Pokainu Mezs
Alus Darbnīca Labietis

Pours a cloudy, deep carmine red coloration with a medium, creamy head. Smells of caramel malt and toffee, with some red berries, with notes of redcurrant and cranberry, and hints of rosemary, butterscotch and pine needles coming through as well. Taste is an excellent balance of caramel malt and lighter toffee and butterscotch notes, as well as distinct red berries, with notes of redcurrant, cranberry and lingonberry, as well as hints of fig and date, with hints of rosemary and distinct, resinous pine coming through as well. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some red berries, toffee, and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and medium carbonation.

I really don't know why they insist on this being an English Barleywine when the flavor profile, with its resinous bitterness and herbal accents is actually much closer to an American exemple of the style. In any case, it's one of my favorite examples of the style as I really love the resinous bitterness and herbal accents here, as well as the expressive red berries and rich caramel and toffee maltiness. It's exactly my kind of Barleywine as it completely lacks the cloying sweetness that many English examples of the style display. Instead it's reather fruity, herbal, bitter and resinous, while still featuring a rich caramel malt presence. The rosemary is just balanced perfectly, leaving a subtle yet distinct impression without feeling overbearing, with the spruce tips just reinforce the Centennial hops perfectly.

Shared 500 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Jørpeland. ABV is 11.4%, Deep brownish red colour, off-white head. Aroma of malts and over-ripe red berries, notes of herbs. Sweet malty flavour, distinct notes of strange herbs, some bittering hops in the finish. Weird, but interesting.

 

 

Pours a hazy amber color with a medium top of beige head that dissolves slowly.
Aroma is of caramel, figs,prunes, liquorice, forrest flowers, wild berries, honey and a lot of herbs.
The taste is sweet and bitter with strong herbal tones at the start , with strong malty presence in the back with caramel notes. I sense the presence of both dried fruits, wild berries and a lot of different herbs in the flavour.
The finish is quite bitter, but is nicely balanced out with the malty profile in the back. Aftertaste has a good lenght.
Creamy and smooth mouthfeel with a full body and a moderate carbonation.
A really great barleywine.

This barleywine is, in my opinion, the best of its class I've had so far. The appearance, taste, smell, and mouthfeel are all exceptional in their own right, and together are even greater.

Look: Pours a deep, cloudy amber which forms a body of nearly-opaque mahogany. A thick, two-finger, off-white collar forms immediately upon the end of the pour which slowly fades to a thin lacing over the entirety of the top.

Smell: Dark red fruit (overripe cherry, plum, fig, wine grape) up front with a potent mix of herbs right behind (I personally think of rosemary, basil, and maybe a faint mint note).

Taste: Bitter (think quality medicinal quinine rather than alcohol bitterness) herbal on the very front, reminds me of fresh-picked rosemary, chive, and turnip leaf, bitterness rapidly fades to rich toffee and malt notes along with some delicate floral sweetness. Lingering taste of herbs, charred caramel, and rosewater. Alcohol is completely hidden, which makes me grateful this is a rich sipper of a beer.

Feel: Heavy body but with a medium carbonation which prevents it from being flabby. Lingering syrup on the tongue, palate, and throat. A very filling, rich beer.

Overall: This is a barleywine which does something new while still staying true to the rich, sweet roots of barleywine. The herbs provide a perfect counterpoint, and create an incredibly satisfying beer which provides a great and varied palate without being overwhelming.

Poured from fridge temp. Pours a deep and dark mahogany. Good carbonation. Nose is caramel, cherries, grapes, vanilla, figs and nuts. Taste is really nice. A tad bitter upfront, but really nice complexity all the way through. Definitely getting some nuts and herbs. Maybe chives mixed with some caramel. It's quite different from a typical English Barleywine, but it's interesting. I am honestly not a huge fan of the herbal notes. They provide a bitterness that I prefer not be there in my barleywines. Mouthfeel is nice - medium bodied. Alcohol well hidden.

Poured at the Borefts 2015
Extremely Surprising beer (and brewery in general)! Only 20 liters of this beer was produced, lucky I had the opportunity to taste it