Tectonic Barleywine
Devils Backbone Brewing Company

 

On draft in 10 oz glass

Clear dark amber in color, off white colored head. Very boozy aroma. Taste is fairly boozy and hot too. Malty, toffee flavor. Thinner bodied.

On tap.

A - Caramel Amber color with thick creamy colored lacing.

S - Toasted caramel sweetness, and booze.

T - Toasted caramel, pine finish, and a whole lot moodiness.

M - Full bodied, viscous, lip smacking sticky.

O - Very one dimensional for a barley, not much complexity or personality.

 

 

 

 

Pours a copper color with over a finger of head. The nose is mildly bready. The flavor starts sweet and then turns dry by the finish.

It appears that the brewer tried to split the difference between English and American styles. They ended up with a mediocre 'tweener.

 

 

 

Rereviewed on Feb 26, 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

32oz growler. Pours a deep ruddy amber with a ½ finger of rich off-white head. Robust ringing that leaves sticky swathes of lacing behind. Fruit jumps out in the aroma, both of the dark variety and then some more ripe and fleshy tones as well. Plenty of roasty and sticky brown sugar character is present as well, along with a good bit of sweetness and spice from the alcohol. Like the nose, fruit stands out in the taste as well but is equally matched by sticky notes of toffee and brown sugar. Citric hops stretch down the center of the profile with an earthy bitterness. The high alcohol adds a bold sweet spiciness to this. Finishes dry and bitter with some lingering warm spice. The mouthfeel is full with a prickly feel to the carbonation on the tongue. I wouldn’t say that this is overly hot but the alcohol definitely has a big presence in this, combining with those still rather potent hops to give this some aggressive and sharp edges that could honestly use a little age to help knock off. There is a decent amount of flavor here but the ABV does hold this back some.

 

Served in a Devil's Backbone goblet/snifter.

A pleasant surprise amidst the more summer-inclined offerings. It pours a clear cooper-amber topped by a half-finger of whitish foam. The nose comprises caramel, biscuits, maple syrup, and a ricochet of honey. The taste is very similar, though the biscuits were eaten by the dog before they could hit the table, the honey is a tad more pronounced, and a rather subtle bitterness is achieved. The body is a decided medium, with low carbonation and a feel that approaches chewiness. Overall, a solid barleywine, but something's missing. I think it's more of a commitment to either a solid hoppiness or a strong maltiness. The dithering weakens things, but not to the point of collapse: it's still pretty good.