Centurion Barleywine Ale
Golden City Brewery

Centurion Barleywine AleCenturion Barleywine Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Golden City Brewery
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11.2%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 14.69%
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
40
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 13, 2016
Added:
Jun 12, 2002
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Mar 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by tylerstravis from Colorado

Sep 18, 2015
Photo of deleted_user_357747
Reviewed by deleted_user_357747

3.26/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
Very sweet beer, both in the smell and taste. Look is sort of a bummer, limp in color, clear and zero head. Smell is sweet with loads of dark fruits like plums and figs, toffee, raw honey, alcohol, though not fusel or too unpleasent. The enjoyable finish, that round, mellow malt glow, that I seek out in maltier barleywines/old ales, is unfortunately lacking here. The finish is thin and fleeting, without the desired richness. Mouthfeel, too, is a bit weak, thin and a tad too rough.

A middle-of-the-road barleywine as of now, but I plan on buying one or two more and giving them a few years, hopefully they will grow into their beauty. Right now, they are a bit of ugly ducklings.
Nov 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by WDJersey from Colorado

Nov 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by ajs4bd from Missouri

Jun 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by MarkyMOD from Colorado

Apr 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Nov 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by OgreSanchez from Texas

Jul 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by meghmmm from Massachusetts

Sep 04, 2012
Photo of riored4v
Reviewed by riored4v from Colorado

3.12/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured in to a tulip. Lightly hazy, dark copper color. Very thin head that faded quickly.

Smell was raisiny and pruney. Lots of dark fruit and caramel. Noticeable amounts of alcohol along with sweetness. Lots of malty aroma, some noticeable hop aroma that was slightly earthy and floral.

Taste was fairly muddy. Definite signs of dark fruit, raisins and caramel. Pretty strong on those flavors. Some mild hop bitterness that was floral and earthy. Good amount of sweetness as well. No real "wow" factor". This had also been aged about 1 year and there didnt seem to be an increased complexity to it.

Mouthfeel was full body, medium-low carb and a sticky finish. Some pretty heavy/chewy mouthfeel.

Overall it was decent, but the complexity that should be in a BW just wasn't there with this one. Lots of heavy dark fruit and sweetness.
Aug 30, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by hiphopj5 from Colorado

Aug 22, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by ucsbmullet from Colorado

Aug 08, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by DeutschesBier from Maryland

Dec 13, 2011
Photo of Domingo
Reviewed by Domingo from Colorado

3.99/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a 12oz bottle of this from GCB in February 2011. I'm typically not one to hold onto things very long, so here I am a week later. It's worth noting that it's got one of their newer labels on it, so it's probably not THAT old.
Pours a reddish copper color. Not sure how strong this is, but the lack of head is typically telling for potency. Still, it does have a pretty solid foam sheen and it never goes flat.
While this is listed as an American barleywine - the malt character that has come through is more along the lines of a British one to me. Huge waves of sweet caramel-like malts dominate the hops, which add a pine-y character, but not really a ton of bitterness.
I tend to like the sweeter barleywines, so this one fits my needs nicely. I had a few sips of this years ago at the FRTH and I do recall more hop character at that time, but I think I personally prefer the sweeter character.
I split my 12oz bottle, but I think I probably could down one myself...especially on a cold night or with a hearty meal.
I like this beer, but would guess it's probably a bit divisive for anyone expecting giant hop bitterness. This reminds me more of the JW Lee's and even the Bull & Bush big beers where the malts run the show.
Recommended, but definitely be aware that this isn't a Bigfoot type of barleywine.
Feb 27, 2011
Photo of dragonWhale
Reviewed by dragonWhale from New York

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2008 (maybe 2007) bottle aged perhaps a bit long. Had this a year ago and it was phenomenal. This one was not as exciting.
A sexy amber with low carb and a bit of trail on it. Caramel and faded hops. The taste is initially nice, alcohol all background, big malt, slight bitterness, but the finish is a bit metallic. Maybe shoulda drank this last bottle a bit earlier. This gets a bit higher rating because of the last one was so nice. Still a solid and very drinkable barleywine.
Feb 20, 2011
Photo of birchstick
Reviewed by birchstick from Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
A - pours an amber orange without much of a head

S - very sweet, sticky caramel malts with a load of piney hops

T - a lot of caramel hops jump out at first and are balanced by some piney and citrusy hops. Nice flavor profile - I feel a lot of barleywines can be overly bitter or too amped up, but this one hit a nice stride of being more balanced with a smoother flavor.

