Great
Alpine Beer Company

GreatGreat
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From:
Alpine Beer Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
14%
Score:
100
Avg:
4.52 | pDev: 8.41%
Reviews:
178
Ratings:
766
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 22, 2022
Added:
Mar 01, 2005
Wants:
  1,439
Gots:
  83
The base of this beer was available at a couple of festivals as a barleywine named "Good". The remainder of the batch spent several months aging in fresh Jack Daniels barrels and became "Great".
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Ferocious:
Photo of Ferocious
Rated by Ferocious from Illinois

4.31/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Oct 11, 2019
More User Ratings:
Photo of Jwale73
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island

4.04/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12oz. Bottle served in a Spiegelau snifter. Vintage is probably circa 2014. Pours the color and clarity of unpasteurized apple cider (perhaps a hue darker). Not he, just a thin, broken band around the shoulders. Nose is robust - big hit of figs, followed by ethanol and perhaps a trace of oxidation/soy sauce in the background. Taste consistent with nose - figs are a bit more candied in the flavor profile. Middle is earthy with a suggestion of chocolate and finishes with prunes and a light medicinal bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium in body with a still carbonation. Overall, a little past its prime. Not much of a suggestion of the barrel; however, still quite drinkable.
Aug 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by kevindp9 from Arizona

Jun 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by Eziel from Ohio

May 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by not2quick from Missouri

May 22, 2022
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2013 vintage; consumed on 3/23/2022

Pours a stunning pitch-chestnut, an almost inky appearance giving way to slight ruby accents as a bubbly half-finger of pale tan head forms, slowly fizzing out to a sparse cap, expansive, frothing collar, and no lacing clinging to the walls of the glass.

Aroma offers immediate impressions of jammy plum, refining focus to fig, subtle caramel, and toffee over time as an evocative, dark fruit overload springs forth across the bouquet; bourbon on the back end encourages a touch of cherry and lighter cocoa to engage the close.

Taste opens to layers of sugar plum, raisin, dates, and bits of brown sugar, growing in accents of bold fig and burnt caramel into the mid-palate; oaky vanilla meets fruitcake on the back end, while leathery chocolate dusts a barrel edge, with slight bourbon and smoked toffee finishing.

Mouthfeel shows a medium body, dense and concentrated silky textures foundational beneath a low-lying carbonation; smooth, wispy grit guides to a mild twang underscoring a vague, burgeoning oxidation into mid-palate, followed by a mild barrel char and steady warmth on the back end, with some stickiness into the otherwise velvety finish.

Belying most any sense of experiencing time and age, this is a rich, comprehensive American barleywine; a deft composition of ultra-bold fruits, calm barrel inflection, and leathery resins encapsulating a consuming, classic apex of the style.
Mar 24, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by LloydDobler from Indiana

Jan 04, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by gelasin from California

Dec 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by akk14 from Illinois

Aug 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.75 by Jmalo from Ohio

Jun 17, 2021
 
Rated: 3.06 by ivegot3Dvision from Oregon

Jun 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.69 by sobeleg from New York

Apr 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.66 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Feb 15, 2021
Photo of DucksFan16
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

3.56/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Canned 11/02/2020.
Feb 13, 2021
Photo of Eyedoc27
Rated by Eyedoc27 from Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2020 in a Can. Very hoppy for a barleywine. Toffee/bread and moderate amount of barrel
Jan 17, 2021
 
Rated: 3.98 by Jo_Renish from Vermont

Jan 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.23 by Beerbom from California

Jan 12, 2021
 
Rated: 4.35 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4.19 by boogerisu from Iowa

Jan 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.58 by Scottsbeer from Florida

Dec 26, 2020
Great from Alpine Beer Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 766 ratings