King William Ale
Blue Star Brewing Company

 

4/15/18 - On tap at the brewery. Served in a globe chalice. Dark orange with little head and no lacing. Sweet aftertaste with more malt than hops taste. A nice, but not overwhelming barley wine “style” ale. Get some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted on tap in a tulip glass at Big Hops in San Antonio, TX.

A - Deep brown color with some red highlights. When held up to light it shows through in gold. Clear. Thin, off-white head but very impressive lacing.

S - Rich malt aromas. Brown sugar, plums, raisins. Earthy hops in background. Aromas are all somewhat muted.

T - Flavors are similar to aromas. Rich graham cracker; some molasses but no roasted flavors. Figs, prunes. Rum-like alcohol. Fairly sweet finish.

M - Thick body. Low but slightly creamy carbonation. Some alcohol burn. Mouthfeel is all appropriate for the flavors and aromas, which make me think of an English Barley Wine.

O - A very nice beer. I'd call it an English Barley Wine based on the flavors and aromas, but it is listed here as something else. I wonder if the recipe varies? Hits all the right notes for a malt-lover like me. My only wish is that the aromas "popped" a bit more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of all the beers I tried at Blue Star this was my favorite. It came in a goblet. It was a light straw color with an orange hue - so hazy I couldn't see through it. It had an off-white head 1/2inch thick that settled to a strong lacing and small patches of foam. The waitress and the Brewery list this as a barelywine style ale.

The aroma was not very strong. Some bready malts and hops.

The taste was smooth and laid back. The hops provided a nice bitterness and floral pale taste. The aftertaste was on the dry side. The malts added a slight bready sweetness to it.
Our waitress said it was high in alcohol - somewhere in the 9-12% range. If there was a high ABV I certainly couldn't taste it.
Overall it was not very flavor aggressive for a barleywine. Maybe the BA listing of American Strong Ale would be more fitting ... barelywine, strong ale, either way it was enjoyable.

On tap at the brewpub in San Antonio.

Pours a clear golden apricot amber orange color with light golden amber orange hues when held to a light source and a frothy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring.

Sweet malty aroma that isn't very leathery with a very prominent earthy hop presence and a touch of alcohol sweetness. Hints of pine needle and citrus fruit. Not the traditional aroma expected from a strong ale/barleywine but it's still nice and hoppy.

Medium bodied with a sweet caramel malt presence, a touch of alcohol warmth and a prominent dry earthy hop character. It does have some nice earthy pine hop flavor expected from an American Strog Ale/BW but none of the strong overpowering heat and leathery malt flavor. Decently balanced and pretty easy to drink. One of the better offerings I had at Blue Star.

On-tap the brewpub. In my eyes it's an English Barleywine.

Pours a slightly hazy deep copper color with a one-finger light tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of sweet caramel malts with good amounts of dried fruit - plums, raisins, and apricots. As it warms it becomes slightly more boozy but it's never overpowering.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Sticky and sweet caramel malt flavors kick things off with underlying toffee flavors. Midway through the sip dried fruit flavors make an appearance however they're not as bright as they are in the aroma. The ending is equal parts bitter and sweet.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another without much problem.

Overall I was impressed by this beer, easily the best of the bunch I had at Blue Star. Worth a shot if you see it on.

A: Pours a reddish/orange color. A small white head forms, and leaves some lace.
S: Citrus and piny hops at first. A malty sweetness comes out as this warms up. Some dark fruits as well. Very inviting.
T: This has excellent balance. Caramel malt and dark fruits. Citrus, floral, piny hops.
M/D: A medium to full body. Low carbonation and creamy. Easy and smooth to drink. This is a great beer to sip on.

This is a really good barleywine/strong ale. I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it.

Appearance: Hazy medium golden color, with a moderate white head, scattered lacing, a dusting of foam on the surface, and slight carbonation.

Aroma: Rich light and dark fruit aroma, with plums, apple, pineapple, and orange rind.

Taste: Opens with a sweet, candy-like note, and a pronounced herbal hop note from start to finish. At the end of the taste, there is a sharp metallic note, which lingers on and on. The alcohol presence is quite subtle.

Mouth feel: Smooth, rich, soft, and very full.

Drinkability/notes: Quite excellent example of the style, should be tried if the opportunity presents itself.

Many thanks to Bill and Kim for generously sharing this.

The color is golden amber with decent carbonation. Head is small and off-white. Aroma is of a vague, sweet alcohol-malt combo. Taste is of strong, fruity dark malts with notes of sweet amber. A hint of licorice is also in the mix. Alcohol flavor also prevalent, especially in the finish. This was described as a barleywine at the restaurant, but for some reason, the flavor seemed closest to an eisbock. Anyway, this was an interesting beer, definently worth a try.

The beer arrived on the table mediuym copper with a white frothy and long lasting head which lasted well to lace the glass.

The arom awas fruity and floral with a light citrus and a nice caramel maltiness.

The flavor was fruity with a strong caramel and pineapple flavor. Also present was a lasting and assertive citrusy bittering.

The finish was dry with a strong bittering lasting long into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was medium full. This was more of a double IPA than a barleywine with the agressive bittering. An ok beer, but could use something. The more the beer warmed the more alcohol that emerged. A most definite warming after consumption was noted.

King William Ale (which is named after the city district where the brewery resides) pours up without much grandeur in a heavy, oversized wine goblet. There's a small, thin whitish head that sits atop a deep golden amber-light copperish body. The aroma is dominated by an estery/fruity e.g. brown banana, dried pear/apricot and orange-rind citrus quality along with some noticeable prickly-hot fusel/solventy e.g. alcohol notes. There's maybe the faintest hint of woodsy Northwest hops in the background? The flavor starts off fruity, toasty and promising, but the lingering bitterness and alcohol dominate the finish. This medium-light to medium bodied "ale" (it's actually a lager, as it's fermented with California Lager yeast) is self-described as a barleywine, but is more akin to an American Stock Ale. Call it what you like, but it's definetly worth trying and should continue to improve with some age. Here's to King Willy!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Like the previous reviewer, I was told this is a Barley Wine. In fact, a two year old Barley Wine! They served it up in the heavy goblet.

The hazy brown color was a little different than I see in the style. The aroma was an interesting blend of floral and alcohol- perhaps a little rough.

The first taste was okay, warm and sweet. It did not finish well.

This seems to be an odd place, as reflected in other BeerFly visits. San Antonio is a fun city to visit but real beer drinkers are penalized by the overabundance of low calorie beer suckers.This is the only brew pub in town.