Road Kill Barleywine Style Ale
Sweetwater Tavern

Pours a dark color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has malt and fruit hints
The taste follows the nose with malt and fruit flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent Barleywine

On draft, served in shaker pint glass.

Clear dark amber color, white head. Good lacing. this is old school American microbrew barleywine - starts with sweet caramel malt, finishes with underlying earthy bitter hops. A little bit of a sticky mouthfeel

On tap:
Lovely Amber with tons of lacing on a long-sustaining off white head.

Nose caramel, burnt sugar, and a tingling of alcohol.

Taste is decent cold, but warmth brings out a fusel alcohol burn that affects the feel a little more than the taste. Similar to nose, burnt caramel, dark sugar sweetness. Very malty brew, doesn't attempt to bring much bitterness to the party. Rum soaked white raisins is one impression I get. I assumed this would tend English (vice American) and I think that's true.

Little sticky and an unhealthy burn when the alcohol flares up. As I write it seems more subdued again.

A little too much power of alcohol, intentional or not. A decently malty brew, though and I wavered between enjoyable and debateable.

 

 

served on-tap at the RFD Strong Ale Tasting on 2/26/12. review from notes.

A: hazy. brownish red hue.
S: barnyard and horsehair aromas start things off. nice fruity notes. sour cherries.
T: pears. bananas. barn stall. the tart flavor dries out the body and makes it the most refreshing brew in the Tasting.
M: little bit more on the zesty side. medium body.
D: pretty unique brew here. some kind of souring agent adds a layer of complexity to what seems like a pretty average american barley.

A: This poured clear copper with a bit of light tan head.
S: It smelled like faint caramel and orange hops, with some roasted barley and a bit of vanilla.
T: It tasted like sweet caramel and sugared figs, followed by sharp citrus and a bit of vanilla. It had a strong bitter but clean aftertaste.
M: It was somewhat thick with moderate carbonation. Decent body.
D: This was a nicely balanced and tasty barleywine, with sweet and bitter elements. The scent was faint, but the flavor was strong, and it had nice body. It wasn't too hot either, but the lingering bitterness was a bit harsh, which made this not as easy to drink. Ultimately, this is a good average barleywine, with nothing terribly wrong with it, but also nothing unique or interesting about it.

On tap @ Sweetwater Sterling on 2/12/11. Served in a *sigh* pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a thin frothy covering of eggshell-white head. This retains with some richness, leaving back foamy lacing that quickly slides down the sides of the glass. Over ripened fruit jumps right out in the aroma and is quickly followed by smooth smelling notes of buttered toast, creamy toffee, and some light herbal hops. Surprisingly, there are no alcohol notes coming out of this at all.

The taste has a thick malt presence, with notes of sweet caramel, butter, and biscuits. As this warms a bit more complexity, in the form of some brown sugar and ripe fruit character, starts to emerge as well. Some more dark roasted tones hang on the edges of the profile while hops add a touch of a bitter punch to this. Just a bit of a sweet alcohol presence is here as well. The finish is mostly some lingering notes of sugars, roast, and citrus. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied, with a sharper feeling carbonation that fills up the mouth but then gets a little thicker and chewier underneath. This is mostly sharp the whole way through though and does seem a bit over carbonated at times. I will say that the alcohol is well hid and is an overall smooth sipper for nearly 9%.

This is a better than average Barleywine that seemed to run along more on the English side of things, but I wish that the aroma has given up a bit more (who knows, maybe actually serving this in a snifter or tulip would have helped) and that feel was just a little too prickly for the flavors that were present. This was pretty smooth and easy drinking for the size and it's one of the better ones that I've had from the Sweetwater chain.

Clear bright copper color with a moderate beige/tan head. Nice hoppy, spicy malt, light fruitiness and light alcohol aroma; hop aroma falls off a bit over time. Nicely balanced malt and hop profile but lightly sweet and alcohol driven; pretty hoppy comparatively and the hops continue through on the finish. Full-medium bodied with a lightly sweet finish and some noticeable alcohol character.

Note: This review was based on a growler from the Centreville, VA location.

Dark reddish color body with a light tan head that left some dustings of lace around the glass. Aroma is strong with ripe fruit sweetness and some light alcohol. As it warms a little the sweetness starts to get cloying and almost artificial. Flavor is similar with ripe fruit and alcohol being dominant. The syrupy sweetness gets stronger as this warmed and really drowned out much else besides a lightly bitter hoppiness. Too unbalanced on the sweetness all around. It was quite thick and smooth at first but the sticky sweetness started detracting and lingered a bit too long. I finished the growler though I wouldn’t have this again unless they change the recipe.