Green Man Holly King | Green Man Brewery
Brewed by:
Green Man Brewery
North Carolina, United States
greenmanbrewery.com
Style: American Strong Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.80%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by JohnHeartsBeer on 12-08-2013
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 58 | Reviews: 17
4.17/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Received in a trade. Huge bourbon and oak notes in addition to being pretty boozy. A really good American Strong Ale with a strong malt backbone that can handle the heavy dose of booze. Highly recommended!
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Received in a trade. Huge bourbon and oak notes in addition to being pretty boozy. A really good American Strong Ale with a strong malt backbone that can handle the heavy dose of booze. Highly recommended!
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3.93/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.93/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, sample from the brewery.
Thin lacing on top of a slightly hazed garnet hued brew. Big warming figgy nose with hints of boozy barrels, caramel, & fruity alcohol. Low carbonation within the chewy full body, this brew reminds me of a few strong ales from England. A clear sipper, very enjoyable.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, sample from the brewery.
Thin lacing on top of a slightly hazed garnet hued brew. Big warming figgy nose with hints of boozy barrels, caramel, & fruity alcohol. Low carbonation within the chewy full body, this brew reminds me of a few strong ales from England. A clear sipper, very enjoyable.
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4.24/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is the 2016 version that is available in 12oz bottles. Alcohol is listed at 9.8 percent.
This is a very unique holiday ale. Flavor are bold and dark fruit based, almost like a really good fruit cake dipped in bourbon. There is a slight soured fruit thing going on but this is tempered well by the complex bourbon character. I would be very interested to see this beer with a couple years of age on it.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is the 2016 version that is available in 12oz bottles. Alcohol is listed at 9.8 percent.
This is a very unique holiday ale. Flavor are bold and dark fruit based, almost like a really good fruit cake dipped in bourbon. There is a slight soured fruit thing going on but this is tempered well by the complex bourbon character. I would be very interested to see this beer with a couple years of age on it.
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3.75/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.6/5 rDev -11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
L: cloudy Amber color with a thin tan head
S: bourbon
T: a mix of whiskey and malt, no hops
F: good tongue coating and mouthfeel
O: good winter sipper
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
L: cloudy Amber color with a thin tan head
S: bourbon
T: a mix of whiskey and malt, no hops
F: good tongue coating and mouthfeel
O: good winter sipper
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4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.03/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle - $3.25 at Tasty Beverage Company in Asheville, North Carolina.
2015 Vintage (these 12 oz. bottles list the ABV as being 9.8%).
Appearance: Pours a muddled-looking mahogany-hued body with an inch of receding off-white froth. Just a meager bit of lacing on the way down.
Smell: An oaken, tobacco-hinting scent, then, some toasted bread and lightly toasted ground nuts and chopped dried fruits glazed with an altogether sticky, sweet-scented dark caramel and dotted with a little orange liqueur.
Taste: Chewy caramel squares with toffee candy and dark toasted breadcrusts, and, just when it seems a little sweet, you're hit with a blisteringly quick shot of Cointreau giving some fast heat and bitterish citrus flavor to temper it. Woodsy oakensheilds, loose tobacco. Dried stone fruits and more of that cutting citrus. Warming, bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Rather smooth, tongue-coating mouthfeel.
Overall: Sweet, luscious and delightfully warming, this. It would fit this Christmas Day in Georgia perfectly if it wasn't so unseasonably warm at a tepid 70 degrees.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle - $3.25 at Tasty Beverage Company in Asheville, North Carolina.
2015 Vintage (these 12 oz. bottles list the ABV as being 9.8%).
Appearance: Pours a muddled-looking mahogany-hued body with an inch of receding off-white froth. Just a meager bit of lacing on the way down.
Smell: An oaken, tobacco-hinting scent, then, some toasted bread and lightly toasted ground nuts and chopped dried fruits glazed with an altogether sticky, sweet-scented dark caramel and dotted with a little orange liqueur.
Taste: Chewy caramel squares with toffee candy and dark toasted breadcrusts, and, just when it seems a little sweet, you're hit with a blisteringly quick shot of Cointreau giving some fast heat and bitterish citrus flavor to temper it. Woodsy oakensheilds, loose tobacco. Dried stone fruits and more of that cutting citrus. Warming, bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Rather smooth, tongue-coating mouthfeel.
Overall: Sweet, luscious and delightfully warming, this. It would fit this Christmas Day in Georgia perfectly if it wasn't so unseasonably warm at a tepid 70 degrees.
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4.44/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Haw River teku pint. Label says 2015.
A- Pours a light brown color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half sheet of sheer surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves large clots behind.
S- Big oak nose that's boozy and borderline astringent but has enough complexity to be somewhat pleasant.
T- And the flavor delivers awesomeness. Great bourbon character with some vanilla sweetness and oak tones. Not nearly as boozy as the aroma lets on. There's a bit of the astringency noted in the aroma but only in the aftertaste. Notes of dark fruit, raisin and marshmallow.
M- Creamy and slick with medium carbonation and a body leaning toward the fuller side.
O- Really good stuff. Don't pass this up if you see it because it'll only be around a limited time.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Haw River teku pint. Label says 2015.
