Seven Mules Kick Ass Ale
Mishawaka Brewing Company

 

 

As stated in other reviews, the label is not very descriptive therefore I had NO IDEA what I was getting when I opened this. The pour was exactly what one would expect from a barley-wine however, i had no idea that I was pouring a barley-wine so I was a bit disappointed at first.

After the first smell & taste and discovery of the nature I was very pleased. Note: this is high ABV but very drinkable. be careful.

Pours a .25 finger head that appears 30 seconds after I poured the beer. I though it had gone flat, but a head does appear and leaves a modest lace. Color is a light mahogany-brown is either unfiltered or had yeast added for bottle conditioning.

A cocktail of dried fruit sums up the nose for me.

Huh, not as huge as you would think. Containing a soft maltiness that seems downplayed for the style , the nougat taste is subtle and is preceded by a sweet caramel. Hops are also low played, like lemon juice and water. The high abv % is all but non-existent. My only qualm is that this beer, for the style, lacks much flavor, either for better or for worse.

Thin and oily. Carbonation is low, though the yeast inside looks pretty done. No 'bottled on' date.

Lackluster and middle-of-the-road, this one is pretty drinkable and for the high abv% I consider that a bad thing. I'm half way done after 5 minutes and am already tipsy. I was looking forward to reviewing more brews!

This unlabeled barleywine (the bottle had no clue as to the style or strong 10% alcohol content) pours a cloudy golden with no lacing whatsoever. Nose is hoppy, strong, and bold. The flavor is similar, with the hops profile dominating. The bottle's proclamation "We will kick your ASS!" is charming (and truthful). A strong alcohol sting arrives at the finish, letting you know you're in for a ride. Interesting and tasty.

Got this one from Local BIF 3 a long time ago. Finally getting around to it. Has a label with a warning sign on it: Warning! We will kick your ASS! Classy... Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a Darkness snifter.

A: Extended pour yields a .5 finger coarse white head that's comprised of big bubbles that dissipates quickly. Beer is a nice, clear orange. Lacing is slightly stringy and spotty with some thin legs and decent cling.

S: Nose is gentle but surprisingly fruity given the style. Appropriate caramel and brown sugar comes through as well as notes of apple, a slight bit of tree sap, and a hint of apple. Not the most aromatic but nothing offensive or out of place for the most part.

T: Opens malty with caramel, brown sugar, and maple syrup but bitters quickly. Predominantly pine and bark bitterness with a touch of lemon rind. Flavor fades out quickly and there's an awkward bit of fresh apple, grape, and citrus right at the end. Finishes scratchy bitterness and aftertaste is an astringent hoppiness.

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation. Little to no heat given the high ABV. slightly oily in the mouth but grainy for the most part. Finish is accented and aftertaste is sticky and filmy.

D: Pretty much what I expect from an American style barleywine. Rather hop forward with a brief malt presence upfront. I prefer my barleywines a bit on the rich and malty side so this fails slightly in the body and flavor. Not a bad beer though and very drinkable given the high ABV.

I found this single 12oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Plainfield, IL for $1.69. No information about the beer on the label and no freshness date either.

The beer poured a golden-bronze-orange color with a 1 finger white head that lasted a few minutes and left tons of nice lacing.

Big fruity smell - sort of pineappley, with noticeable malts and even some floral hops.

This is an extremely bitter and alcoholic beer. The fruits that I picked up in the nose are dwarfed by the bitterness and alcohol flavors. Some sweet caramel malt tries its best to break thru and add some balance, but the bitterness and high alcohol won't give in. More bitterness and more alcohol in the finish and aftertaste.

Medium body with a smooth and creamy texture. Medium high carbonation.

Too much alcohol flavor to enjoy more than one at a time. In fact, I'm not sure I enjoyed it that much at all.

Pours a cloudy bronze, with a thick, fluffy, white head that stays for a while.

Hops were the only scent my nose initially picked up.

Hops compeletely dominate the taste. Kind of a boring taste, with bitter from beginning thru the finish.

Some carbonation on the palate, but even that is overwhelmed by the bitter hops.

With such high alcohol and so much bitter, I didn't find this very drinkable...one was plenty.

12oz bottle picked up as a single as soon as this brewery hit my local stores shelves. no freshness information on it. drank from a tulip glass.

