Barleywine Ale
Purchased from The Wine & Cheese Place. 12oz screw cap bottle, label says brewed Nov 2009. It pours a clear brownish red with a 2 finger head of foam and some nice lacing. The smell isn't very Barleywine like at all...smells a lot like the very good Kubelbier that I also just tried so see my review of the nose there. ;^) More sweet notes showed up during the session so I can now say it does have a BWSA sort of nose. The taste is also Kubelbier-like but intensified both in flavours and alcohol.Very little sweetness here that I'd expect to find in a beer called an English Barleywine. Too much orange citrus and overall general bitterness. I'm not saying it tastes bad, put it under the American Barleywine style and that would be a better fit, imho. Ok, I'm getting more used to the flavours hitting my palate and there does seem to be more appropriate levels of sweetness but it doesn't quite get there for me. The mouthfeel consists of some lightish carbonation and a rather thin body. Too thin, me thinks. Drinkability? It isn't al that easy to drink and it isn't even on the high end range for the style. Good but could be much better.