Twelve
22oz bomber. 10.2% abv Bottle courtesy of DrJay. Pours a clear amber..round beads cascade from the bottom of the glass & form a substantial head of off-white foam. Forward aroma of fresh fruit..apricot, green apple, and orange..with a hint of peppery spiciness & bold rye malt. flavor is a touch of rye, slick pale malt, some light spice, and alcohol...lots of it. i was hoping for more of a fruit aspect since i picked that up in the nose, but this is just overwhelmingly malt & booze as soon as you take the first sip. ..thick, syrupy mouthfeel..even for a barleywine...while it coats the mouth, it still drinks somewhat well. The real turn-offs here are the unrelenting sugary caramel flavor and alcohol presence in each sip. I can definitely see why there are some mixed reviews for this one.. the first few sips I had were not remarkable to say the least.. it's a little shallow overall and the rye malt really doesn't add anything beneficial to the flavor (and i typically enjoy rye brews)...plus the alcohol flavor is way too prominent and a little distracting. Overall, an interesting barleywine that seems to be suffering from a boozy identify crisis. Decent, not great.