Brewer's Cut Blonde Barleywine Ale (Dry-Hopped)
Real Ale Brewing Company

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From:
Real Ale Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 14.89%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 23, 2014
Added:
Apr 09, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by obrike:
Photo of obrike
Rated by obrike from Texas

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

May 30, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of titty_mcbitty
Reviewed by titty_mcbitty from Tennessee

4.07/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A: reddish blond and creamy

S: citrus hops, malt, pine, sugar

T: similar to the nose, but with brown sugar, cookies, and b ready notes added. Some caramel as well.

M: pretty full and light carb.

O: a nice beer! I like the creativeness in the style.
Apr 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by greenspointexas from Texas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by ATX117 from Texas

Dec 03, 2013
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.43/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard Real Ale label art and branded pry-off pressure cap acquired as part of a 4 pack at me local HEB Grocery Store and served into an Independence Brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are average given the brewery. Best before: 12/31/13. Edition No. 006. Dry Hopped. No ABV is listed on the label. Reviewed as a blonde barleywine because it identifies as such in the name.

Served cold, straight from me fridge, and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as I pour.

Pours a thin quarter-finger wide head of no creaminess or frothiness whatsoever. It's white in colour and recedes fully within 30 seconds; weak and pathetic. Slight lacing.

Body colour is a clear (transparent/translucent) yellow-copper of below average vibrance. No yeast particles are visible.

Overall, it's quite a bit lighter than most barleywines, so I guess it looks pretty standard for a blonde barleywine. In spite of the underwhelming head and body, I'm looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Has a prominent malty sweetness, with munich malts, pale malts, and English malts. Floral hop character. Vague citrusy and tropical fruit notes. Honey. Some zest. Fruit rind. It's a raw unrefined aroma, and I don't find it particularly pleasant, alive, or inviting.

No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

Overall, it's a very light aroma - almost muted.

T: Bready malts, English (pale) malts, munich/blonde malts, clean barley, floral hops, and fruity hop notes - both tropical and citrusy. Each note is shockingly shallow, barely evoking anything. Honey, nectar, lemon/lime zest, fruit rind - orange, tangerine. Has some alcohol heat, but it's not boozy - just unpleasant. It has some general cohesion, but it's not well-balanced or gestalt. It's certainly on the sweet side. Lacks complexity and subtlety. There's no nuance here. It's actually fairly boring and bland; I'm surprised how flavourless it is. It does have a raw rind-y fruit character that I'd call off. There's little to like here.

Flavour duration is well below average for the style. Flavour intensity is average.

Mf: A bit too thick and syrupy. Somewhat harsh/acrid. Sticky. Has some heat to it. Smooth and wet. Unrefreshing. Doesn't suit the flavour profile too well; it feels a bit thrown together. Overcarbonated. I'm not a big fan.

Dr: A lackluster blonde barleywine from Real Ale. Uninspired and muted; there's hardly any flavour here. It doesn't even hides its ABV well. I see no reason to ever get this again, and I wouldn't recommend it to friends or trade partners. I've had my fair share of bad barleywines, but they always went for something; they were bold with their flavour profiles even if that profile ended up not being very good. This is so closed off and timid that it achieves a level of blandness I've never encountered in the style. This is one to be avoided. Not Real Ale's best work by any means.

D+
Oct 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by chebode2 from Germany

Sep 22, 2013
Photo of inlimbo77
Reviewed by inlimbo77 from Delaware

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz, 12/31/13 BBD
Riedel tulip

A: Pours a light golden orange. Yellow orange. Some sediment in there. Thin layer of white disappears into a collar of white. Doesn't seem like tons of carbonation.

S: Smells like a Belgian blonde ale. There are some light hops. Sweet malts.

T: Up front you get some Euro hops. Provides a slight bitterness. It really drinks light a Belgian golden ale without the yeast character. Sweet malts, but not similar barleywine. Finish is on the drier crisper side.

