The Wild Hunt
Seventh Son Brewing Co.

750 ml bottle, no date on the bottle or label that I could find but I bought this about a month ago so I think it's a recent release. Served in a DFH snifter, the beer pours a dark reddish/brown color with about an inch tan head that stuck around a long time. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like dark fruit (cherries, figs), toffee, caramel, and some piney hops. For the most part I think the taste is just like the aroma, but there's also some candied oranges noticeable, along with a bittersweet finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with moderate carbonation. I think this is a good brew, I'll have to buy another bottle of this to age. Hopefully Seventh Son keeps making new brews as good as this one, I make a point to try anything from them that I can.

Always exciting when a modern brewery takes on the old, big, malty styles. Not the best English Barleywine out there, but certainly a competent take on the style. Toffee and caramel give way to dark fruit, though the palate is ultimately not quite as rich, nor is the mouthfeel is chewy as one might hope from an EBw. Still, a solid beer.

this is an exceptional barleywine. my bottle says 10.6% abv, and is the 2016 edition. really sexy label on it, delicious beer in the bottle. it pours a very active for the style deep caramel color with reds and browns and bronzes swirling together under a creamy inch of tan head. smells english right away, but still with some hoppy bitterness, which doesnt seem like it has faded much in the year or so this has been in the bottle. i really like the richness of the grain, everything from toffee to cornbread to molasses and maple syrup come to mind in both the aroma and the flavor, but its grounded nicely by a toasted nutty aspect to the malt, and by a bready and old school tasting yeast strain, english, timeless, old school. it has a really long flavor trajectory where things like butterscotch, bourbon, brown sugar, raisin, and date come in to the mix, but its somewhat simple in its complexity too, just a well made recipe. the alcohol is quite pronounced, but i dont mind that in this style, and the long finish with the bitterness from the hops balancing it out a little bit is really nice. if you like classically styled barleywine, you will absolutely enjoy this one. this is one of the first beers i have had from these guys after hearing all positives, and its lived up to its name. really quality stuff that would do great in the cellar for awhile longer too! very fall, perfect for this time of year!

 

 

 

 

Pours a deep amber to brown with a thick, frothy tan head. The nose is muted, but there are dark fruits and caramel malts. The first sip yields dark fruits, sweet caramel malts, a touch of roasted malts and a bit of bitterness towards the end. That is quickly overwhelmed by a sweet, thick finish. Overall, its a good example of the style.

 

 

Description: Very dark, ruby color; I held it next to a snifter of Old Rasputin and it was only a little lighter. Bit of light khaki head. Smell is not very strong but you do pick up some dark fruits and maybe a bit of caramel. Taste, on the other hand, was big and flavorful. The dark fruits came through loud and clear and it really reminded me a lot of a quad. There was also a little bit of bitterness on the finish which nicely balanced out the malty taste. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied and smooth with not much carbonation. Kind of what you'd expect from this style.

Suggested food pairing: Roast duck

If you like this beer then you should also try: St. Bernardus 12

Ideal time to drink this beer: Medieval England, in the countryside as you hunker down in the bowels of your castle. If you can't go to Medieval England, then a warm pub on a cold night will do.

Overall: 4.25 (This beer is good and I would likely drink it again) Another solid beer from Seventh Son. These guys are consistently putting out great beers across a number of different styles and doing so at a steady clip: it seems like there's a new Seventh Son brew every time I go to the store. I'm always a little wary with barleywine. Maybe because my first experience with the style was with Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot and it smelled like feet. Getting a few more like The Wild Hunt might be enough to erase that unpleasant memory.