M - watery and thin body. I was hoping this would be a bit chewier.

D - this is a really good barleywine. I really enjoyed this and am glad I grabbed two bottles. Will look for this again when I am out in CO.
Nov 30, 2010
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Purchased 2008; Sampled August 2010
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a scant, large bubbled head that barely covers the beer for a moment before receding to the edges of the glass. The beer is a reddish amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, copper amber color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of caramelized malt accentuated by light, nutty oxidative aromatics. There is an almost buttery quality to the aroma somehow, but it is definitely not diacetyl. This has a nice, soft fruitiness to it that is sort of berry like and with a definite citrus hop character that has likely been muted with age. I think this beer is at a good age in its development, at least as far as the nose is concerned.

Lightly sweet tasting, the beer still has a hoppy, herbal and citrus character to it as well as some nutty age malt character and toasty grain character in the finish. A light carbonation adds a touch of fizz to this beer, this pairs well with the viscous, rich body that is not overly heavy for a Barleywine. Some noticeable alcohol adds some warming and heat in the finish. A touch of butterscotch is brought out by the rich caramel malt character. This has a fair amount of sweetness to it, but it is not overly so and much of the sweetness is complex enough to not come off as cloying. This finishes fairly dry actually as the bitter and slightly herbal hop components help to balance out the up front sweetness. While this is still fairly hoppy, the malt character has taken the lead role, even if the hop character still plays a significant part.

This is ageing nicely; it will definitely last quite a bit longer than the two years it has already aged for. The hop character could mellow out a bit more than it has and even a touch more oxidation might work nicely in the future.
Oct 15, 2010
Photo of northaustin
Reviewed by northaustin from Texas

2.27/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
pours a mega hazy amberish brown. flat. shook it for a while in the schnifter and got a minimal white head that was resinous and quickly settled. no lacing.

smells like vanilla ice cream inside a oak barrel or something. its so sweet.

tastes mega vanilla, with a minimal note of caramel malt sweetness.

mouthfeel: maple syrup

i have had a shitload of better barleywines. this one is just a sugary mess that begs for some type of balance. cant force myself to say much else about this one.
Jul 27, 2010
Photo of chicano4craft
Reviewed by chicano4craft from Colorado

2.73/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Poured into snifter. Pours orange and dark copper. Very thick, couldn't see through it. Thin white head with no lacing.

The nose is all caramel. Very sweet. Reminds me of a caramel apple. It seems like the hops are trying to fight through at the end with little success. There is an alcohol presence.

The taste is all caramel! It's very syrupy and sweet. Defintely lingers on the tongue. I can't get past the intensity of the caramel to taste anything else. This one's a sipper.

Overall I wasn't very impressed. I like my caramel to be in the background. I was hoping for more complexity. I might get a bottle to age for a couple years.
May 25, 2010
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet. Extra thanks to mentor for this from our recent trade!

A: Pours an absolutely clear caramel brown color. No head, no lace, no carbonation. Friggin' lifeless. I spied some sediment in the bottle and figured, "what the heck', swirled it around and poured it into the glass. This got me some gorgeous looking yeasty sediment tendrils as well as a small blob of head, a thick ring, and a little lace.

S: The big player here is caramel. Rich homemade caramel. Also noted were some sweet red apple, brown sugar, cherry, and a smidgeon of dark chocolate.

T: Big flavors of caramel, molassas, and red apple. Cherry and chocolate are still there but there's a creeping alcohol flavor that, while certainly not out of place for the style, I felt stuck its' head up out of the fray a little too much. As it warms, the caramel gains even more dominance and picks up a hint of citrus and some dusty hops along the way. To me the taste lost a little of the focus of the smell. Still quite respectable, though.

M: Unlike some of the other reviews on here, I didn't find this to be too syrupy. In fact my first few sips were very dry and bitter. As it warmed it began to exude a creamy smoothness that was kept from crossing the line into syrup-land by the obvious alcohol content.

D: Drinks good, but for me this was a "one and I'm done" kind of beer. Certainly nowhere close to the biggest Barleywines I've ever had, but by the end of this I didn't want any more...or anything else.
Jan 16, 2010
Centurion Barleywine Ale from Golden City Brewery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 40 ratings