I picked up this barleywine while at Shangy's with Alex and Jimmy (Yes, that is Nok Hockey in the background, the greatest game ever from my childhood. Yes, I still have it, big whoop, wanna fight about it?) Wanted to try a barleywine I hadn't had before, and since Speakeasy Ales and Lagers is located in San Fransisco, CA, I doubted I would have had a chance to pick one of these up again. If someone does a formal review of Shangy's I'll give you my input on it. To say the least, it is contrasting to what my cohorts felt. I've had this brew between when I bought it and when I'm reviewing it, so I'm trying to keep my mind open when doing this.
Appearance: A cross between ruby red and golden brown. I poured pretty aggressively to see what kind of head I could get, but only got about half a finger ( that sentence sounds so wrong, but I digress.) Very little carbonation, but looks clean and inviting.
Smell: The sweet malts are the first thing your nose will notice, but it mixes well with the floral hops, creating a pleasant scent. So far so good.
Taste: Once again the sweet malts dominate the taste buds with a slight aftertaste of the floral hops. There is quite a bite to it, very bitter, but that's typical for this style. The first time I drank this, I remember noting that it should have been sweeter and a little less harsh. Yet thinking it over, it's taste is more on par with other barleywines.
Mouthfeel: Little carbonation, but you still feel a tingle as it sits on your tongue. A little harsh going down, but not bad. It's an interesting combination in that while smooth, you feel a bit of a bite.
Drinkability: At 10.2% abv, you might want to take this one easy. Definitely no more than two at the end of a night, because 1) the high alcohol content could put you to sleep, and 2) the bitterness will skew your palate if you are looking to taste something else. Being from San Francisco, there aren't many of these around here in the North Jersey area, but I don't think I will go out of my way for it again. It's a decent barleywine, but not in the top group.
Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams Glass
1 comment:
Have been aging two of these since Mike bought them back in the spring. Tried one tonight. It smells too strong and tastes like alcohol too much. I do like the strong amount of hops that they use in this barleywine though. 5.5/10
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