M: Fuller side of medium.
Aug 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by kjkinsey from Texas

Jul 25, 2013
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Got in a trade with Cyde. 12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 12/30/2013. Pours hazy and cloudy orange amber color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of orange zest, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange rind, floral, honey, bread, light pine, and floral earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and hop notes; with fairly weak strength. Taste of big orange zest, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange rind, tangerine, floral, honey, bread, pine, and floral earthiness. Fair amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, citrus zest, floral, pine, honey, bread, and floral earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of hop and malt flavors; with a very nice malt/bitterness balance and no cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slick and moderately sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice blonde barleywine. Good balance and complexity of malt and hop flavors; and quite smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.
Jul 10, 2013
Photo of etaggie09
Reviewed by etaggie09 from Texas

3.87/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
appearance: two finger off-white head. hazy topaz hue. medium carbonation from what it looks like. head fades sllowly to a one finger and then to a cap while drinking. lace sticks quite nicely to the glass.

nose: bready with some honey, toffee, and malt. some citrus in there. maybe a little apple. slight grapefruit. muted grassiness.

taste: buttery with some similar notes as the nose. honey wheat bread with a citrus and dry bitter finish. definitely some toffee and a hint of dark fruit. this is not as heavy on the sweetness as a full out barleywine, but it has the flavor profile of one while being somewhat muted, though not in a bad way. This is definitely a more refreshing version that was not meant to be as big as it can be. it definitely has that brown sugar thing going on. pretty well balanced between sweet and bitter.

mouthfeel: nice and chewy with moderate carbonation. pretty damn perfect for this beer. i wouldn't change anything about the mouthfeel.

overall: As barleywines are my favorite style, I've had plenty of experiences where one barleywine is enough. They are incredibly flavorful, but also very heavy, rich, and strong so typically the ones i find in bombers are definitely enough. this is the first blonde barleywine i've ever had and i dare say that the brewers are genius to produce this beer. it definitely mixes the classic barelywine flavor with the drinkability of a summer beer so that i can actually enjoy barelywines in the summer without having to blast my AC to simulate the winter climate. the only caveat with this beer is that it should not be allowed to get as warm as a typical barleywine. if you follow the serving temperature of a pale ale, this is smooth, flavorful, and just awesome all the way through.
Jul 07, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by NeverSettle from Texas

Jun 24, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by WritersBlock from Texas

May 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by wtkphoto from Michigan

May 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by strib from Texas

May 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by tjkinate from Nebraska

May 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by kew from Texas

May 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by vcoggins from Texas

Apr 26, 2013
Photo of hoplover82
Reviewed by hoplover82 from Texas

2.84/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
A-pours a rich golden color with a medium white head that has okay retention and some mild lacing.
S- The aroma is quite faint for a barley wine. Just some bready, malty aromas and some fruity esthers from the yeast is all I pick up. They say it's dryhopped but I can't tell. This is super fresh so it's a big let down in the aroma catagory.
T- The flavor is a lot like the aroma, a big let down. Not much hops to taste, very one diminsional. Mainly just bready biscut like notes and that's it.
M- Full bodied, thick and creamy with a slightly sweet mild finish. Carbonation level is on the mild side as well.
O- Overall, I was not impressed. This is one of the least impressive beers from real ales "brewes cut" release so far. I actually would not recommend this beer to a friend. For an american barley wine, this is a poor representation.
Apr 25, 2013
Photo of pgfault
Reviewed by pgfault from Texas

4.12/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured into pint tumbler with significant head with extensive lacing. Head smells quite hoppy, very nice. Initial taste is mild hops. This persists and finish is quite dry. My only minor gripe is wanting to taste a bit more of the underlying beer, as the dry hop is quite potent. Overall, a very enjoyable brew.
Apr 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by drinkAK from Alaska

Apr 16, 2013
Brewer's Cut Blonde Barleywine Ale (Dry-Hopped) from Real Ale Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 26 ratings