Boy Band
Parker's Hilltop Brewery

32 ounce crowler into snifter, filled on 8/18/2019. Pours slightly hazy dark ruby red, light orange/copper/brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balanced and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Mild pine, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, brown bread/crust, vanilla, molasses, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic malt/hop/roast bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.7%. Overall this is a fantastic English barleywine! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangeorusly easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish. Amazingly smooth/silky/soft feel for the ABV. Amazing balanced super rich English malts and English yeast complexity; with solid earthy hops. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example. One of the better non barrel-aged versions I've had for sure. They nailed everything I expected for the style.