A- Pours a light brown color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half sheet of sheer surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves large clots behind.
S- Big oak nose that's boozy and borderline astringent but has enough complexity to be somewhat pleasant.
T- And the flavor delivers awesomeness. Great bourbon character with some vanilla sweetness and oak tones. Not nearly as boozy as the aroma lets on. There's a bit of the astringency noted in the aroma but only in the aftertaste. Notes of dark fruit, raisin and marshmallow.
M- Creamy and slick with medium carbonation and a body leaning toward the fuller side.
O- Really good stuff. Don't pass this up if you see it because it'll only be around a limited time.
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4.5/5 rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I am drinking the 2015 vintage from a bottle poured into a snifter.
L: A dense, slightly murky brown pour with a light red tint kicks up a ½” cream colored foam cap that recedes moderately fast.
S: Dark dried fruit aromas joined by brown sugar, light toast, toasted nuts, lightly toasted malts. Yeast driven fruit aromas are moderate and hop aromas are moderately low.
T: Fruit, stone fruit, alcohol, dried fruit, a trace of citrus leaning towards orange, roasted nuts and light toast, some mild spice and a finishing bitterness. The fruit is medium high, the alcohol is medium, the bitterness is medium and the malt is medium to medium high. Has a little nutty oak character.
F: Full body, medium low carbonation, mild warming.
O: Very nice complex and layered flavors with a mixed drink character.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I am drinking the 2015 vintage from a bottle poured into a snifter.
L: A dense, slightly murky brown pour with a light red tint kicks up a ½” cream colored foam cap that recedes moderately fast.
S: Dark dried fruit aromas joined by brown sugar, light toast, toasted nuts, lightly toasted malts. Yeast driven fruit aromas are moderate and hop aromas are moderately low.
T: Fruit, stone fruit, alcohol, dried fruit, a trace of citrus leaning towards orange, roasted nuts and light toast, some mild spice and a finishing bitterness. The fruit is medium high, the alcohol is medium, the bitterness is medium and the malt is medium to medium high. Has a little nutty oak character.
F: Full body, medium low carbonation, mild warming.
O: Very nice complex and layered flavors with a mixed drink character.
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4.15/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. 2015 version.
A - Somewhat dense brown with ruby highlights. Little to no head.
S - Vanilla, oak, bourbon.
T - Warming,yes. In line with the nose, with some mild spice and pepper.
M - Carbonation low. Mouthfeel is coating, but on the lighter side, with a touch of stickiness as it warms.
O - A tasty Ashville offering, especially for bba fans.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. 2015 version.
A - Somewhat dense brown with ruby highlights. Little to no head.
S - Vanilla, oak, bourbon.
T - Warming,yes. In line with the nose, with some mild spice and pepper.
M - Carbonation low. Mouthfeel is coating, but on the lighter side, with a touch of stickiness as it warms.
O - A tasty Ashville offering, especially for bba fans.
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4.28/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours into the glass with a languid fullness that reinforces the heft of this beer. This is a beer that demands respect and the bourbon aroma has a delicate presence. Full and heavy on the palate, this beer delivers on its promise. Hail to the King!
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours into the glass with a languid fullness that reinforces the heft of this beer. This is a beer that demands respect and the bourbon aroma has a delicate presence. Full and heavy on the palate, this beer delivers on its promise. Hail to the King!
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4.5/5 rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.16/5 rDev -22%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
750mL bottle from Bruisin Ales (Asheville, NC). 21.99. 2014 vintage. Served in a Barrel and Barley teku.
Pours a brilliant chestnut with three fingers ecrue head. The foam fades to a partial ring around the edges, leaving a few tiny dots of lace behind. A gentle swirl revives a thin layer of froth but with no better retention.
The nose is a bit muted but pleasant enough. Notes of toffee, soft oaky bourbon and vague vanilla.
Flavor is slightly more lively than the aroma. Toffee, burnt caramel, cereal grains, vegital bitterness, grape skins, wet oak, bourbon, leather, char and a much stronger alcohol presence than expected. Hot, bitter and not terribly flavorful.
Oily, slick medium full feel with light carbonation. Caramel, strangely bitter earthy oak and grains in the finish.
Holly King is not bad but for my tastes was underwhelming and overpriced.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
750mL bottle from Bruisin Ales (Asheville, NC). 21.99. 2014 vintage. Served in a Barrel and Barley teku.
Pours a brilliant chestnut with three fingers ecrue head. The foam fades to a partial ring around the edges, leaving a few tiny dots of lace behind. A gentle swirl revives a thin layer of froth but with no better retention.
The nose is a bit muted but pleasant enough. Notes of toffee, soft oaky bourbon and vague vanilla.
Flavor is slightly more lively than the aroma. Toffee, burnt caramel, cereal grains, vegital bitterness, grape skins, wet oak, bourbon, leather, char and a much stronger alcohol presence than expected. Hot, bitter and not terribly flavorful.
Oily, slick medium full feel with light carbonation. Caramel, strangely bitter earthy oak and grains in the finish.
Holly King is not bad but for my tastes was underwhelming and overpriced.
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Green Man Holly King from Green Man Brewery
4.05
out of 5
based on 58 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
7/3/17 draft @ Green Man (Green Mansion)
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