Xenophon's Wine
De Struise Brouwers

On tap at Ebs. Bubbly head that fizzles away. Caramel brown color.

Nail polish remover, figs, brown sugar, cocoa, molasses, prunes. Kind of boozey. Bourbon kick in the finish. I think this is a pretty old beer. Likely past it’s prime.

A bad foam it dissap the foam disappears immediately. the beer is sweet, with a little sourness. the beer is quite thin but very phenolic from the bourbon barrel aging. no added value in my opinion

 

 

 

 

Mid. 2013 Rating.

33 cl. bottle sampled. BBF 03/2013. 2009 Vintage? Surprise to come across this figured these were gone for good & were not bound to cross my path. Thanks for opening this one. Pours a hazy dark amber with little tanned head. Nose reveals total and complete oxidation in the best way imaginable. Pure sherry, thick caramel and walnuts, sweet toffee,… beautiful. Taste is still very good but doesn’t trump the nose. Surprisingly bitter with lots of herbs followed by the oxidation notes sherry, toffee, walnuts, caramel, pumpernickel bread, the very bitter herbs are a defining characteristic upfront and in the lingering finish. Rich oxidized, old barleywine body. Has held up nicely but I suppose any further aging is not bound to improve it from this point on.

 

Thanks to Alex for sharing this one. Poured into Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a brownish/red, big cream-colored head, thin cap, thick collar, spotty lacing.

S - Fruity, cherries, burnt sugars, oak. A nice nose, overall. The cherries and oak are right up front and enjoyable.

T - Dark fruit, oaky, cherries. The finish is where this beer turns for the worst. Finishes harsh, horrid, cheesy, rotten fruit.

M - Medium, good carbonation, oaky finish.

O - A good beer with a horrible finish, which turns this one to average, at best. Not sure what the heck was going on there, but besides the finish, it was good. Can't recommend.

Bottle courtesy of Urbain. Best before March 2013. Served in a Närke tulip.

A - Big, creamy, off-white foam with good retention and splotchy glass-coating lace. Dark brown-red body with a nice glow to it. Not sure what else you want from an 11% barleywine.

S - Aroma of cherries, red licorice, other dark fruits, oak, light oxidation, toasted grains, vanilla, and brown sugar. Hop presence is unsurprisingly minimal after two and a half years in the bottle.

T - Taste starts off with typical sweet barleywine note of sugar and caramel, but quickly devolves into a strange, astringent blend of harsh oak, alcohol, alpha acids, bitter herbs, and ash that overpowers any of the redeeming flavors.

M - Tannic, dry, and oaky. Medium in body, with surprisingly active carbonation. Some mild alcohol warmth, with a vague mineral water quality to it as well.

D - Started of promising, but was eventually a huge disappointment. The finish was so unpleasant that there was no overcoming it - both Sean and I ended up giving up after valiantly trying to finish our pours. I'm guessing this has aged poorly, as there haven't been any reviews in almost a year (on either site) and previous feedback was fairly positive.

A collaberative brew between Struise and Pipework's, an upcoming brewery in Chicago. The beer poured redish amber with an off white medium sized head. The aroma had some very present hop notes, citrus and a touch of wood. The taste was strong citrus, piney hops but with a nice malt character as well. The taste is a bit hot alcohol but drinks very well.