Hooray for beers with unnecessarily long names. Another unique Sam Adams drop to try while I wait for a fresh pint of Dead Ringer to settle down. I haven't had hardly any barley wines this season and the weather has been unseasonably warm recently with today finally cooling by about 20F. It's almost fitting that this barley wine be so much lighter in color that its typical kin, a light, crystal clear caramel. While the head is quite thin, it manages to leave a lot of lacing. The aroma is spot on: sweet, malty, slightly woody without being bourbon-y, slightly boozy. The taste follows the aroma pretty closely, with the heat being a little over the top. There are plenty of good b-wines out there that pack 10%ABV without letting on. I suppose that's the advantage of getting to use darker malts.
This is a pretty interesting beer. I can tell that it's a barley wine, but it's distinctive as well. I'm still on the fence on whether I really like it or not though. It's good for the moment but the heat is starts to get a bit big.
- Appearance: Clear, light caramel. Thin head with lacing.
- Smell: Sweet, almost cider-y, wood, noticeable heat.
- Taste: A bit vinous, sweet, a little bit of apple tart. Wood and heat.
- Mouthfeel: Smooth, perhap a bit more effervescent than a normal barley wine. Lighter in weight and viscosity.
- Drinkability and Overall: It's no lightweight, but a refreshing take on a traditionally rich beer.
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