El Diablo
Sankt Gallen Brewery

 

 

This one boasts a big, eggy white head composed of soapy, fragile bubbles. Retention is fair, no doubt undermined by the 10% ABV. The body itself is a mellow peachy brown, hazy but still quite translucent. The nose is surprisingly meek, offering up some leafy/herbal hops, a bit of Dunkel Weizen-esque banana and clove, warm, Vodka-like alcohol, and lovely caramel/toffee malts - but not much depth and not much oomph. The actual taste has far more impact: big, bad, spicy hops dominate, made more spicy by the volatile alcohol. The hops' flavor is like a brushfire: hot as hell, wide, and woody - reminiscent of cedar à la Hitachino Nest, in fact. It also carries a nice herbal shadow, something like Campari mixed with root beer, but without so much sugar. And that brings me to the beer's major flaw: incredibly underdeveloped malts. There is a somewhat sugary backdrop to this beer, but the actual flavor of the malts, that nice caramel aroma, is almost completely dissolved and washed away by the massive hop bomb. There is some nice fruitiness, especially in the finish - grapes and berries come to mind - but I want more from the malts. I also want more from the mouthfeel; this seems thin and far too airy, although I must say the sugary quality may be too much were this any heavier. Overall it lives up to its name - it is an incendiary, devilish brew - but not among my favorite barleywines. Possibly among my favorite DIPAs, though!

Thanks to aceofhearts for sharing this awesome beer!
"The diablo" pours a light muddy chocolate brown with a light beige head. Smell is light and bright, fresh malt with just a hint of alcohol. Taste is pretty hoppy up front with earthy and piney hops and dark and toasty malt. Beyond that, there is an oaky drying characteristic. Slightly bubbly mouthfeel. Really nice woodsy and hoppy toasty malt combo. As good as it is unique. Thanks again.