Date Night With Jumbo Love
Figure 8 Brewing

 

 

Growler poured into FFF tulip. First I'd like to say that F8 seals their growlers great. I had to get pliers to open the thing and it held its carbonation great.

A - Dark brown with a slight purple hint to it. A small coffee colored head sits on the edges. Definitely dark for a Barleywine but makes sense for a black Barleywine

S - Toffee sweetness comes forth with a salty caramel and slight dark fruit presence that smells like brandied dates. There is also a slight grape and prune juice presence. As it warms up, the caramel becomes more prevalent as well as a slight butterscotch presence that makes it actually smell like Garrett's caramel corn.

T - Sweet caramel and toffee presence up front. As the beer goes on, there is a dark fruit presence that comes along which is where the dates make themselves known. The finish has a slight bitter hop presence that combines with oak and a slight alcoholic kick.

MF - Surprisngly light overall given all the flavor in this beer. Slight stickiness with just enough carbonation to cut though it to make it nice to drink.

O - This is by far the best beer I've had by Figure 8 so far. This is a sweeter Barleywine that is easy to drink. It is definitely good and worth seeking out but lacks the ommph and flavor complexity of some of the best BA barleywines.

 

Served on tap at Figure 8 on 05/05/2012. I missed out on sampling this beer last year, so I was quite anxious this year.

The barleywine was served in a snifter, appearing a dark black color with a head that was less than white. The immediate aroma was a very pleasant banana scent. It was not an overpowering aroma, but it made its presence known. The initial taste was a complex impression of banana, candy sour apple, prune, and tobacco. A sweet cherry note can also be found with a focused tongue. I would have liked to have found a slightly higher level of sweet notes. I think this is the difference between an excellent barelywine and an elite barleywine. A sour fruit tang lingered in the aftertaste with the malt notes as a backbone. Date Night was warming as it went down, but was not harsh like some higher octane beers.

I was not a strong fan of Jumbo Love. Aging Jumbo Love with Dates (hence Date Night with Jumbo Love) certainly adds something to this beer.

Oh my happy tastebuds! Had this on tap at Figure 8.

Scent: Chocolate and an undefined 'sweet'. As it warms I smell a dried fruit/cherry from it.

Color: Opaque Black.

Taste: Oh my. Full and rich mouthfeel - taste of berries and sweet dates. Ends dry, then goes a little dryer, then a specifically *date* sweetness.

My husband and I agreed that this is a bit like a good German fruitcake. Rich, dark and with dried fruit.

I was exceptionally happy with Date Night, and I'd gladly make the trip again to have more. Exceptional indeed!

Very dark, nearly brown barleywine. Medium head retention and good lacing. Aroma is malty, with dark fruits. Flavor is slight to moderate alcohol note with lots of dark, luscious fruit flavors; malt is there as well.

Everything that's been said about Jumbo Love is also true of this beer. As I understand it, it's the same recipe, with dates added.

And the dates really come through, and blend with and enhance the dark fruit flavors already in the base beer.

This one's very good, and would be very bad for the pocketbook if it were available carry-out.