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Hand Of Glory (2017)
Holy Mountain Brewing Company

Beer Geek Stats
| Print Shelf Talker
- From:
- Holy Mountain Brewing Company
- Washington, United States
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 13%
- Score:
- 99
- Avg:
- 4.62 | pDev: 4.76%
- Reviews:
- 9
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 28, 2021
- Added:
- Mar 09, 2017
- Wants:
- 39
- Gots:
- 9
SCORE
99
World-Class
99
World-Class

Notes:
English-style Barleywine brewed with Simpsons Finest Golden Promise and hopped with EKG. Hand of Glory was fermented with a traditional English strain and transferred into 13 year old bourbon barrels to age for 6 months. It was then transferred into French Cognac casks, where it continued to age for an additional 14 months.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by Furlinator from California
4.04/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Vintage 2017. Consumed on 12/24/29.
Dec 25, 2019Reviewed by Phineasco from Massachusetts
4.71/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.71/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2018 bottle. The beer pours a chestnut brown with a thin head that recedes quickly. It smells of raisins, peaches, cherry, tobacco, bourbon, and brandy barrel. The beer is incredibly light and smooth with flavors of raisin, tobacco, peaches, apricots, cherry cola, light pepper, and brandy barrel. One of the best barleywines I have had to date.
Nov 17, 2019Reviewed by rodmanfor3 from Vermont
4.6/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A heavy presence of cognac on the swallow, accompanied by notes of salt, licorice, and caramel.
Hand of Glory certainly breaks the Top 5 Barleywine list and would be a star at most tastings, but I feel it will always fall one or two steps short of the Gold Medal podium in any side-by-side G.O.A.T barleywine share.
It lacks the expanse of flavors and full mouthfeel offered by greats like BCBW '13, Aaron b1, and ADWTD.
Oct 04, 2018Hand of Glory certainly breaks the Top 5 Barleywine list and would be a star at most tastings, but I feel it will always fall one or two steps short of the Gold Medal podium in any side-by-side G.O.A.T barleywine share.
It lacks the expanse of flavors and full mouthfeel offered by greats like BCBW '13, Aaron b1, and ADWTD.
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington
4.42/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
standard barelywine light brown coloration with slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a mild pleasant standard barleywine. Taste is a very smooth and traditional barleywine. a little thin.
Jul 22, 2018Reviewed by M_chav from New Mexico
4.8/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.8/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Excellent, the tasting group had it blind against the likes of Aaron, Great, ADWTD cognac and double oak, Brew 2000, Anabasis ----- this was hands down the best barleywine of the night, the best I've ever had. so much toffee/caramel- barrel complexity for days!
Jun 18, 2018Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
4.25/5 rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle at share. Super smooth, flat pour. Aroma is strong and sweet. Taste is hard, dark, sweet. Tobacco, leather, brown sugar. Smoothness blends it all together.
Apr 01, 2018Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois
4.82/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.82/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
500ml bottle, 2017 release, poured into a 12oz snifter glass. Enjoyed on 9.17.17, reviewed from Tasting Journal.
The beer pours a dark burgundy color, very opaque with garnet and cola brown hues with a thin bone colored head that has no retention other than a thick film atop the beer and yields only a few spots of clingy lace. The aroma is incredible, super smooth barrel character, charred oak and warm bourbon melds so well with soft and sweet cognac which brings out a really decadent grain, beautifully developed stone fruits, caramel, toffee, nougat with some raisin and lingering cherry. The flavors are wonderful, super smooth with loads of caramel forward bourbon, nice subtle spice and charred wood notes while the cognac plays so well with the grains and the stone fruits, bring out layers and layers of flavor. There is a touch of acidity that comes from a cherry like quality that helps keep the beer, along with the more aggressive bourbon qualities, from being too sweet and cloying, sets out the perfect balance. The mouthfeel is excellent, thick, coating, full bodied without being too heavy and it's so smooth and gentle and finishes with grace.
Verdict: A really stunning beer from Holy Mountain. Easily one of the best and most complex, yet expressive and well balanced barleywines (or beers for that matter) that I've been fortunate enough to try. This is the definition of a world class beer.