A- this one pours out a copperish colored body with a large bright white colored head on it. the head has poor retention and lacing.

S- sweet bready and caramel malts are the first thing that i could smell. after that comes a large dose of booze. some summer fruits like apple, pear and lemon come through as well. faint floral and pine hops.

T- the alcohol moves to the front in the taste. the sweet caramel and bready malts are also coming through pretty strong. the light summer fruits i could smell take a distant back seat here. a little bit of pine and floral hops at the end.

M- medium to full bodied with a carbonation level a little above what im used to.

D- decently cheap for the style/strength at 10$/sixer. not the best barleywine i have ever had. not by a long shot. probably wont pick this one up again.

Pours a hazy dark golden color. Light white head, some lacing. Nose is candy sugar and a bit of hops. Decent mouthfeel, builds out well. The flavors just never deliver. The webpage describes this as a summer barleywine...say what? A strong beer that lacks a defining charachter. No significant hop flavor, no significant malt flavor - more of a sugary stew.

Had this on tap last night at The Pub. Review from phone notes.

A- Pours semi-hazy amberish copper color. One finger off-white head that sticks around for a couple minutes. Big lacing everywhere with this beer.

S- Everything with the smell is muted for the most part with this one. Oddly the alcohol in this comes through with the most power. This is followed by some sweet (light bready with caramel overtones) malts along with light apple hint to it. In the back of the smell there is light citrus hops (lemony).

T- Bigger profile in the taste than the smell. Big sweet toffee malts come in the front. Along with that a light alcohol burn. The middle is overrun with a fruity taste that is not suppose to be there I think. Interesting but not really needed with this beer. There is a light hop in the tail end before the alcohol takes over and makes this a little unenjoyable.

M- Medium-heavy mouthfeel. This beer has good carbonation for the style. Sweet malts and a light alcohol presence in left on the palate and in the aftertaste with each sip. Very drying feeling in the mouth.

D- This is a interesting example of the style. I went and had another glass of it before switching to something a little less alcohol tasting. Worth a try.

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Vigorous pour results in a small off white head of large bubbles that quickly dissipates to some scattered bubbles. Cloudy, brownish amber color. Medicinal, alcoholic pinch hits first, followed by citrus hops and caramel. Medium thick body, slightly syrupy, very little carbonation. Flavor is balanced between caramel malty sweetness and citrus pulp hops, though the finish becomes slightly cloyingly sweet. Not a bad barleywine, but a little too sweet and medicinal tasting for me to enjoy.

Appearance: An eruption of foam upon opening and pours with a massive sea foam of a head; great retention and lace, but just way too much

Smell: There is some sweet malt that one would expect, but it battles with a tart lemon, green apple aroma that is way out of style

Taste: Like the aroma, the beer has a very odd flavor profile; starts out promising, with a nice toffee malt flavor that persists, but that is quickly overtaken by a tart lemon/green apple flavor; after the swallow, the tart flavors dominate to the beer's detriment

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with buoyant carbonation

Drinkability: Very unusual, and it is hard to imagine that this is what the brewer intended; the tartness renders it nearly undrinkable; the best part of the beer, sadly, is the label

Thanks, Wadsey, for the opportunity

Thanks to PHawk for knocking this one off my wants. It is from a homestate brewery so it was one I really wanted to try.

A: Pours a rather light hue of gold with a touch of murk to it. The head is almost a full one finger with good retention. Nice lace noted.

S: Rather mild aroma and what is there was not great. Hints of musty basement and wet cardboard with a touch of citrus hops thrown in.

T: I like the taste better than the aroma, but it's still nothing too great. Sweet malt up front with hints of caramel. Citrus pith and a bit of sugary sweetness in the finish.

M: Medium in body, somewhat smooth, with a somewhat dry finish.

D: Not bad, though this is not a Barleywine.

Pours a rather light copper color for a barley wine, with a nice little bit of head though, and almost no lacing. Very nice scent, it's fairly deep and has APA attributes as well, with a slightly citrus/floral undertone. Fantastic taste! A wonderful deep barley wine/malt flavor and feel, with a very nice American hop usage giving it a nice citrus/bitter aftertaste that's wonderful on the palatte. It's one of the smoothest and best hop/malt mixed American (or otherwise) Barley Wines I've ever had.

