Old Abominable
Stoudts Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

bottled 10/8/18, reviewed 11/14/18

Look- ruby-orange liquid with a white head that dissipates quickly

Nose- muted fruit up front, like cherries, also getting leather and prunes under that. The alcohol is also quite noticeable and detracts from the other attributes

Taste- leather, muted cherry and prunes and a light earthy flavor. Also getting a mild herbal/medicinal hoppiness that contributes some bitterness as well. Alcohol also present in the flavor, although not as distracting as in the nose

Feel- medium-light bodied and surprisingly dry for a barleywine. Just a bit of lingering sweetness and bitterness in the finish

Overall- unique barley wine that is full-flavored, yet light and easy drinking at the same time

 

Bottle from Beer Heaven. Pretty unassuming for a barley wine, very subtle. Sweet malty aroma, pour is normal for the style, malty taste, little warmth.

$ 5.83 (Including tax)/16 oz shaker ($ 0.364/oz) at Stoudt’s Restaurant.
On tap so freshness is anybody’s guess but I’ll guess pretty fresh. Served at whatever temperature the bar cooler is, definitely too cold.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Amber, clear.
Head – Chopped off by bartender so what I received was about one cm at the top of a shaker.
Lacing – Very nice. As the level mysteriously dropped, a complete ring of open curtains remained.
First pour – N/A – Poured by bartender so I couldn’t see.
Aroma – 3- Faint caramel and toffee, but again, the bartender had it for an undetermined period.
Flavor – 4 - Begins with moderately sweet caramel and toffee with what may be very faint hints of raisins. The aftertaste is slightly bitter. There is no taste of hops, alcohol (ABV 8.5%), diacetyl, or dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 4 - Full, slightly syrupy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.75 - I wish Stoudt’s would start bottling this again – I just don’t feel comfortable sucking this down in the uncontrolled conditions of the bar/restaurant. Besides, I wanted to ship a few of these. I feel that under better-controlled conditions this probably would have been rated higher – it remains in my memory as a better barley wine than this. Still, it was pleasant to visit an old friend.

12 ounce draft glass. Beautiful brown, nice and clear with ample head, dissipating to a thin ribbon with some lacing. Aroma is faintly malt, palette is dry with a subdued bitterness on the back. Lovely mouth feel. At 9% ABV this was just what I needed. Not the best barley wine I’ve had, but quite drinkable on a cold late-winter day.

 

Appearance - The beer pours a copper red in color with a cracker white head.

Smell - The nose was mostly dry greens and malts. It was very nondescript for the style.

Taste - those looking for the sweetness of an English barleywine will be disappointed. Cereal grains and dry malts come to the front. There is almost no sweetness. The overall profile is very dry. It’s drinks like an old IPA.

Mouthfeel - The body runs a bit thin but it does have some viscosity.

Overall - A good English barleywine should be like a dessert. There is really nothing going on here.

 

 

750ml cork and cage bottle poured into a snifter

No bottle date, but judging where I got it from its probably 3-5 years old

A- pours a deep Amber-ruby color with a thin creamy khaki colored head that retains nicely, leaving some short lasting lace behind.

S- dark fruit aroma up front of fig and raisin. Sweet caramel & fruit bread, brown sugar, earthy & herbal

T- almost had a saltiness to it up front with notes of oxidization, cardboard. Mid-palate gives some dark fruity notes of raisin and fig, Christmas fruit cake, brown sugar. Finished with toasted bread crust, more dark fruit and a salty linger

M- medium body with low carbonation, slightly foamy mouthfeel and salty finish

O- I'm beginning to think that this bottle is older than 3-5 years, strange saltiness keeps it off balance

 

Large bottle, caged and corked, I could find no bottling date, nor vintage info.

Pours clouded and dull looking darker amber. Moderate fine lacing left on the glass.

Malty and ripe fruit nose

Pleaseing Bwine,note of rum saoked raisins, caramel, malty notes. Soft, mellow and satisfying. Easy drinking for the ABV