Hellbender Barleywine
Pisgah Brewing Co.

Hellbender BarleywineHellbender Barleywine
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From:
Pisgah Brewing Co.
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
9.8%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.99 | pDev: 7.52%
Reviews:
62
Ratings:
107
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 03, 2017
Added:
Mar 12, 2006
Wants:
  90
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
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Ratings by corby112:
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber, 2009 vintage(?)

Pours a dark ruby/copper color with golden amber edges when held to a light and a one finger frothy yellowish beige head that quickly fades into a thick lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

I was expecting the aroma to be very leathery/boozy but it's surprisingly sweet with dark malt notes and zesty spice. There is a touch of earthy/leathery malt and alcohol sweetness but the nose is dominated by hints of caramel, toffee and rye as well as some cinnamon, brown sugar and dark fruit. Hints of fig, raisin and plum.

Fuller bodied than expected with a beautiful balance of sweet and earthy/leathery malt as well as some autumnal spice, dark fruit, booze and faint hops. Lots of luscious sweet malt flavor with a lot caramel, toffee, chocolate, rye and hazelnut. This is countered by some zesty spice with notes of pepper, brown sugar and cinnamon. I'm also picking up some sweet dark fruit, notably raisin, plum and fig. There is some faint hop bitterness balancing things out as well as some subtle alcohol sweetness but there is little to no heat. The ABV is excellently masked with only subtle warmth in the finish, making this beer dangerously drinkable.

Overall, this beer has developed very nicely. The alcohol heat has mellowed very gracefully, allowing the sweet malt and dark fruit notes to shine. Incredibly complex, well balanced and extremely quaffable. I had to slow myself down from drinking down the whole bomber to fast. Another excellent beer from Pisgah that I highly recommend.
May 04, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4.36/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Winter 2016 bottling, pours a murky brown with little head or lacing. Sweet but fruity on the aroma, with black plums, brown sugar, candied orange, green tobacco, and floral hops. The flavors introduce a bit of assam tea, more prominent brown sugar, and vanilla. Velvety texture that makes this disappear dangerously quickly.
Apr 03, 2017
Photo of Smakawhat
Reviewed by Smakawhat from Maryland

3.97/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the bottle into a large snifter glass.

Dark burnt chestnut brown, slightly red for the body color as well. Milky out of the bottle from the pour, hitting with minimal head creation. Faint tan, small collar, and a little pit of a sheen and tanned top.

Solid aroma. Muted and small brown sugar and sense of dates. Slightly fig fruit flavored with far less sweetness than say raisins. Solid dark fruit angle on the nose.

Palate doesn't bring too many new surprises to the table. Light brown sugars, and slight molasses in flavor on the first sip. Definitely more molasses in the mid palate with a nice sticky coating. Finishes slightly warm, but also with little flavor left to ponder, leaving all the exploring in the front and middle of the palate. Hints a little bit at creamy mouthfeel but washes quickly down the throat.

A decent barleywine.
Aug 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by HopsForBrains from North Carolina

Mar 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by imperialking from Illinois

Feb 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by zeledonia from Washington

Oct 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by aasher from Indiana

Sep 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by PA-Michigander from Pennsylvania

Aug 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by Sanderson from Washington

Jul 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.02 by VinceMig from Georgia

Jun 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Mar 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.28 by Goatdavemac from North Carolina

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.84 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by MacQ32 from South Carolina

Oct 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.04 by ckeegan04 from Texas

Sep 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ncstateplaya from North Carolina

Aug 14, 2014
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bomber poured into a teku. The brew appears a clear mahogany color with really no head formation, just a couple large bubbles hang on the surface. A swirl produces of legs of alcohol clinging to the glass.

The aroma is malty sweet with caramel/molasses before getting fruity in nature from a combination of hops and alcohol. A bit of herbal and earthy feel towards the back of the nose.

The taste is sweet with a grainy aspect like biscuit malt. Contrasting that sweetness is an earthy herbal hop inclusion. It is fruity almost like apple and raison mixing with a mild oxidation aspect towards the finish.

This is a medium bodied brew with a low level of carbonation. It has a creeping alcohol warmth and overall is well made. Not the best nor worst barleywine ive had. Worth trying if you get the chance.
Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by solo103 from Florida

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by twowheelssoar from North Carolina

Jun 30, 2014
Photo of GeezLynn
Reviewed by GeezLynn from Colorado

4.24/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2009 bottle (22oz) purchased from City Beverage (Raleigh) .

A: Body is light brown and shows a pretty strawberry hue under the light. Produces a scant white head with decent retention.
S: Caramel, brown sugar, toffee. Also a bit buttery and likely to be very sweet – not expecting much in the way of hops or alcohol at this age.
T: Has become quite fruity at this point – dates, marmalade, lots of brown sugar and a bit of stale bread. Surprisingly, still enough bitterness to cut the sweetness. Finishes with raisin bread, vanilla, pine needle bitterness and has hung onto a slight ethanol bite.
M: Medium body – a bit tannic and dry, and surprisingly, a decent amount of carbonation.

Figured it was getting risky to ignore this any longer, but if you enjoy smooth/sweet aged barleywines, this could have gone longer. Didn’t notice much in the way of oxidation and the carbonation was still adequate. Nice beer.
Jun 25, 2014
Hellbender Barleywine from Pisgah Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 107 ratings