Little Barley Session Ale
Barley John's Brew Pub

Huge lack of flavor in this one. I get that it is a session ale, but the hop profile is minimal and it is grainy. Some very light floral and citrus notes but that's it. Very mediocre.

 

16 oz. can. Hazy deep orange. Smells of bready malts, some floral hops, and a little citrus. Tastes of fruity and bready malt. A touch floral again. Light grapefruit bitterness. Medium light. Not bad for an American bitter.

 

Slightly hazy copper colored with a thin white frothy head that lasted a short while. The flavor is very malt forward with hardly any hops. Crisp feel and goes down easy.

 

Clear golden amber with moderate carbonation and a 1 inch slightly off-white creamy head, receding fairly quickly, leaving nice lacing. Sweet malty aroma, a bit of a surprise for a session ale. Nice mouth feel - not watery, substantial (for the style). Very mild taste with only slight bittering in the finish. Balanced, but perhaps a bit low on the hops presence (again, not typical for an American session ale.) I enjoyed it, but it could use just a bit more bittering in the finish. Easy drinking, like and English pub ale. Most definitely NOT an American hop water of a session ale. This one has some backbone, some mouth feel. Pleasant and enjoyable. Could use a bit more hops, but otherwise, a good summer beer.

 

Slight creaminess, slight bitterness, easy drinking and very pleasant. Well balanced. While classed as an APA it could, kind of, pass for an English bitter too - at least in the Boddington's style, but better!

This is my first barley johns, despite living 10 miles from the original place for a decade.

Pours a golden amber with very thin lacy head that quickly dissipates. First taste and nose are almost adjunct. Toasty. Corn. Earthy. Clean mouth feel. Not heavily carbonated but a nice finish. Bright almost.

A very decent beer that I think is very Minnesotan. Would be more than happy if I or a buddy brewed it. Happy to receive it, wouldn't reach over some EPA to buy it.

(Re-review 2/23/17, original score 3.75)

This beer pours a hazy dark orange color. The head is a half inch in height, and recedes slowly leaving a nice cap of foam. The aroma is floral with dandelions, clovers and chrysanthemum. There is also a vibrant blood orange note. The taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some bready malt tones. The mouthfeel is remarkably medium bodied for such a low ABV beer. The texture is velvety, and the carbonation is mild (which I prefer in a session ale). Overall, I like this beer quite a bit, and would gladly drink it again.