Cracking Clapper
Campanology Brewing

Type: 22-oz. bottle
Reviewed as: American Barleywine
Glass: Rip Current 5th anniversary 8-oz. beer glass
Price: $4.99
From: Trader Joe’s in College Area (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: March 20, 2022
Consumed: March 25, 2022
Misc.: No bottled on date

#BiL

Grabbed a bottle of this, another pastry stout, and a 6-pack of Enegren The Lightest One. I generally like the beers that Campanology does (or at least the contract brewer), especially the stouts. Untappd description was “Notes of toffee, raisin and grapefruit.” Not a lot to go with.

Poured a chestnut-to-light brown color with three fingers of frothy-to-fizzy khaki-tan head. Pretty calm underneath the head. Bad watery lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled dark fruit, plum, prune, raisin, chewy caramel, toffee, leather, floral and perfume. (Smell - 3.75)

Tasted about as good as the nose. In order got dark fruit, prune, raisin, plum, chewy caramel, toffee, leather, oak, floral, perfume and earthy malt. Pretty damn smooth for 9 pct. ABV. (Taste - 3.50)

Medium body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.75)

Probably about as good as I expected. Very good overall. (Overall - 3.75)

3.72 | 84 | B

 

 

Pours a clear golden brown with adequate foam in the chalice. Some aroma of barley malt and a resiny nose. Bark and leaf mold. Flavor is on the grainy side with some dark, even charred notes. Fairly austere and alcohol tasting. Not overly sweet, which is a plus. Rather hoppy with a bitter aftertaste. Actually not bad for some sipping. Sometimes you just have to buy these things at Trader Joes just for the random adventure. From the 22 oz bottle.

22 oz bottle. Pours dark red with tall, long-lasting, foamy off-white head and nice lacing. Aroma is of caramel malt, dark fruit, brown sugar, herbal hops and alcohol. Body is full and crisp. Caramel malt, sherry, dark fruit, herbal hops and alcohol fill the mouth. Finish is long and dry. Nice brew.

 

22 ounce bottle, date stamp on the bottle is smudged but looks like it was packaged in January 2022. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a snifter, the beer pours a dark reddish/amber color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention and lacing are both pretty good. The brew smells like raisin, grapefruit, toasted malt, toffee and some pine. Taste is similar to the aroma, with the addition of some caramel and a bit of dark bready flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation. Thought this was a good overall barleywine. Worth a try if you get the chance!

22oz bottle.
2 finger sand colored head with very good retention - leaves some sticky lacing. Dark brown/amber body. Sweet nose full of malt, brown sugar, and dark fruit early with pine and orange coming on later. Medium budy, low + carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. Big hoppy punch of pine in the finish. Nice sweet and bitter balance - great drinkability. Very Good.

 

 

Pours brown / tan from large 1 pint 6 oz bottle into frosted glass with big frothy khaki foamy head. Notes of bread, toffee and caramel malt laced with subtle raisin and grapefruit hoppy after bite. Good barley wine / dark Belgium like style. Decent TJ value brew at 9% ABV.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a medium to dark reddish orange with a one finger light khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, raisins, dates and some vague citrus. Flavor is dry caramel malt with light biscuit, dates, raisins, figs and light toffee; mild citrus hops in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Trader Joe's has done a good job with their captive brands and Campanology seems to concentrate on big styles like stouts and barleywine. This is a good effort too. The style is a hybrid between the biscuity dark fruit profile of English barlewines and the hoppy finish of the American style; the English is the dominant character. Great toffee malt base without being too sweet, and very nicely integrated dark fruit notes. For my palette, the light touch of hops is more appropriate for a barleywine than the more aggressive, nearly quad IPA hopping of some American styles. Overall, this is a darn good barleywine and a super value at the price. I expect this line of brews to be satisfactory but low budget, but I thinks this one stands on its own. Good job.

22oz bottle, ~$4

Darkish, smell and taste is a malt bomb, insane sweetness, birthday cake with hop frosting... The other reviewers detailed this one nicely, so I'll just say: it's another solid TeeJay's brewski

Pours an effervescent cola color with a pinky of tan head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Cakey notes, figs & cola

T: Cakey, dry, woody hops, a little grapefruit, plus a little raisin up front. Caramel, pine & grapefruit assert as this warms, some raisin notes, plus dryness. Finishes a little dry, cakey, piney with a little grapefruit

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, pretty good balance. Carbonation picks up a little as this warms

Solid American BW, pretty reasonably priced at Trader Joe's

Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a reddish hued deep amber color with a small head of off-white foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is rather strong of a toffee and caramel smell mixed with tons of molasses and brown sugar. Quite sugary! Along with these aromas comes some wood and rummy booziness as well as some notes of must and herb. Notes of raisin and a grapefruit hop citrus are there as well, rounding out the aroma nicely and creating a rather inviting and sweet smell overall.
Taste – The taste starts out with a somewhat dense lightly roasted malty flavor with some of the sweeter notes that were in the nose. There is a presence of caramel, toffee, molasses, as well as some raisin and prune. While present, these sweeter are not as potent in flavor as one may have expected from the nose. Upfront there are also some flavors of a grapefruit and herbal hop, with the both getting a bit more subdued as the taste moves forward. Also as the taste advances, the sweeter tastes get stronger in nature, taking on a more dominant role. They are also joined by some warming oaky booziness as well as a little bit of a earthy hop. With a surge of the sweet, a recurrence of the grapefruit, and a little bit of pepper one is left with a sweeter and warming, but moderately hopped taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is thick with a carbonation level that is low. For the rich malty and sweet tastes of the brew the feel is appropriate and makes for a nice sipper.
Overall – A nice barleywine that is more toward the style of English, but still has a nice overall hop balance. While not the best out there, this is certainly one to try, and at its price point of around $4 for a bomber, it is a great value.

Pours a ruby red with medium carbonation. Aroma is toffee and dark fruit. Taste is sweet with a rich fig taste. Aside from being a bit sweet this one is a pleasure to sip through as the booze balances things out a bit.

 

 

 

Cracking Clapper has a thick, creamy, ivory head and a copper appearance, with fairly heavy lacing. The aroma is of caramel, cocoa, vanilla, golden raisin, and toffee. The flavor is similar, with strong brown bread crust notes, strong bitterness, and nougat. Cracking Clapper has a medium body and a semi-dry finish.

RJT