted..almost burnt. But, they mellowed out quickly leaving a nice light chocolate and caramel flavor. Grapefruit hops seemed overpowering at first as well, but those too evened out after sitting for a while. A beer that needs to breathe for sure. Mouthfeel- Slightly creamy and mildly carbonated. A bit chewy as well. Drinkability- After this one had some time to breathe, it really became a very nice beer. I started this out a room temp and drank it over the next hour. Let it air out and the flavors will come out more. Overall a nice beer that drinks very well.