This beer will kick my ass. Says so on the label. Pardon me for being a little skeptical.

The beer poured a really surprisingly towering head. It never really dissipated through and through. The beer is a pale orange with a yellow in there as well.

The smell is a malty, yeasty combination of fruits such as peaches, apricots and apples. No discernable hop aroma.

The flavor hits a mild bitterness with an apple cider influence. There are hints of honey and field grass. The aftertaste has a good hop kick, but maintains its slight bitterness and comes in a little sour.

The feel is slightly watery and borderline astringent on the tongue.

The drink is smooth enough, and filling enough. Did it leave me wanting another? I will probably drink it again...sometime in my life. Did it kick my ass? Nah.

Presentation: Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into an Imperial pint glass. Label has a picture of (what else) seven mules and a small government-esque warning label: "Caution, We will kick your ASS!" No freshness date, but it really doesn't need one.

Appearance: Pours with just under one finger of nearly pure white head, impressive for a barleywine. This settles to the thinniest wisp of foam. The beer itself is honey orange, with just the slightest chill haze.

Smell: Strong sweet alcohol smell mixes with caramel and marshmallow malt aroma.

Taste: Strong caramel malt upfront, with a noticeable alcohol warming in the finish. Almost a toasty flavor. Bitter yet smooth hops throughout.

Mouthfeel: Average carbonation level, maybe a little low, but good for the style.

Drinkability:

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer is deeper shade of golden-orange, slightly hazy and has a thin, velvety looking head. The smell has lots of caramel malts, the hops really aren't coming through for me. The taste is a mixture of the same caramel malts mixed with a skunked flavor reminiscent of green-bottled Euro beer and a warm alcohol finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a thin yet creamy carbonation. Drinkability suffers due to the poor condition of this particular bottle. I'm sure that this is not how the beer was intended due to the massive lack of hops and the skunked flavor. Unfortunately this is the beer I have to rate; it would be interesting to try a "fresher" one.

Pours a slightly foggy golden color with a very attractive cream colored fluffy head. Plenty of lace left as the head settles down.

Smell is of pungent hops and caramel malt. Some sharp grapefruit and resin is mixed with caramel and syrup. Strong sweet floral notes blend with dank grains.

Taste is mostly smooth, with plenty of juicy hops and caramel malt. Grapefruit and pineapple ooze with a resinous back. Syrupy and slightly unbalanced, it finishes dry with a lot of resin.

Feel is medium to full bodied, a little chewy with the stickiness to it. Leaves a strong mouth coating.

Pretty good. I appreciate the abundant resin, but the overall balance suffers a little. High abv is deceiving, and as is warned on the bottle and the website, it kinda kicks your ass if you've not careful. Drinks pretty clean for a beer @ 10% abv.

From a bottle that I picked up to trade off and these are the rest of the 6 pack and poured into my snifter.

A - actually a pretty good looking barley wine. The color is a deep amber with a deep, bronze hues. Actually kinda hazy as well. On top there were mountains of creamy foam just hanging out and stuck around rather well throughout the brew.

S - The first smells that I picked up were hints of bubble gum and candied bananas. A rather sweet smelling brew and there also smells to be a light hint of orange as well mixed in with a slight hint of fresh bread.

T - at first this is rather sweet and almost taste like pure, pink bubble gum to me. After that there comes in a stronger, citrus taste which reminds me of a nice juicy orange; There also seems to bit of a lemon juice flavor that wells up in there sometimes as well and can even be a bit overwhelmeing as it can make you pucker. in here there is also a bit of the alcoholic taste that brings up a bit of the bitter aspect to counteract some of the sweetness.

MF - this is a nice thick and even a bit of a chewy brew. Can definitely tell that this one is sitting in your mouth and there is also a light amount of carbonation in there as well. Feels a bit like eating a piece of bread.

D - overall an okay barleywine that is rather simple and even sometimes seems a bit unbalanced as it seems a bit heavy on the alcoholic and citrus taste. Just expect a little more going on in such a big beer. However, it is easy to forget that this one is actually 10% as it comes through but not as much as you would think. After awhile the lemon aspect of this beer became a bit too much for me and I had trouble finishing it.