I’m pretty sure the name of the beer sold me on this one. When a beer weighs in at just over 11% ABV there’s a good chance I’d devolve into a “blithering idiot” by the time the night is done. I finally got around to cracking it open a couple of weeks after purchasing it — on a day that was spent painting a couple of rooms in the house. I’m sure that the paint fumes destroyed my sense of smell and taste, but here are my notes anyway. Oh, and on a side note, drinking a high alcohol beer while still feeling the effects of painting a in a confined area with low ventilation probably isn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done.
Aroma
Even with the fumes at work, I was able to get the heat from the alcohol as well as some darker fruits like dates or prunes. I also got a faint sense of banana. The level of malt used gave it a caramel hint as well.
Appearance
This is a “barley wine style ale” so it’s not as thick as your traditional barley wine. The color was light brown with gold hues. The head was large and creamy, but quickly faded to a thin lace.
Taste
The taste was super smooth. There was low carbonation activity on the tongue. I immediately got the heat of the alcohol along with the malt sweetness. That banana I noticed earlier was also in the finish of the beer. I’m not sure if that’s the beer or my paint-affected senses.
Overall
I really liked this one. It was lighter than your traditional barley wine. I’m still surprised by the amount of banana that I caught in the finish of the beer. I’ll definitely have to pick up another one to as a comparison. Rating: 3.25/5
April 5th, 2008
pauloulu said:
I am new to this forum and I think you all will help me to enhance my
knowledge. I have been here many times and have always found this to be
a great place for information and advice about a wide range of topics
Paul