Cloud Nine Barleywine
Five Seasons North

 

Bottle courtesy of Crawford, poured into a snifter.

Pours a deep murky caramel brown with a short-lived off-white head that receded to a collar and leaves spotty lacing.

The aroma is fantastic and has tons of caramel, toffee, raisins and hints of booze. There is also some earthy tones and maybe some wood as well.

The taste is just as good, if not better. The backbone is sugary sweet with brown sugar and lots of caramel malts. The dark fruits come out in the middle before the earthy tones come back in the finish. The alcohol is present just enough to leave a little burn going down but not distracting in any way.

The mouthfeel is super smooth and dessert-like. It's got a minimal soft carbonation that helps lend this one to sipping.

Despite it being a sipper, I found myself getting through this bottle way too fast. A great barleywine.

22oz bottle acquired in trade.

Poured a deep amberish/orangish/brownish color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nutty, dark fruits, and a little woody and earthy. Tastes of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, lighter citrus, and lighter woodiness. Sweeter. Light to medium alcohol burn in the finish, but overall well hidden.

This is a hoppy barleywine, maybe one of the first of its kind. It is a reincarnation of the old Dogwood version. Gift of the brewer as it was no longer on tap.Looks, smells, tastes good and complex, though hops wear down the palate. Dangerously drinkable at 10% or so. FOr all of the above reasons, do share it.

750mL corked and caged, bottled at the brewpub. Big thanks to northyorksammy for hooking me up with this.
Really dark for a barleywine, nearly opaque brown with very nice ruby highlights. A thin cap formed, tawny brown, and settled to a collar. Spotty lacing. Rich malty aroma, lots of sweet caramel and toffee. Notes of alcohol, sherry, raisins, dried fruit, dry cocoa - definitely a barleywine. Low bitterness compared to the malt character. Sweet throughout, not cloying though, more caramel and toffee. Tasted like a fruit and nut candy bar (sort of), with definite fruit and chocolate flavours, a bit nutty too. Alcohol gave more of a warming sensation than any sort of defined flavour. Big toffee finish with lingering dried fruits. A hint of anise as it warmed. Low carbonation, full bodied without quite being heavy. Mild warmth, decent texture. Quite drinkable and very tasty. Certainly balanced more towards malt, but that's alright with me when it tastes this good.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, dark amber body with a bubbly, off-white head. Just look at those legs!

Smell: Rich, sweet-smelling creme caramel aroma with notes of cinnamon, fruit, and a distant, faroff earthiness.

Taste: Wonderfully malty. Dark caramel, brown sugar, and fresh cinnamon with a lush, dessert-like sweetness. Rum-soaked plum fruitiness. Hint of meadow flowers. The booze is masterfully hidden within the brew. A moderate, palate-scrubbing, earthy bitterness keeps the sweet in check. Drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Yes, sometimes twenty-two ounces of barleywine is something you need to knock out on your lunch hour - even at $20 a bottle.