King's Bridge
D9 Brewing Company

A kind of Meh Barleywine. I know British Barleywine's are more subdued and less hoppy than their American counterparts but this beer is a bit too bland to be considered very good. Pours a hazy orange color with a very small fizzy off white head that fades fast. No lacing on the glass. Aroma is caramel malt and a kind of aromatic/toffee aroma. Fairly pronounced. Taste is sweet caramel malt, and a bit of toffee. Not that pronounced a flavor for a 12% abv beer. Mouthfeel is a bit thin for a Barleywine, fairly smooth with no alcohol harshness or burn. (I aged it for 7 months. Overall somewhat tasty but not what I would expect from 12% abv beer. A bit weak overall.

Really nice light brown semi translucent appearance. Nice lacing and frothy 1 finger head with great retention and stickiness on the glass. Aroma has Belgian like candi sweetness. Taste is a litte weird. For 12% it feels very light both in body and flavor. Not quite the big thick sweet toffee brown you usually get from a Barleywine. It is sweet but I generally like my barleywines big and chewy and thick and sweet. Aside from sweet, it doesn't hit those marks I like very well.

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Color is a deep reddish brown, a thin head that dissipates quite quickly. Taste is smooth as advertised, tastes of dark fruits and soft oak, but with a sometimes harsh and biting aftertaste. Besides that it's a solid Barleywine, and one that won't break the bank either.

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a rusty color and a slightly hazy consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, off white head that lasted an average amount of time. Not much lacing.

S: Not a particularly strong aroma, but there are some notes of hops, malt, caramel, and a bready quality.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of toasted malt (present throughout), a bit of hops (not enough), some of the bready quality, light caramel and toffee notes and a slight earthiness. The best barleywines are among the most aggressive and powerful beers, but this doesn't have those traits. It's just kind of weak.

F: A below average amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Kind of a disappointing beer. I've certainly had worse, but there's not a lot to recommend this one.

 

 

A: Pours a clear, almost opaque deep mahogany in color with light to moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising slowly along the edges of the glass and moderate deep garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall sudsy foamy tan head that quickly reduces to a medium sized patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of caramel + toffee + toasted malts with a light amount of sweetness along with light aromas of spicy + earthy hops.

T: Upfront there is a moderate to strong flavors of caramel + toffee + toasted malts with a light amount of caramel + toffee sweetness. That is followed by a light flavors of hard/mineral water and light flavors of spicy + earthy hops as well as a hint of herbal hops which contribute a light amount of bitterness which lingers through the finish.

M: Just shy of full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Drinks fairly easily with well hidden alcohol considering the strength. Probably suffers a bit in my rating as I have had a number of really great barleywines recently.

Reddish brown color. Smell is malts, but even on the nose, it seems a bit thing. Flavor seems to be pushing more towards an American BW. Don't get a lot of hops like an American, but just seems more herbal. Don't get the good carmel tones I usually get with an EBW. Thin mouthfeel. Definitely not what I wanted for the style.

 

Look: It pours amber with a tinge of orange and an off white head. Head retention is low.

Smell: There are aromas of caramel and a touch of roast. There is a certain sourness in the aroma and a vinous touch as well. In addition there is low herbal notes in the background.

Taste: It is malty rich with caramel, toffee, and toast. The is a bit of tartness to it with some vinous notes. There are some spicy notes in the background.

Feel: It is moderately heavy and smooth with pleasant alcohol warming.

Overall, the tartness adds and interesting note to an English barleywine that is pleasant overall.