Stormwatcher's Winterfest
Pelican Pub & Brewery

Stormwatcher's WinterfestStormwatcher's Winterfest
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From:
Pelican Pub & Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
13%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 11.71%
Reviews:
91
Ratings:
188
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 06, 2020
Added:
Oct 12, 2003
Wants:
  129
Gots:
  44
32.1 degrees Plato
Alcohol: 13.0% by volume
Bitterness: 31 IBU
Color: 54 SRM
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.49/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
a truly stunning specimen here, really remarkable, i cant believe this isnt barrel aged, it has all the mellow richness and complexity of a barrel aged barleywine. its quite dark from the tap, past brown even to near black, massively deep and viscous, but holds a nice tan head pretty well, and looks lively for what it is. it immediately smells different to me, raisins and dried cherries, molasses and rum and maple syrup, coal and slate minerality, birch and hickory woodiness, chocolate and coffee, its all here, not even all the boozy in the nose, just a bit warm. sweet for sure, but also roasty and grounded and balanced, really compelling! sweet up front in the taste, brown sugar and long boiled grain richness, like this was cooked all day, bready and hearty, but also decadent. notes of root beer and vanilla come up, some light black pepper and anise spiciness, and enough round boozy sweet character to make it seem like it was aged in whiskey barrels. heavy date and fig and raisin, prune too, but less and less sugary as it moves along. light fusel alcohol, wet soil, and gorgeous grain richness to finish, i cannot believe how massive and complex yet how refined this is, really expert stuff, and one i had somehow never heard of before i had one. i would say this is the best beer i have ever had from pelican, and would choose it even over their most notable and famous offerings. this is special beer, one of a kind, cant wait to have more!
Jan 06, 2020
Photo of Oh_Dark_Star
Rated by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

1.41/5  rDev -65.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.5
Far too sweet! Drain pour.
May 09, 2019
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Opened a 2010 vintage next to a 2010 MoaS on 12/06/17. Was definitely a little faded but still very good; the MoaS was way better but that was to be expected. A lot of carbonation left and raisins, dark fruity malts, brown sugar, and toasted malts.

A good beer; would love to try it again soon fresh.
Jan 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.07/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Look: It pours very dark brown with a light brown head. Head retention is low. There are also legs evident.

Smell: It has a strong malt aroma featuring caramel, toffee, and sherry like notes. There are some light marmalade like notes and strong alcohol notes. There is also a bit of roast and toasty elements.

Taste: It is very malty rich with bread, dark caramel and molasses. There are some nutty elements and a slight musty element as well.

Feel: It is full bodied to the point of being chewy. It has a smooth alcohol warmth to it with low carbonation.

Overall, it is a strong alcohol display that highlights malty flavors from start to finish.
Oct 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Jul 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.29 by Kurmaraja from California

Mar 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by yeaprolly from Washington

Feb 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Jan 30, 2017
Photo of Drknight
Rated by Drknight from Virginia

4.26/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Dated 2009 - From the 'cellar' archives...
Jan 14, 2017
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Barley wine bottle share on 1/31. Reddish brown color with a little head. Aroma of malt, caramel and rye, sweetness and alcohol. Flavor of sweet malt, alcohol and caramel. Ends up bitter and with a nice warming finish from the alcohol.
Nov 07, 2016
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Picked up a 2014 bomber from the Belmont Station in late August for $14.55. Thrilled to try the base brew for MOAS!

Beer poured a deep mahogany brown with a very nice off white head on the initial pour.

Nose is dark fruits forward, very nice!

Taste is dark fruits and toffee finishing just a touch on the sweet side. Slight off taste in the finish that i cannot put my finger on.

Feel is full and very satisfying!

Overall not a bad beer but a tad bit too sweet for me. This brew could handle a bit more hopping and not get too far off point from the English BW style.
Nov 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by Mikexw from New York

Aug 22, 2016
Photo of Beerzebub
Reviewed by Beerzebub from California

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2009 bottle. Seems young for its age, a pleasant surprise; cellared properly since release, but I still expected that it might be over the hill. Pretty much archetypal English barleywine with some moderate aged character - caramelized malt, with dried fruit character along the lines of dates and raisins, a surprisingly good (while fully integrated) dose of spicy-grassy hops, with subtle black tea- and tobacco-like notes. A nice streak of freshness, and no overt oxidization; if anything this could have benefited from additional years in the cellar. Similar on the palate, fairly sweet but it works, with the caramelization/toastiness, slight savoriness, and slight remaining hop bitterness complementing and balancing the sugar. Explicit alcohol, but it works well with the beer's general profile and doesn't stick out. Silky texture with very tiny bubbles; really top notch in this regard. Not amazingly complex for an aged barleywine, but far from overly overly simple; solid, quite enjoyable.
Jul 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Jul 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.15 by deNerval from California

Mar 07, 2016
Photo of Kevlee722
Reviewed by Kevlee722 from Washington

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I know this beer is supposed to good, so I'm disappointed in this go round. It pored flat with smallest head, smell and taste were good. Figs, dark fruits, plums raisins, caramel and toffee. Hint of tobacco. Mouthful was sticky, full body, fair carbonation. This was a 2012 bottle opened 3/16. Perhaps my cellaring was subpar? Either way,good stuff but not amazing.
Mar 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by VictorsValiant from Oregon

Feb 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by mportnoy from Pennsylvania

Jan 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by CraftFan5 from New Jersey

Nov 23, 2015
Stormwatcher's Winterfest from Pelican Pub & Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 188 ratings