Nor'easter
Kulshan Brewing Company

Bomber from Tavour. Dark brow., barely there head, some light around the edges. Big, sugary, malty aroma, raisins, molasses. Taste brings mild sweetness, raisins, chocolate. Warmth comes late and stays with you all the way down the gullet. A liquid Chunky bar, doaked in alcohol. Smooth, tasty, fulfilling.

 

Murky brown body that reminds me more of an 'old ale' or the like than a barleywine. Similarly, minimal if any head. Just some loose galaxy swirl. More lacing than expected (aka any at all).

Nose is rich and malty. Raisin and bourbon and some hints of chocolate and coffee. Roasty.

Starts off somewhat sweet before giving way to layers of roast and like chocolate covered coffee beans and mild tobacco. Honestly, it started kind of meh for me, but then there are some rich shifting layers to be found on the back end that are really alluring and enjoyable.

Smoothe body with some light carbonation that keeps it moving. I like it. It's got a lot of generic old ale/english barleywine, but there's some ripples and ribbons of really intriguing and enjoyable.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a quarter finger khaki head with that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt with slight caramel, dates, plums, raisins and bourbon. Flavor follows with dry biscuit malt, raisins, dates, plums, oak and bourbon. Slight hops. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess, mild carbonation. Kind of a hybrid between the biscuit malty and more plummy fruit styles of English barleywine. Covers all the flavors from both styles, with an emphasis on malt and dark dried fruit. I'm getting Bourbon flavor here, but the barrel source are not noted, so that may just be an artifact of the dark fruit flavors. Nice mild oakiness. This s quite a pleasant barleywine and I'm going to get another to cellar for a bit.

2018 vintage of mixed previous years. Poured cellar temp to a tulip glass. Yields a one finger, open cell tan head that gloops down to a tiny ring and islands. The caramel and toffee notes are absurdly strong, several feet from the bottle. Stick your nose in the glass, and it’s like a turtle sundae. First sips are all caramel, toffee, vanilla, some figs or dates on the back. Super heavy, viscous, full mouthfeel...very satisfying for the style. That aspect reminds me of Thee Barleywine by New York Beer Project, without the distinct Jim Beam flavor, though. Color is a chestnut brown, showing carbonation only if aggressively swirled. Alcohol hides behind the sweetness, but adds a lot of warming with its 13.4% ABV. As it warms, you get more toffee, vanilla, and bourbon. Not too much barrel, but a tiny bit on the back. Excellent beverage from a previously unknown to me brewery. Buy it if you see it.

It's pretty much stupefyingly sweet, not to mention the flames of alcohol licking your tonsils. Fortunately there are big hops lurking. Flavors of pomegranate, raisins, licorice, and it finishes with candied grapefruit peel. It even tastes like dark, dark sweet cherries.

Dark mahogany color with adequate foam in the Troubadour tulip. Toffee with burnt sugar and a nutty tang. This is really an excellent strong sipping brew, and the complexity keeps it interesting. Certainly one of the best Barley Wines I've had, American or otherwise. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at the James Street taproom.