Sovereign of Nockmaar
Varietal Beer Company

 

 

Dark orange body, nearly brown-like; dense and lively carbonation; excellent head, spongy and creamy. Toffee and caramel on the nose; mild amount of booze and spiciness. Caramel, toffee, vanilla flavors; moderate booziness oozing through the malt sweetness; mildly tannic. Heavy body; oily; warm; soft alcohol heat; gently sticky on the palate.

At nearly 14% ABV, this beer has several things going for it. First, it has a fine, lasting head, something that many breweries can't seem to obtain (apparently). Secondly, although the boozy presence is there, it doesn't seem ham-fisted. The sweet malt base nicely complements the alcohol content and barrel-aging. Thirdly, it just seems well-balanced for a being a big brute of a beer. Yes, this one is a joy to experience.

One year old, properly cellared bottle. Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a hazy, medium to dark ruddy orange with a slightly fizzy, quarter finger off-white head that dissipates to sparse patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt, vanilla, plums, raisins and whiskey. Flavor is caramel malt, vanilla, dates, raisins, bourbon and mild mixed dark and light stone fruit and bourbon; somewhat sweet. Finishes drier with a light oaky astringency. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and surprisingly sharp carbonation. Although only a year old, this has the deeply sweet character of a well aged barleywine. Fruit flavors are vague, with vanilla and caramel being the dominant flavors. Flavor then tapers off into a drier, oakier finish with prickly carbonation. A bit on the sweet side, this has an interesting vanilla character that is usually just a light barrel influence on flavor, here it melds with the caramel to leave a very dessert character to the taste. Bourbon notes are clear and forward. ABV well covered. The sharp carbonation makes me a little leary of aging this very long, but it has held up well so far, although it might be too sweet after prolonged aging. Right now it's a great caramel/vanilla dessert barleywine; I like it.