Widdershins
Left Hand Brewing Company

WiddershinsWiddershins
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From:
Left Hand Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 14.09%
Reviews:
188
Ratings:
408
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 02, 2023
Added:
Sep 22, 2003
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  37
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Djenx:
Photo of Djenx
Rated by Djenx from Texas

2.75/5  rDev -25.5%

Jul 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of ZenAgnostic
Reviewed by ZenAgnostic from Texas

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Found handwritten notes from 10+ years ago.

Appearance - Clear amber body. Small tan head with great stick and retention. 4.5

Smell - Very malty. Whisky and vanilla. Oaky and dark overripe fruit. 4.5

Taste -Complex and balanced. Tons of malt sweetness. And some astringency and alcoholic bite to balance it out. 4

Mouthfeel - Almost creamy for a barley wine. Great texture. Plenty of alcoholic warmth. 4

Overall - Very well balanced barleywine. No off characters. Extraordinarily enjoyable and and accessible. 4.5
Apr 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

May 20, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by Hopstout from Minnesota

Jan 19, 2019
Photo of ScruffySouthpaw
Reviewed by ScruffySouthpaw from New York

3.97/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Served in a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle.

Appearance: Semi to full hazy amber with medium bubbles creating an orange tinted white head rising roughly one finger's length off the body.

Smell: Sweet citrus scent coming off like pink grapefruits and light whiskey. Light but comes off potent especially after the brew warms a bit.

Taste: Sweet citrus with heavy hint of malts with a smooth bitterness. It's reminiscent of English Barleywine and it's American counterpart consisting of a light whiskey note to the beer.

Mouth: Medium carbonatkon, very sticky but not the stickiest. Comes off a tad dry and lightly (maple) syrupy finish.

Overall: personally I think it was a great find especially factoring in the price I would definitely buy again sense of compares to other American barley wines that I really like. One problem, is that this was the last one on the shelf.... So I know I'll stock up next time I see it. Always in a glass, salud!
Dec 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Apr 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by heysuz from Indiana

Apr 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.54 by Kurmaraja from California

Sep 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.29 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Jul 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by midlifec from Michigan

Feb 16, 2017
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

4.18/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Clear reddish-orange, with a modest tan-colored head, which fades to a scattering of foam on the surface. Thin, fine-beaded lacing lies scattered across the glass wall.

Aroma: Citric hops and abundant caramel vie with sweet, vinous alcohol, nuts and dark fruit are present as well, offering a beguilingly complex aroma.

Taste: Opens with strong caramel and dark fruit, Sweet alcohol is also present, with a mild warming sensation. There is also an undercurrent of toasted malt and nuts. Later in the taste, there are hints of bourbon and oak. Finishes with a mild, lingering note of oak and slightly earthy hops.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, and velvety, exceptionally full.

Drinkability/notes: A quite exceptional example of the style, gracious and pleasant, well-suited to a feast or a winter's night.

Presentation: Packaged in a Belgian style 750 ml brown glass "bomber" bottle with cork and cage, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.
Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.91 by mitch3114 from New York

Dec 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by Stoutsman from Kansas

Jul 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by StoutAtTheDevil from Alabama

Apr 21, 2016
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.54/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
2013 edition, so this has had some time to mellow. i have never had the unoaked edition, nor have i had the beer fresh, so any comparison will be impossible. sometimes i forget these guys have been around awhile. this was probably groundbreaking in 2008 when it was added here on BA, i feel like the american made barleywine game has evolved very quickly, with everyone getting in on it. this beer may be left behind a little bit, but i still think it represents a pretty classic example of the style, even if it has a few flaws. its got a nice rich looking caramel color and more clarity than expected for a beer thats been in oak. not much head, but thats to be anticipated. nose definitely shows a bit of oxidation, but if that can work anywhere, its here in a big english style barleywine. i still do get some hops in the nose though, kind of cool, and i definitely smell the yeast, a high gravity burton type, robust at a time, but now dormant. the grain flavor is a little one dimensional for me, sweet caramel malt, middle of the spectrum, with little support from anywhere else. notes of molasses and golden raisin come out, and its not diabetic, but there is plenty of leftover sugar. the oak doesnt seem to bring a lot of flavor in. it serves more in a mellowing capacity it must be, because the alcohol is pretty tame for its strength. an easy glass of beer to sip on and enjoy, but i suspect this peaks at about a year in the cellar. i would like to try the unoaked, it didnt seem like that aspect made much of an impact...
Mar 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.8 by morebeergood from Massachusetts

Feb 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by Norvelljeff from Iowa

Jan 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by chewy6935 from Michigan

Dec 29, 2015
Photo of RancidAggro
Rated by RancidAggro from New York

4.29/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Aged one year. No head super smooth light and tasty.
Dec 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Nov 22, 2015
Widdershins from Left Hand Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 408 ratings