4 Year Anniversary
Aardwolf Brewing Company

Very dark but clear beer. Decent head production for the ABV and style; excellent retention.

The nose flies past assertive and gets right to aggressive: big, bold, boozy, malty, hoppy. Despite more than two years of age, it's still very clearly an American barleywine. Big notes of caramel, grain, rye, dark bread, toffee, leather, pine, and bark, accented with a bit of brown sugar, molasses, and dark fruit. Mellows out as it warms.

Certainly bold on the palate, but the hops only have a quick up-front punch before mostly yielding to the heavy malt base - no doubt influenced by the age of the bottle (over 2 years old). Slightly sour; still fairly bitter, somewhere between moderate and strong (just south of Arrogant Bastard territory).

Notes of candied raisins, prunes, orange, pine, caramel, toffee, rye, molasses, dark bread.

Thick and full bodied on the palate; very bold, but it's not overly boozy or hot.

Dark copper with a thick, bubbly tan head.

Smell is orange and Pine Sol with lemon, caramel and toasted biscuit.

Taste is metallic grapefruit, resiny pine and forest fire hops with caramel and butterscotch, toast, and a flame-licked orange zest finish.

The medium-full body is frothy and soft, a little hot, finishing semi-dry, but with a cottony after effect.