Barleywine Style Ale
Green Flash Brewing Co.

 

This is a review of the 2009 vintage that was consumed round the pool on August 23. 2016. Hit that 7 year itch with this one down in the cellar.

Pours a deep amber to auburn color. Thin head barely around 1/6" at most when it settled. Aroma of caramel, wasn't picking up those cardboard oxidation notes in the nose. Hopping wasn't evident at this stage either.

Taste revealed that this wasn't going to be a heavy boozy barleywine. Also there was minimal oxidation, but what there was you could say was complimentary, the caramel notes bonded nice with a light woodiness instead of a beat up cardboard box kind of vibe. The bitterness was high, but not three digit hypothetical ibu number high. I'd guess around 75 ibu at this point. Caramel not only bonded with the light woodiness but also a light brandy nuttiness to it as well. Dude, I think this aged pretty well.

05/25/20 bottle (2010 vintage; cellared at ambient basement temp since purchase) @ home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from bottle into a glass.

Deep, dark orange-rust color. Very murky.

Nice offwhite head; a veritable blanket of lace.

Treacly sweet caramel nose, plus some booze; very much of the style.

Medium mouthfeel.

Taste is of sweet caramel with a subtle hop undertone. Not as over-the-top as many US Barleywines can be. Not amazing, but better than average for the style.

 

Nearly no head which leaves no lace. Deep copper color. Clear.

Sickly sweet. Good alcohol aroma.

Rich and brownish in taste, meaning there's a slight burnt flavor with string caramel tastes. Not to sweet in the flavor. Good hoppy bitterness in the swallow which makes for a bittersweet aftertaste. I get a Grappa taste in the finish.

 

 

 

 

 

"Early" 2010 vintage. Thanks spry.

Beautiful ruby color. Malt forward with nice toffee aroma and taste. Very dry and mildly bitter. Not an ounce of sweetness here. This has aged gracefully, the hops have receded but still leave mild bitterness to balance the malt.

Drier and hoppier than historical British barleywine, the American thumbprint on the style takes full advantage of pacific northwest hops and indigenous American yeast with its more tenacious fermentation character. Often times blurring the line between barleywine and imperial IPA gives Green Flash's version its uniqueness and its challenge.

Hazy crimson and carrying a gentlemanly visual density, the ale crowns with a rich ecru lather. Scents of deeply caramelized and nutty malts couple with citrus, pine and orchard fruit for a powerful perfume with a spicy tingle on the nose. Robust sweetness flirts with toffee as its nutty character reflects a "cracker jacks" candy memory.

The beer's hoppy side blossoms on the middle palate as the dryness of the beer begins to pull the reins on the sweetness and the fruit-forward flavor emerges. Grapefruit, orange and apricot pull ahead, doing so with an unexpected taste of ripe red apple. Its balanced taste refuses to prefer the hops or the malt while the taste trails with a spicy bitterness of deeply resinous pine, citrus peel and pith and oddly enough- cinnamon.

Strong and full in body, the ale's spicy, brandy-like burn, it's bitter, snappy hop character and a gentle quiver from the malt structure suggests a semi-dry finish. As pine and citrus mingle deep in aftertaste, its the hops that finally outlasts the malt with a firm grip on the gullet.