Abstruse amber-ruddy Brussels-laced dry bitter may lack richness of barleywine competition, but capacious sour mash waft, lilting spiced hop tingle, and polite mineral water flow suffice. Hints of bruised lemon, dried prune, plum, fig, and orange decorate backend.

Determined, yet diffident, copper-reddish barleywine caresses Scotch malt dryness with butterscotch yeast sweetness, floral accents, and pine-spruce density. Grapefruit, plum, maraschino cherry, and moldy orange illusions ripen chocolate liqueur finish. Highly complex, yet light on the tongue.

Clear chestnut-amber hue too tepid for robust barleywine class. Neither chewy nor gooey enough to convince discriminating aficionados. Oaken Chinook hop dryness counters brown sugared molasses fade, reclining red cherry sway, tucked-in peach-pear dash, and finishing bruised orange upsurge. Wispy spiced rum-Courvoisier lilt fails to ignite.

Elegantly candied ruddy-hued tawny-headed barleywine-styled digestif effectively maintains creamy froth, citric warmth, and carbolic fluff. Happily, heavy fizz doesn’t subdue nutmeg holiday flavoring, subtle malt-hop complexity, bruised orange tang, dried grape zip, and juniper pep. Thymu spicing accents caramelized medicinal finish. Enjoy the buzz…we did.

Interestingly, half-pint barleywine was packaged in a cardboard cylinder encasing the glass bottle. Cloudy sediment-imbued foam clumps can’t hide undeniably rich éclair froth. Sharp floral hops underscore red wine aroma, gunk-y caramel malt absorption, and dry burgundy lick providing moderate sweetness. Despite strong alcoholic flow, well-rounded mocha-grain finish maintains uncommonly smooth moderation.

Perhaps closer to extremely sweet brandy or raisin-dried porter since terrific syrupy malt sinew and thick prune depth offer full-bodied richness. Inviting caramel, cocoa, chocolate, and molasses creaminess increases mighty complexity. Spiced hop bitterness underpins milky malted flow to further accent fabulous Irish-styled champion.

Luxurious brandy-sherry opening spreads across medicinal Courvoisier spell, cherry jubilee swell, and candied apple quell. Spruce-sapped tangerine-pear-pineapple-watermelon fruiting and floral bouquet settle above honeyed wheat base. May lack some warmth, strength, and endurance of more tempting barleywines, but not far removed from Unibroue’s excellent Quelque.

Sluggish prune-hued barleywine with warm fruit essence quickly dissolving into acidic oak-dried cherry depletion and woody scorched earth astringency. Candied sugar nuance amplifies caustic fig-raisin-plum parch when mild creaminess dwindles.

Rust-clouded taupe-headed Belgian-styled barleywine places innate moldy yeast dankness above hefty chocolate malting and stewed prune swoon. Chewy butterscotch midst upends baked apple, bing cherry, and blackberry sweetness countering sun-dried raisin and grapefruit rind sourness. Tertiary cinnamon-gingerbread spicing latently crests.

Stirring Norwegian full body penetrates deeply as creamy chocolate-roasted burnt caramel malting sweetens dark-spiced cookie dough richness and dried-fruited anise-currant-sarsaparilla illusions. Sherry finish allows candied apple, bruised cherry, and vinous grape undertones to peak above raisin-plum souring and peanut-shelled hazelnut-walnut barb. Creme de cocoa, ice coffee, smoked molasses, and oaken vanilla nuances waver.

Aggressive glowing amber winter 2004 release scores big. Rum-soaked candi-sugared malting surges above honeyed wheat sweetness, settling to ripe tangerine-grapefruit-apricot tang. Supplemental herbal hops rejuvenate lively fruited template as whiskey malt foray and syrupy cognac snip raid creamy caramel cupboard.

Retaining mighty 10% alcohol kick but lacking stylistic warmth, smoothly thin chestnut-cleared barleywine finds abrupt orange tang plus red apple, cherry, and pear illusions overwhelmed by oncoming metallic astringency. Indecisive floral hop spicing depletes fruity margin as well as chewy caramel malting.