Old Abominable
Stoudts Brewing Co.

Old AbominableOld Abominable
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From:
Stoudts Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
Ranked #183
ABV:
9%
Score:
84
Ranked #23,236
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 10.3%
Reviews:
79
Ratings:
162
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 27, 2022
Added:
Apr 30, 2006
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  14
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by amphion1065:
Photo of amphion1065
Reviewed by amphion1065 from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
750 mL bottle served in a Duvel tulip. Reviewed from notes

The label is glorious. The beer pours a cloudy, ruby red with brown highlights. A small tan head quickly subsides, but there is very nice lacing.

The smell is, at first, rich with hops. There's actually a very strong citrus fruit component here. As it warms, more rich malt comes through, but it's restrained. No alcohol presence.

Though I find the aroma average, I adore the taste. Wonderful flavors of brown sugar and sweet molasses. Prunes and caramel. Surprisingly, it never seems cloyingly sweet, there's is just the right amount of flavor. Zero booze.

The mouthfeel is a little thin, but the carbonation is a spot-on low/medium level. Combined with the imperceptible alcohol taste, this is one easy barleywine to put down.

A really tasty beer, one I'm glad to have tried. I acquired this bottle over the summer, and I can't imagine it's too old. In any event, it is drinking wonderfully now.
Nov 16, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.55 by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

Aug 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.13 by hoppyhoppy from Pennsylvania

Mar 02, 2020
 
Rated: 3.77 by Montanabeerz from Montana

May 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by Shantzak from Pennsylvania

Nov 28, 2018
Photo of bret717
Reviewed by bret717 from Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
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
Nov 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.66 by PaulSlazinger from Pennsylvania

Jun 07, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
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.
Apr 01, 2018
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
$ 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.
Mar 24, 2018
Photo of BuddyPal
Reviewed by BuddyPal from Pennsylvania

3.67/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
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.
Mar 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by Zaktcc from Maryland

Feb 04, 2018
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

3.61/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
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.
Feb 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by hozersr from Pennsylvania

Dec 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by Wheels2532 from Pennsylvania

Dec 07, 2017
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.52/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
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
Oct 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

Sep 27, 2016
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.82/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
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
Jan 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by kwgduke from Pennsylvania

Jun 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by TheMultiYeast from Vermont

Feb 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.28 by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2015
Old Abominable from Stoudts Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 162 ratings