Wartmann's - No. 1 Barley Wine
Brauhaus Sternen AG
- From:
- Brauhaus Sternen AG
- Switzerland
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 9.5%
- Score:
- +6 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.33 | pDev: 18.92%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Apr 19, 2014
- Added:
- Aug 07, 2009
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
3.57/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.57/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Acquired in the "Drinks of the World" store in Hauptbahnhof, Zürich, Switzerland, on 18th June, 2011. The label displays an ABV of "9-10%". I shit you not. .33cl bottle is accompanied by a hanging minibooklet that talks about the beer and the brewery, but it's all in Swerman (Swiss-German). Price was exorbitant, even by Swiss standards.
Poured into a Guinness brewhouse series true imperial pint (500ml) glass in Belfort, France, at me friend's gaff. Reviewed live. Bottle is green, but a classy cautious dark green, bearing no resemblance to the throwaway bright green heineken bottles. I don't suspect sun damage is a problem.
A: Half finger head of slight cream, decent thickness, and laughable retention - even for the high ABV. Colour is an appealing hazy dark copper with a sort of yeasty dust devil trailing about the bottom.
Sm: Smell is strong: yeast, fermented sugar (and maybe some unfermented - uh oh), caramelized malt, and perchance some fringe light fruit esters buried. Me broken nose can't do much better than that, but I do note a lack of hops coming through in the scent. Me companion notes a pineapply scent; when I look for it I find it. It's actually somewhere between proper pineapple and tepache, but without the bitterness of the latter.
T: The caramelized malt starts on the open and glides nicely along until soaring upwards on the climax - a pleasant and unexpected effect. The sugars are handled in a layered fashion, which I don't know I've experienced before: though some are unfermented, they complement the fermented sugars; both are tamed by the alcohol to prevent excessive sweetness (the usual pitfall of the presence of unfermented sugars).
On the fringes, and I suppose more towards the latter act of the beer, lay the light fruit esters abovementioned. They lend a fullness to the foundation but don't contribute to the climax. I suppose they act as a sort of a bookend to the flavours.
The alcohol doesn't come through negatively except for a brief spot right after the midpoint but before the climax. It's a bit unwelcome, but doesn't distract too much.
It's balanced, more complex than expected, and typically built for the style. It's got an unexpected subtlety, and I quite fancy it for that. My main problem is some sugary sweetness on the finish, perchance the undesirable result of the unfermented sugars acting out. The brewer'd do well to tame them, but that doesn't mean just fermenting them - the beer might be spoiled with more alcohol (or perhaps more accurately, more alcoholic presence). Surprisingly, the yeast doesn't come through in the taste in spite of its apparent visibility. Ah well, more nutrients for me. Just drinking for me health - you understand.
Mf: Smooth and wet, but not overly so. Complements the flavours of the body, though I'd like for the finish to be a bit slicker to curb that dreadful sweetness. All around, it's fair play.
Dr: High ABV, good quality in spite of its flaws, and wretchedly priced. It makes a great afternoon sipper if you've got the bank for it. You may not take too kindly to its sugar layering at first, but you do get used to it.
Jun 20, 2011Poured into a Guinness brewhouse series true imperial pint (500ml) glass in Belfort, France, at me friend's gaff. Reviewed live. Bottle is green, but a classy cautious dark green, bearing no resemblance to the throwaway bright green heineken bottles. I don't suspect sun damage is a problem.
A: Half finger head of slight cream, decent thickness, and laughable retention - even for the high ABV. Colour is an appealing hazy dark copper with a sort of yeasty dust devil trailing about the bottom.
Sm: Smell is strong: yeast, fermented sugar (and maybe some unfermented - uh oh), caramelized malt, and perchance some fringe light fruit esters buried. Me broken nose can't do much better than that, but I do note a lack of hops coming through in the scent. Me companion notes a pineapply scent; when I look for it I find it. It's actually somewhere between proper pineapple and tepache, but without the bitterness of the latter.
T: The caramelized malt starts on the open and glides nicely along until soaring upwards on the climax - a pleasant and unexpected effect. The sugars are handled in a layered fashion, which I don't know I've experienced before: though some are unfermented, they complement the fermented sugars; both are tamed by the alcohol to prevent excessive sweetness (the usual pitfall of the presence of unfermented sugars).
On the fringes, and I suppose more towards the latter act of the beer, lay the light fruit esters abovementioned. They lend a fullness to the foundation but don't contribute to the climax. I suppose they act as a sort of a bookend to the flavours.
The alcohol doesn't come through negatively except for a brief spot right after the midpoint but before the climax. It's a bit unwelcome, but doesn't distract too much.
It's balanced, more complex than expected, and typically built for the style. It's got an unexpected subtlety, and I quite fancy it for that. My main problem is some sugary sweetness on the finish, perchance the undesirable result of the unfermented sugars acting out. The brewer'd do well to tame them, but that doesn't mean just fermenting them - the beer might be spoiled with more alcohol (or perhaps more accurately, more alcoholic presence). Surprisingly, the yeast doesn't come through in the taste in spite of its apparent visibility. Ah well, more nutrients for me. Just drinking for me health - you understand.
Mf: Smooth and wet, but not overly so. Complements the flavours of the body, though I'd like for the finish to be a bit slicker to curb that dreadful sweetness. All around, it's fair play.
Dr: High ABV, good quality in spite of its flaws, and wretchedly priced. It makes a great afternoon sipper if you've got the bank for it. You may not take too kindly to its sugar layering at first, but you do get used to it.
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