Brew of '62
Slack Tide Brewing Co.

 

 

Oh this is a unique beer with a nice aroma and a very mild creamy taste. Does not seem strong from first sip, but watch out it has a great kick. I highly recommend for those who like a strong smooth tasting beer.

Let's start with the fact that this is a great looking bear. Color is a clear deep amber, but the highlight is the loads of dense khaki colored head with excellent retention that eventually leaves behind a persistent ring, a moderate cap, and just a bit of lacing. For a 13% ABV beer, this really looked great.

Aroma took me some time to warm up to. I was underwhelmed with the first whiff, as all I got was booze. That quickly changed as my schnoz acclimated. While the aroma certainly isn't bursting from the glass, there's a really nice caramel / brown sugar element to this that is very intriguing.

On the tongue the hops take center stage, at least initially with a bit of a piney bitterness the first thing I'm picking up. The malts are playing a bit of hide and go seek. They are there, but you have to look for them, even after fully warming up. Nice and smooth going down, with a pleasant warming that never strays over that invisible alcohol burn line.

Good after dinner beer.

Huge head production; decent retention; very nice lacing. Body is crystal clear and a lovely garnet-tinged copper color.

Deep but restrained aroma. Slightly floral and tannic, along with notes of caramel, toffee, bread, pine, grape, leather, lemon, and honeycomb.

Full bodied and flavorful. Although it's bitter, the hops add a significant amount of flavor as well. Quite a bit of lemon and tannic flavors, with the overall effect being quite similar to lemon tea. The caramel malt backbone here is much less prevalent than in other barleywines; in effect, it's not unlike a massive red IPA.

At 13%, this is a slow sipper, but it's smooth enough that you could down it quickly if you were so inclined - and perhaps a touch reckless.

Pours a beautiful burnished gold to orange. The sandy head froths up 2 fingers and slowly, lazily retreats. Very nice retention with scattered layers of lacing.
The nose initially had me thinking English barleywine. Notes of toasted caramel and hints of apple brandy led the charge.
But then I sipped. Oh wow, this really is a graceful American barleywine. The sweet is definitely there: again caramel, dates, raisins, baked apples in cinnamon. But there is a taming of the sweets with some hop bitterness. It's nuanced and complex. At first it comes on strong, then takes a step back. Definitely one to enjoy as a sipper. As it warms I pick up more of the floral citrus and mild pine along the lines of Centennial, or maybe Cascade, hops.
The carbonation is light, the feel is full enough for style but has a magical heft to it. It's always there. But the ABV is only a gentle warming, this is smooth.
Overall, a fantastic American barleywine. For those who think they only like English barleywines I would recommend this as a highly approachable version of the usually hopped up style.

Reviewed on date of can release. This is a special release for Slack Tide's 5th Anniversary. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a rosy-orange color with a large, creamy, ecru-colored head and spotty lacing. The aromatic nose features candied apple, raisin, banana, caramel, brown sugar, and clove. The first thing I taste is the booziness. There's no avoiding the 13% ABV. It's also strongly bitter - as typical for an American Barleywine - but the bitterness is balanced by the sweetness of the malt and fruit. As it warms I notice the strong malty background, along with the the raisin and perhaps fig. It will be interesting to see how the tastes develop as it ages in the can. The mouth feel is thick - almost syrupy - with mild carbonation, and the high alcohol level is warming. Overall, this Barleywine drinks big. It's a great beer for drinking on a cold winter's night. I generally prefer the English style of Barleywine but this is very good.