Window Licker Barley Wine
Hogshead Brewery

 

 

L: Muddy red brown color with no head and no lacing on the glass.

S: Strong notes of caramel and toffee with a floral hops character.

T: A strong floral hop with a pretty strong bitterness, caramel and toffee malt and some coffee balance it out. I don't get a lot of dark stone fruit like you usually do in a barleywine.

F: Lighter body than I expect for a barleywine, high carbonation.

O: Not quite as luscious as I expect from a barleywine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a classic english barleywine, remarkably less sweet than the style norm, lending to more appreciation of the malt nuances, and certainly to drinkability despite its strength. it has a little red in the color, and a stiff just off white head that fades only slowly. smell and taste features a little more hops than some of the other english barleywines, not just bitterness either, but an almost piney complexion. the grain is rich and layered, but never thick or sticky, which is hard to do and a refreshing change of pace. although the alcohol levels are high here, its not really impacting the flavor or the feel at all, it just sort of glides down and finishes oddly clean for the style. lots of bubbles keep it a little lighter on the palate, but trust me, this is still big enough to warm you up on the coldest of winter nights. i am just so impressed with how far hogshead has come since they opened. all of the beers pouring there right now are excellent, and this barleywine is an absolute treat.

 

 

 

Tried this last night at the brewery. Malty and fruity backbone, a bit jammy, with a leafy hop bitterness. No booziness. Balanced. A solid English Barleywine.

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery, 5oz for $5. Sort of pricey if you ask me but I sure was glad I didn't get more than five ounces, whew! Dark chestnut color, scant head which seems typical for the style. Aroma was odd, little malt, little syrup, meh. The flavor was very, very bitter and had a very strong licorice flavor to it. I wanted to like this but it was just rough. My buddy and I had a hard time finishing the snifter and kept passing it back and forth hoping not to have to finish it. This is the first Hogshead beer to really disappoint me. I will say that the alcohol flavors were nonexistent for such a strong beer. Also, I am not well versed in true English barleywine (had tons of American style barleywine) so maybe it is spot on for the style.