Tosta
Birrificio Pausa Cafe

TostaTosta
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From:
Birrificio Pausa Cafe
 
Italy
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
12.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.38 | pDev: 14.5%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
29
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 13, 2020
Added:
Jan 06, 2010
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by pat61:
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Pours hazy, murky brown under a thin tan foating of film.
S: Light cacao but not intense, dark dried fruit and light roast.
T: Big fruit palate with light sherry and traces of cacao, some caramel in the finish, has a bit of dark sweet nut bread flavor with moderate to low hops.
F: Medium full body, medium low carbonation.
O: This is an interesting and unusual beer with complex layers of flavor.
May 23, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.04/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Unique shaped bottle.

Pours a brown color straddling between attractive and unattractive. Thin lighter brown head 1/6". Aroma was barely chocolate, just didn't pan out. Super weak.

Taste was a, not what I've become accustomed to when I think English barleywine. This didn't seem like a barleywine anywhere on the planet. If anything, it was more like a quad. Had a big yeast presence noticeable more than any other aspect of the beer. Like a quad RIS mashup. Dark fruit raisin vibes. This is some pretty expensive shit, you gotta come way harder than this. Lots of alcohol, but it tastes like even more than there is in this. Just hot. Damn the nose was better and I wasn't impressed there. Seems thin but so hot. Like Megan except for the hot part. I dunno how the scores for this add up to "very good". It didn't do anything good, much less very good. Big do not recommend on this one, its expensive and its not good. Cacao character barely there.
Apr 13, 2020
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

3.69/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Enjoyed from the little bottle in a Rhinegeist snifter, this interesting take on a barleywine pours a hazy brown cola color with a thin head and light lacing. Nose of chocolate, raisins, brown sugars, and strong booze. Flavors are chocolate up front with a light powdered cocoa taste, some dark raisins blended with vanilla in the back, and strong booze in the aftertaste. Slick mouth feel, lightly oily but still with enough carbonation to keep it lively which is surprising considering the head. A good take on a barleywine with nice chocolate accents. Interesting and unique.

Cheers
Jan 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by CasanovaCummins from Nevada

Mar 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by sirsteve42 from New York

Nov 01, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by mrfrancis from Kentucky

Jun 19, 2013
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
a: This was a dark cola brown with ruby highlights. It poured with a small, frothy head.

s: Dark fruits like figs and raisins, brown sugar, hints of vanilla, some chocolate, and mild booze.

t: Sweet overall with a warm finish. Lightly boozy chocolate, brown sugar, and faint fruit.

m: Thin and watery, hard to believe given the elevated abv.

o: Chocolate in a b-wine is something I'd like to try again. While interesting, this just didn't quite come togther for me.
Oct 27, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by aasher from Indiana

Aug 31, 2012
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Nice chalky cocoa nose with a sweet flavor profile. It's a bit tangy, but there is a thick malt body on there. Even after warming, this isn't carrying a lot of complexity at all. For the price, I'd frankly hope for a bit more than this delivers. Not that it's bad; it just doesn't really do much for me. At its best when warmed up.
Aug 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by gueuzegossage from California

Apr 08, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by oline73 from Maryland

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This poured out as a light brownish orange color. The head was pretty much nonexistent and didn't have anything in way of lacing. The smell of the beer had a malty and spicy aroma, there was a little bit of booze on the nose. The taste was interesting, there was strong cocoa flavor in this along with some interesting spices. The mouthfeel was kind of on the flat side but it was thick. Overall I enjoyed this beer quite a bit.
Jun 26, 2011
Photo of vfgccp
Reviewed by vfgccp from New York

3.7/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Dark raspberry ice tea. Off-white head with a large bubble structure. Low retention and ok lace.

S - Sweet yellow raisins, milk chocolate, and mellow booze.

T - Prune. Burnt toast. Sweet booze. Bitter cocoa nib character that's soft and not overpowering.

M - Medium/light body. Light spice finish: coriander, pepper.

