Bellerophon
Ethereal Brewing

 

 

Pours a rich mahogany color, beautiful red highlights when held to the light, small tan head falls fast not much lace.

Aroma is nice rich sugar malts, brown sugars, rum soaked figs, oak, vanilla light bourbon notes some earthy notes from the hops used to keep the cloying monster away. Smells thick and inviting like your happy place.

Taste is just like the nose big brown sugar malts, run soaked figs, dates, sugar coated dark fruits, vanilla, oak light bourbon notes underneath the sugary goodness. Enough hops to give it a old herbal earthy tone at 13% no noticeable alcohol notes. Not sure why more peps don't do this style, maybe they can't , or probably can't so it this well.

Mouthfeel is big but only large medium not as big as the abv would have you think. Carbonation couldn't be better though its perfect at just enough.

Overall the more I sip this the more I want more, might have to drive to Lexington soon, many thanks to Charity for bringing this gem back to me.

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery taproom in Lexington.
Dark brown body with copper colored highlights and a decent head.
High sweetness partially countered by mild bitterness. Generally too sweet but works with the ample caramel notes and other flavors here.
Smooth, full body with medium light carbonation and moderate warmth considering the ABV.

 

 

Groovin barrel aged barley wine in a snifter from the growler via the brewery!
This beast pours a medium dark and lightly cloudy red tinged brown color with
a light head of white foam that settles to a thin ring with light lacing. Nose of
bourbon, brown sugars, rum soaked raisins, vanilla, light oak, booze, and subtle
light herbal hop tones. Flavors follow the nose with additions----brown sugars mingle
nicely with run and raisin notes with subtle fig and date notes mixed with butterscotch
and bourbon dashed with vanilla and light cherry notes with a subtle light herbal hop
and rich earthy malts. Mouth feel is perfect for the style; medium full body, low
carbonation, and a rich warming finish.

A excellent endeavor from a great new to me brewery. Fantastic!
Worthy of awards....please enter this and bottle it!

Cheers

 

It's dark, it's cold and the days are short. Life is hard in the Bluegrass during the winter. But things are warming up thanks to the herculean efforts of Ethereal Brewing. Hitting the weather head on, their British styled barleywine provides a candied, malty and warming reason to get out of the house.

Deep garnet and casting a tawny haze over the session, Bellerophon leads with a light ecru froth and a wafting scent of toffee, butterscotch, dark fruit, rum spice and a hint of peppery red wine. Flavors of molasses and butterscotch roll onto the tongue with the rich density of port wine and syrup.

As the wealth of malt sweetness lays a thick and sugary coat on the tastebuds, the alcohol gently strips the sweetness and brings a blend of estery fruitiness that resembles a rum soaked melange of date, fig, cherry, apple and plum. Still, its the sweet and savory taste of butterscotch that resonates loudly on the middle palate, balanced only by the lightly bittered hop spice and the slightly solventy alcohol bite.

Lavishly full and rich on the finish, the beer's late palate is a sultry, sipping and slow taste that rewards the palate immensely with a showcase of sweetness from the barley kernel, and without applying any additional cloying textures than what's necessary to sell the malt dominance best. Its butterscotch flavor seems truly malt derived and not a sign of poor yeast or off flavor as a long aftertaste of wurther's original candy reigns supreme.

Enjoyed as part of a flight at the brewery. Pour was muddy brown, Nose and taste were full of bourbon and caramel. Finish was smooth and dry. Very good BBA English Barleywine. Exceptionally smooth for the high ABV.

Poured into a small snifter in the taproom.

Nice burnt copper flavor with some ruby highlights sits under an off-white head that quickly dissipates.

Smells like a bag of candy with tootsie rolls and butterscotch (but not diacetyl) and dark fruity notes of raisins and plums.

This beer tastes like it smells, with a slight alcoholic punch on the tongue that has a pleasant numbing effect. Really complex, and this beer should be slowly sipped as it warms up to be fully enjoyed.

Body is full...this beer is sweet but not overly so. The oak and the alcohol keep it from being cloying.

Overall this is a very well done English Barleywine, and balanced enough one could have a couple glasses of this with ease.

Draft pour at the brewery -- Colors are amber/brown and murky, just the way I like them. Nose is bourbon (aged in Four Roses barrels), toffee, and butterscotch. Flavors hit the entire toffee/caramel/butterscotch spectrum though never presenting any dark fruit notes and never becoming overly sweet. Preferable to me prior to reaching room temps.