Reaper Vs. Unicorn
Pipeworks Brewing Company

Reaper Vs. UnicornReaper Vs. Unicorn
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From:
Pipeworks Brewing Company
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 7.18%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
213
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 27, 2019
Added:
Oct 10, 2013
Wants:
  28
Gots:
  33
The unicorn may have finally met its match in Death Incarnate. But hold your horned horses, because the unicorn lives to rye another day! What a sickle joke! We aren't tricking you, this barleywine is a real treat, with a rich malt skeleton and a more than paranormal amount of hops. If you're going to harvest soul-y one beer this season, don't fear the Reaper...
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mishtif:
Photo of mishtif
Rated by mishtif from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

Jan 23, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Apr 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by dextermcgurk from New York

Feb 14, 2018
Photo of ZebulonXZogg
Reviewed by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22oz bomber, unknown date.
It's about the color of a dirty penny, tan head fades away to a wispy ring, no lacing.
Aroma is brown sugar, toffee and caramel. Taste follows, malt and a bit of peppery rye.
Full bodied, minimal carbonation here. It finishes a bit sweet.
Pretty damn good brew!
Jan 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by Jsalz21 from New Jersey

Dec 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Dec 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by billab914 from Virginia

Dec 09, 2017
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Reviewed by BSiegs from Illinois

4.17/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Deep red pour, very clear. Frothy, tan foam with superb retention and lacing. The aroma is excellent. Dark fruits, caramel, brown sugar, candy sweetness, mild earthy, spicy rye character. The taste again has caramel, brown sugar, molasses. Rich bready, doughy character. Rye spice is more noticeable, and a moderate bitterness comes through on the finish. Big, full body, low-moderate carbonation, fairly sweet, and again, moderate bitterness. Overall a very enjoyable rye BW from Pipeworks!
Nov 10, 2017
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Reviewed by Greywulfken from New York

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Super fruity and citrusy - not at all what I expected - reminds of Firestone Walker's Helldorado with its coloration - again, not what I expect in a barleywine - Kind of an amber-orange colored ale, opaque, with just a quick finger of head on top... Lots of lace motes trailed behind on the glass...Aromas had a lot of candied citrus peel, herbal and floral - almost like that holiday fruit cake that shows up around Christmas-time... On the sip, a delicious and fruity splash of flavor - the rye and the body separates it from what I would otherwise liken to orange-forward NEIPAs... I'm getting orange and mango and rye spice and juicy sugars... Full-bodied and smooth, with a modest carbonation and a nice fizz on the tongue... Really enjoying this brew...
Nov 06, 2017
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Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
22 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. Bottled 9/23/16, had 2/8/17.

Pours a darker amber, cloudy and semi- opaque, with a one and a half inch head of thick foam and a good amount of foamy lacing. Smells of pine, resin, citrus hops- grapefruit, tangerine, light lemon, yeast, dates, rye, raisins, brown sugar, some malt, light toffee. The taste is similar: pine, more aggressive citrus hops- grapefruit, tangerine, orange, rye, malt, caramel, dates, plums, brown sugar, raisins, light figs. A good amount of hop bitterness throughout, although it tails off a bit through the bottle. A light sweet note on the finish. Smooth, a solid, medium to full body, well carbonated.

Lots of malt and good hops, but maybe the real star is the rye. Not a lot of dark fruits for the style, but that's not a negative. Have had before, and it's just a delicious, well balanced beer. Will buy this every time they make it, you should definitely try it at least once.
Jun 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Jun 08, 2017
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Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
With malt on one end of the flavor spectrum and hop on the opposite end, there's something missing; something to bring the unicorn and reaper together. The answer is rye- a grain that's hearty and earthen to marry up to the malt, but with a peppery zing to elevate hops. It's like unicorns and grand reapers living together.

Deep garnet and hazy like tigereye, the frothy beer simmers with a dense and caky foam that barricades the glass. A verbose fragrance of toffee and toast rests just underneath the floral, citrusy and sprucy hops for a nose of balance and strength. Malt sweetness takes the lead with the first sip as dense nuttiness, honey, toffee, toast and molasses slather the palate with reduced grain sugars.

But the malt balance doesn't live long. the hops roll across the middle palate and scrub half of the sweetness away to make way for the taste of grapefruit, orange peel and herbal teas for an eventual even keel balance. Rye grains provide a husken grit that's toasty and pepper while applying a toasted flavor that highlights bitterness and raw grain. The hops eventually win out with the taste of fresh pine shavings giving a fragrant and woodsy, bitter resins that grips the throat tightly.

Full in body, the beer's carbonation, alcohol and hops give the beer enough dryness as not not confuse with British barleywine. The beer lingers deeply with both barley and hops, keeping the balance in tow even long after the sip. Rich, creamy and somewhat starchy, its a beer that drinks like a meal.
May 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by Dankacheese from Illinois

Apr 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.01 by Rammed96 from Maryland

Jan 13, 2017
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/23/2016. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/light copper color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, passion fruit, raisin, berries, plum, cherry, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted bread, spicy rye, light nuttiness/pine, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/tropical hops, dark/bready malt, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. A bit of booze appears as it warms. Taste of huge grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, passion fruit, raisin, berries, plum, cherry, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted bread, spicy rye, light nuttiness/pine, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine/herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, papaya, passion fruit, raisin, berries, plum, cherry, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted bread, spicy rye, pine, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical hops, dark/bready malt, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly slick/resinous balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden; a light warmth lingering after the finish, with minimal booziness. Overall this is an outstanding American barleywine! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical hops, dark/bready malt, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. Insane amounts of juicy hops and balancing malt sweetness; not overly bitter or drying like many in the style tend to be. A highly enjoyable offering.
Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by REVZEB from Illinois

Nov 07, 2016
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Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Thanks to Thomas for sharing this one!
Dark saturated amber orange, spotty lace and thin wispy surface skim, bright clarity with a reddish highlight.

Aroma is fairly hoppy with a buttery note. Floral and fruity cantaloupe.

Resiny hop flavor, some cantaloupe and pine resin, bready malt and some peripheral buttery diacetyl. Burly and big bodied, rich and malty. Chewy texture, booze is noticeable. Along with the diacetyl, it's a little distracting. Best shared, likely not one i'd revisit.
Oct 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.62 by Treesmakewater from South Carolina

Oct 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by cryptichead from Illinois

Oct 09, 2016
 
Rated: 4.19 by pstam87 from Illinois

Oct 07, 2016
Reaper Vs. Unicorn from Pipeworks Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 213 ratings