O - Pleasant with a nice drinkability
Mar 29, 2011
Photo of stcules
Reviewed by stcules from Italy

3.67/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A bit explosive at the opening.
Dark brown color, with ruby edges. Cream colored foam, not longstanding, but quite beautiful.
In the smell malt, torrified, coffee, a lot ofo cocoa. Notes of plums, raisins.
Again coffee in the taste, malt and torrified, warming alcohol, plum fruitiness, raisins. The alochol is there, but not too heavy.
Full body, malty, cocoa. Intense.
A good warming beer.
Mar 20, 2011
Photo of LilBeerDoctor
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

3.06/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Reviewed on 12/31/2009. On tap at DBGB. Pours a deep red with a small tan head. Aroma of sweet malt, light fruits, and alcohol. Flavor is quite fruity (apple, pear, fig), with alcohol. Dry finish. Too sweet and just not very tasty to me. I didn't get any of the cocoa oil.
Dec 23, 2010
Photo of Perrumpo
Reviewed by Perrumpo from Maryland

3.43/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
The color was a bold red-brown with a light-tan head. This beer was very smooth for the high ABV, but being a Barleywine, you can certainly taste the booze. Barleywine is always on the booze-y side for me, so the mouthfeel and drinkability aren't as high for me, but for a Barleywine, they are. Tastes of sweet, cherry, booze, and other fruit. Not overly sweet though. Nicely balanced.
Jul 24, 2010
Photo of Parrotbeak
Reviewed by Parrotbeak from Minnesota

2.79/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Murky amber with a ruby hue. Thin, off-white head that fades immediately. Lots of sediment floating about the bottom of the glass.
Smell is sour, bready malts, with some very subtle hops. Sweet, candy sugar notes follow, with some notes of cocoa, fig, and lime. Pleasant floral aroma that shrouds the finish.
Taste is sweet and sour lactic malts, with some faint, grassy hops. Cocoa and raisin notes follow. Sweet and very slightly tart on the finish.
Here's where this beer really suffers. Mouthfeel is flat and watery, with a very low level of carbonation. Watery, oily finish. Light body. Little bit of heat from the alcohol as it goes down.
Drinkability is poor. The only thing this beer has going for itself is that the 12.5% ABV is fairly well-concealed. I've seen single bottles of this beer for $25 at some stores...fortunately I paid less than half that price, yet I still feel quite ripped off. If I just wanted to get ripped for a few bucks, I might pick up a few of these, if they were a buck apiece.
Jul 19, 2010
Photo of farrago
Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey

3.74/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Even if you jetstream the pour into the glass you barely get more than backsplash for a head, the lacing just what's leftover from that. Cloudy brown-orange mud in appearance, there's a good deal of sediment so don't try to get your whole 11.2 ounces' worth, as opaque as non-black beer can get. Soft, gently unfolding nose of sweet cinnamon and ginger, yeast and raw pie dough, almonds, cherry and blackberry fruit, even after letting it warm some you barely get the cocoa or coffee notes, maybe there's more there and it's just too understated. Full-bodied, here the cocoa, coffee is sweet with a light roast and much more evident. The baking spices and yeastiness perdures, Modicum of orange peel, almonds and brazil nuts, the fruit shows cherry, apricot but really just a pureed mix. The carbonation at times feels nonexistent. Doesn't possess the sugary sweetness of many in the "barleywine" style and likely better for it. Doesn't cause any pain to drink but the price is pretty painful for what you get.
May 12, 2010
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

4.02/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at Beachwood BBQ, on to the beer:

This barleywine has a very dark amber color, almost getting into brown territory. The aroma is really tamed, but brings to mind a variety of different notes: fruit, pears, cinnamon, and redisual sugar. Like the aroma, the flavor is really tamed. Extremely mellow profile for a 12.5% ABV beer. Sweet navel oranges are the first thing to come to mind, even a little strawberry. Nutty. A little whisper of roasted coffee. The alcohol is masked very well. To my surprise, this beer was very low in carbonation, almost like some of the English barleywines. This beer has no problems going down.
May 10, 2010
Photo of vacax
Reviewed by vacax from California

3.03/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours an amber brown with a hazelnut head, small and lingering. Aromas of toasty malts, cacao, coffeeish acidity, fruit, tart cherries. Taste is lactic sourness with black currants, nutty malts, solvent, bit of funk, finish is heavy on caramel malt. Medium to light body with high somewhat bubbly carbonation. I don't know if Pausa Cafe is intentionally a "farmhouse" or wild style brewery but this is definitely soured. It doesn't really work with the solvent esters and nutty malts.
May 08, 2010
Tosta from Birrificio Pausa Cafe
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 29 ratings