Griffin's Bow
I'm reviewing this beer from a blind perspective in this style, as I've never had a barleywine ale before. Therefore my review will end up revealing more subjective elements than I'd prefer. But what the hell, this beer has been sitting on my shelf for about a month now so I'll give it the once over. Poured from a 22 oz bomber, "The Griffin" glugs it's way into an attractive amber body of mostly transparent goodness, and tops off with a quickly rising two+ finger white head. The fluffy "sea foam" top dissipates with a medium to fast pace and leaves virtually no lace. :-( WTF is it with beers that don't leave lace! Sorry, I digress. It's a fairly good looking brew. Smells are strong with floral hops, alcohol, and a sweet caramelized fruit. Nice. You already know this is going to be a flavorful and strong beer. I suppose there is a hint of oak in there. I don't pick up oak like I do in other oak aged beers, though. That is a tad disappointing to me, since oak is in the name of this style. First sip pulls back a reverse order of the smells for me...kind of funny. I don't recall another beer doing that before. Malts and sugars slapped my tongue silly up front. Upon swallow I can readily feel the alcohol, and the hops float into a mild but well balanced aftertaste. Minutes after the swallow you can still pick up a hint of the hops...a good sign of a robust ale, IMO. Ironically, after a solid belch I could taste a ripe fruit...banana?? Bananas Foster??? The write-up says honeysuckle, pineapple, grapefruit, and burnt sugar. I guess that with with all those similar "sweet" flavors my brain says Bananas Foster. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slight tingle on the lips, and a smooth, mild fizz sliding down the back of your throat. Overall I like this beer. But with 22oz of 11.5% ABV...just make sure you bring a designated driver...or share with friends. I'm a little buzzed by the end of this review, in fact. I think I'd try it again, but i wouldn't go out of my way to do so.