Jan 30, 2018The beer pours a dark burgundy color, very opaque with garnet and cola brown hues with a thin bone colored head that has no retention other than a thick film atop the beer and yields only a few spots of clingy lace. The aroma is incredible, super smooth barrel character, charred oak and warm bourbon melds so well with soft and sweet cognac which brings out a really decadent grain, beautifully developed stone fruits, caramel, toffee, nougat with some raisin and lingering cherry. The flavors are wonderful, super smooth with loads of caramel forward bourbon, nice subtle spice and charred wood notes while the cognac plays so well with the grains and the stone fruits, bring out layers and layers of flavor. There is a touch of acidity that comes from a cherry like quality that helps keep the beer, along with the more aggressive bourbon qualities, from being too sweet and cloying, sets out the perfect balance. The mouthfeel is excellent, thick, coating, full bodied without being too heavy and it's so smooth and gentle and finishes with grace.
Verdict: A really stunning beer from Holy Mountain. Easily one of the best and most complex, yet expressive and well balanced barleywines (or beers for that matter) that I've been fortunate enough to try. This is the definition of a world class beer.
Reviewed by yesterdayfaraway from Missouri
5/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
L: pours dark brown with no head and looks dark brown in the glass with light passing through around the edge.
S: big barrel, rich and smooth. It has that caramel covered raisins aroma I love.
T: the cognac comes alive here....it starts with sweet caramel notes which linger in the background the entire time. Then sweeter fruitier notes that leads to the wine/cognac notes. Very complex and delicious with rich and smooth barrel throughout.
F: very thick, sticky and oh so smooth. No abv present, so drinkable.
O: it's amazing. The best babw I've ever had
Jul 01, 2017S: big barrel, rich and smooth. It has that caramel covered raisins aroma I love.
T: the cognac comes alive here....it starts with sweet caramel notes which linger in the background the entire time. Then sweeter fruitier notes that leads to the wine/cognac notes. Very complex and delicious with rich and smooth barrel throughout.
F: very thick, sticky and oh so smooth. No abv present, so drinkable.
O: it's amazing. The best babw I've ever had
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee
4.28/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
04/29/2017 @ Anchorage Brewing Co fundraiser/tasting.
Apr 30, 2017Reviewed by KevSal from California
4.39/5 rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
thanks jay for my first holy mountain beer!
500 into a fw tulip
awesome concept, name and design
looks good on the glass. much more brown than expected. dark and murky with a pinkie head
cognac up front, really good malts and bourbon soaked dark fruit. heat present slightly in the back
here we go. big cognac darkfruit up front. subtle bourbon, vanilla oak and more dark fruits. immediately remind me of deal with the devil, really good cognac in the flavor. no alch heat but definitly warming. as the beer warms the flavor gets a bit muddled but the nose gets even better!
mouthfeel is excellent! really helps deliver the big body. good carb and hidden alch. i've had my fair share of brewery but after one glass this one hs be buzzing hard
overall this beer is excellent. it's definitly different than any other barleywine and that's a very good thing. flavor is definitly good. i actually didn't find it too sweet as others have stated. i think dwtd might actually be sweeter. b2 definitly is. this still isn't as good as the likes of anabasis and leon, but it's definitly world class! i think i'd might have enjoyed it more just bourbon
thanks for the hook up jay!
Apr 01, 2017500 into a fw tulip
awesome concept, name and design
looks good on the glass. much more brown than expected. dark and murky with a pinkie head
cognac up front, really good malts and bourbon soaked dark fruit. heat present slightly in the back
here we go. big cognac darkfruit up front. subtle bourbon, vanilla oak and more dark fruits. immediately remind me of deal with the devil, really good cognac in the flavor. no alch heat but definitly warming. as the beer warms the flavor gets a bit muddled but the nose gets even better!
mouthfeel is excellent! really helps deliver the big body. good carb and hidden alch. i've had my fair share of brewery but after one glass this one hs be buzzing hard
overall this beer is excellent. it's definitly different than any other barleywine and that's a very good thing. flavor is definitly good. i actually didn't find it too sweet as others have stated. i think dwtd might actually be sweeter. b2 definitly is. this still isn't as good as the likes of anabasis and leon, but it's definitly world class! i think i'd might have enjoyed it more just bourbon
thanks for the hook up jay!
Reviewed by johnny_chimpo from Washington
4.84/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.84/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Had this on tap at the release. I generally don't like barleywines, but this was amazing. I think that the addition of the cognac barrel aging really made this shine.
Mar 29, 2017
Hand Of Glory (2017) from Holy Mountain Brewing Company
Beer rating:
99 out of
100 with
45 ratings
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