Franklinstein Barleywine
Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store

A - A very hazy amber brew with a decent sized head and a good amount of lacing.

S - Caramel sweetness and a decent strength pine hops. Abv is undetectable.

T - A bit of light bodied malt and carmel malt with a moderate pine hop backing that shifts toward a medium strength pine bitterness. Abv is hidden.

M - Great. Smooth, thick and frothy. Very refreshing. For a barleywine this is fantastic.

D - Not bad at all. I wish they gave bigger pours for this. The small pour is hardly enough to enjoy this brew. They say half a pint, but it seems like six ounces. Honestly, it isn't much stronger then some of their other beers. An enjoyable barleywine, but nothing fantastic.

Ahh, the return of a Charles beer. The brewer, Charles Noll, used to be the brewer at a local brewpub (Malt River) before moving on. His "special" brews have always had a "hmm, let me enjoy this one and figure it out" complexity to them. Saw this on tap at the same local that jackson frequents, and it made me wonder - does this one continue the tradition...?

Pours a deep copper with a fine, cream colored head. The nose is all malt, promising fine things.

Ohhhhh yeah! Here comes the malt! Stars out toffee-ish, then all hell breaks loose. This must have had one long boil IMO. Licorice/molasses/brown sugar notes, along with some herbal hoppiness, some spiciness, chocolatey, and a "what the hell IS that and where can I get some?" dark fruity maltiness. Complex as all get-out. Finishes with chocolatey, nutty, and slightly bitter malt flavors. When cold, a slightly astringent/phenolic note appears about half way through the sip, but it disappears quickly and it's nowhere to be found when the brew warms. Very drinkable - almost demands a second pint so that you can figure it out.

You're in the Hyattsville MD area? Go check out the brews at Franklin's. If this is any indication (and having had just about every style that Charles brews, it is), excellent brews will be found here.