Hell On Wood
DuClaw Brewing Company

 

 

12oz bottle poured into a tulip
Bottles on 2/14/16

A- pours a clear, deep amber color with a ruby hue, one-finger foamy off-white head reduces to a ring around the edge

S- faded citrus and piney hops, orange zest, caramel, fruit cake, brown bread, toffee, oaky bourbon , cherries

T- orange marmalade and citrus zest up front, followed by sweet malty notes of caramel, fruit bread and toffee. Mid-palate starts to bring out some oaky bourbon notes, which adds a hint of vanilla. The finish gives more bourbon, caramel and some oxidized hops

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a slightly warming finish

O- this one has well up quite well. Zesty citrus hops still sticking around with some nice barrel notes

Thanks to DonnieT79 for this one, from NBS BIF #11. 12oz can, dated 2/21/19, poured into 14oz teku. poured a lightly murky dark mahogany color with 1-1/2 inches of tan head that had great retention and lacing.

Semi-sweet malts at the front of the nose, with some wood and bourbon in the background.

Pretty similar on the tongue, just better expanded. The malts still dominate, and a touch of hops show through, then the barrel aspects round things off nicely at the finish.

The body was a touch lighter than I anticipated, but was smooth, held great carbonation throughout the pour, and had a medium finish. Much drier than i expected.

Drinkability was great, I would drink a lot of this if it were local to me.

Overall, an excellent example of the style. A must-try for most beer drinkers, and an absolute must-try for fans of the style. Great beer.

Nice dark ruby color but quite a bit of sediment in the pour. Booze on the nose. Lots of dry citrus and sweet undertones. Earth and alcohol in the finish. Rather inexpensive for a reasonable entry into the barleywine category.

 

 

 

Best served not too cold. You can smell this was aged in bourbon barrells. Cloudy appearance. I'm not the spice that others have mentioned. At first the 13% alcohol is present but fades with suseqent sips. I label this a "blizzard" beer (keeps you warm while watching a snowstorm outside). I always have a case in my basement for the winter. Excellent take on the style!

 

Great local beer!

 

 

Damn - it’s spicy! Lots of peppery rye spice, followed by some soothing plum and orange marmalade. The prickly, spicy feel keeps this from becoming too sweet, but also stops it just short of feeling luxurious. A livelier brew than I expected given the abv, with bright fruit flavors like lemon continuing to pop out. Some fig and vanilla on the finish. Pretty tasty and drinkable.

 

The first thing I got when I popped the top was ripe, succulent cherries and rich toffee. The pour reveals a hazy brown beer that has a foamy tan head that dissipates relatively quickly, and has that “sizzle” sound as it does so akin to a sour.

So I’m thinking a barleywine sour. That’s logical.

The nose after the pour has ripe fruit and toffee aromas, and there’s also a significant boozy note. Maybe Brian did send me a canned Utopias.

The taste is led by ripe cherries that are a bit sour, but not “a” sour, and the toffee flavor is staking out significant territory in this beer. The booze is not nearly as significant on the taste as it was on the nose, so I guess my canned Utopias theorem has been scuttled. Crap.

Did I mention I’m doing this live without a net? It helps the beer warm and release the flavors.

I know this, because I’m a true professional.

The more I taste and savor this, the more I think it’s a heavily hopped barleywine. The fruit is really forward, but the toffee notes are equally formidable. I’m saying this is an 11%-12% barleywine, and I’d rate it in the 4.25 range.

 

 

 

Bottled on 2/14/14. Dark basement kept undisturbed. 50*F into a pint with sediment left in the 12oz bottle. Mild carbonation and very slight haze. Insignificant head with some lacing. Deep amber color. Smell is sweet caramel.

This one has improved over the years. Unfortunately, it's only improved to "ok". Too sweet for a 4yo "English".

This strong bourbon barrel aged barleywine does the job allright;
Dark amber colour, no head
Bourbon brings some vanilla and coconuts.
Big toffee and big big boozy presence

Pours a dark amber brown color that is turbid, yet clears up, visible carbonation and floating sediment. Luscious looking foamy head, retains well and yields a creamy film and lace.
Complex bouquet of aromas that open with citrus and followed by dark fruit, vinous grape, raisins and plum. Lots of caramel and maple syrup sweetness, as well as a strong biscuity malt aroma that evokes a sense of sticky ness. The bourbon barrel emits an oaky and vanilla like aroma, yet, it’s not so boozy.
The taste, on the other hand, does open up with a moderate alcohol, bourbon like, burn that is lightly spicy and smoky. Sweet flavors evoke caramel, maple syrup, vanilla, raisin, brown sugar, molasses, and chewy sticky malt. As boozy as this one starts off, it settles quite nicely midway, and highlights other flavors. In particular, some mild hops bitterness begins to develop, along with a grapefruit rind finish. Vinous flavors develop, evoking a full bodied red wine, grapes, plum and figs.
Full bodied with a moderate carbonation. Once the alcohol spice and burn mellows out, this one evolves from a supper to a dangerously drinkable brew.
A big complex brew all around. A nice Barleywine to knock back and a bargain at $3 for the bottle.

Appearance - The beer poured a fuzzy copper color with an off-white head.

Smell - The nose brought to mind boozy apricots.

Taste - At the front, I noted a very fruity boozy presence. Notes of fruit cocktail, apricots, raisins, and nutty wood with drier hints at the finish. The beer is quite sweet, but not overly cloying.

Mouthfeel - The sticky booze clung to all parts of the mouth. There was definite viscosity.

Overall - Perhaps some age will mellow the sweetness. The beer drinks more like an English barleywine than an American barleywine.

 

 

 

 

I like the idea of this brew better than I like the brew itself. Pours nice pretty Amber color like caramel. Smells sweet and almost like malt liquor. Taste is not as quenching as other barrel aged brews. In fact it's really dry and flavor of bourbon sweetens it. Overall I expected more but wtf would cares it's 13% let's get [email protected](€ed up

Another DuClaw, another fantastic brew...

I really like this brewer. Anytime I can pull something new I never hesitate and I am so glad I pulled this off the shelf recently. What I find most amazing about this beer is that even at 13% ABV - you don't really smell it, you sorta taste it - both qualities being as such are a rarity, at least for me - yet, you definitely "feel" it as you partake and enjoy. I found it to be sweet to the nose, smooth and creamy on the tongue, and full of the distinct bourbon flavor you would expect. I dinged it on taste a bit since it had a tinny finish, but otherwise it was very good. I would definitely look for another one to age for a year or so and will be on the lookout for such moving forward.

2018 Draught Subtle citrus, minimal oak with lingering anise.