Changing Tides
Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery

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From:
Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery
 
Australia
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
11%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.04 | pDev: 13.16%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 16, 2014
Added:
Nov 12, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by admiral:
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Rated by admiral from Australia

3.25/5  rDev +6.9%

Mar 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.25 by NathanJoyce from Australia

Mar 07, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by pin from Australia

Mar 03, 2014
Photo of heygeebee
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

3.68/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
From Danno's

A - deep copper, nice frothy head. Fades to film.

S - toffees caramels butterscotch.

T - more of the same but add a slight alcohol burn. Sweet. And a slight at-odds hop bite. Not the richest of palates.

M - warmly alcoholic and smooth. Too much sugar.

O - one of my favourite styles on offer here... However, not quite to that style and concur with previous reviewers that it is a hybrid. Having said that I am drinking on a hot night with a view to seeing how well it will cellar. Difficult to review. If the dry finishing hop note fades that will do nicely to revert to barley wine style. Difficult to judge and would prefer a 275 ml bottle but at $10 for the bottle size it is good value, hence a mark up.
Jan 31, 2014
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Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

2.92/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Bottle: comes in a fancy limited edition metal case - looks like a bottle of scotch. A standard 640mL brown bottle is inside with a cool label - standing upright it has a grumpy sailor, upside-down a picture of a happy Santa. Why not, I guess.

Appearance: poured into a tulip glass - a deep copper orange colour with fine carbonation across the profile. A creamy one-finger head bubbles away to drop to a solid ring per the style.

Aroma: some caramel and molasses with a truly awkward lump of alcohol over the top. I know it is pretty high ABV, but it shouldn't smell so detached from the rest of the aroma.

Taste: again a big uncomfortable whack of alcohol with some caramels and toffee, brown sugar and sweet fruits - cherries and sherry.

Aftertaste: the lack of complexity truly shines through on the finish - again a massively detached alcohol fug with the caramel and sugar flavours coming through strong but awkward.

Mouth feel: the mouth feel at least is pretty good. A fairly heavy body with enough spritzy carbonation to carry the flavours through. It's just a pity that the rest is so mediocre.

Overall: I agree with dgilks - I wouldn't really classify this as a barleywine. I would rather think of this as an attempt to turn a strong ale into a barleywine, the result being a caramel-dominated beer with an awkward alcohol fug sitting over the top. It is drinkable, but considering this ain't cheap, I'd rather spend the extra couple of bucks and get a Moylan's.
Jan 24, 2014
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Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
REVISED REVIEW
So I picked up another couple of bottles on sale. Having somewhat enjoyed the second one, a wise BA suggested that this review needed updating. He was right.

This beer is a bit tough. It is perfectly drinkable but it's failure is its description as a barleywine. As a strong ale it works a bit better. With some chilling it doesn't come across as terribly confused and becomes more drinkable.

At a second look, it is a perfectly drinkable beer. It certainly isn't worth $20 a bottle but for a tenner it delivers reasonable bang for your buck given the large format.

FIRST REVIEW
Slightly hazy dark amber colour with a small tan head. Poor head retention.

Highly alcoholic with some resinous hop aroma. Interesting maltiness.

Moderately malty with high bitterness. Confused and unintegrated. A mediocre Barleywine.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. Okay.

A drinkable beer but barely. The bitterness is harsh and unintegrated with the malt. Alcohol is the dominant character.
Jan 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by mungus from Australia

Jan 12, 2014
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

3/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Back to Sail & Anchor, who evidently haven't given up on nautical names but at the rate they're bringing out limited releases no doubt will sometime in 2020, well this is as much a first for me as it is for Sail & Anchor - a Barleywine, never had one before no less reviewing one so I will be a little in the dark about what the style should be like, in any case their Devil Dodger was a half decent stab at an IPA so lets hope they've been keeping up the good work.

Poured from a 640ml bottle into a brandy snifter.

A: A cloudy caramel body with no head to speak of, I'm guessing this is to be expected from a Barleywine, generally high ABV brews don't present with a head anyway.

S: Fruitcake aromas with big toffee/caramel sugar notes. A little less boozy smelling than expected, but that sugar... anticipating a huge hit there! Background hops are medicinal and herb laced.

T: The flavour is sugar, sugar and more sugar, outside of a Leffe Vieille Cuvée I don't think that there is another beer this ridiculously sugar-flavoured... I think I might have diabetes. Aside from this there are the fruitcake flavours of various macerated and candi-flavoured fruits, along with that booze taste one gets from drinking a heavy ale (there he is), and hints of hops dancing around all hyperactive due to the massive sugar rush they're experiencing. Did I mention this beer is sweet?

M: Mid to heavy body with tiny sharp bubbles of carbonation (you know the ones I'm talking about).

D: Did not enjoy this at all. It was far too overpoweringly sweet to be enjoyed, like a teen romance film starring Zac Efron... not that I watch those films... [keep digging]. In any case I am hoping this was a bad example of a Barleywine because I want to try more but now I'm concerned I might need a shot of Insulin afterwards. Price-wise at $15 a bottle it was a little expensive. Back to the drawing board S&A, back to Devil Dodger me.

Food match: Just don't even bother with dinner, go straight to desserts.
Dec 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by dansmcd from Australia

Nov 24, 2013
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Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

3.14/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A limited release that comes in a rather catchy tin box but I'm sure it just adds to the price and yeah I couldn't care for it anyways back to the beer and its a biggie for sail and anchor which pours a bright orange copper hue with a frothy white one finger head and a rim of lacing,the smell is what u expect from a barleywine with barley sugar,boozy alcohol,candi sugar and also strong floral hops,the mouthfeel is full bodied with moderate carbonation which suits the big boy and the tastes are what u expect pretty run of the mill but not crap by any means,it comes across quite sweet first up and pretty much throughout taste with hints of boiled candy,candied figs,ripe berries,barley sugar and toffee which is only briefly headed off with a floral citrus hoppiness but its no match for the sweetness and overall a good try but abit too sweet for me cheers.
Nov 12, 2013
Changing Tides from Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 10 ratings