Embalmer
North Country Brewing

 

Served in a snifter from tap at Harmony Inn. Good barleywine that with its sweetness leans English style. Not a significant hop presence for American style in my book. Nonetheless an enjoyable beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Embalmer
North Country Brewing
Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 8.4%

Aged version, the brewer stated it was brewed at least 18 months ago.

APPEARANCE: Ruby/Reddish hue and exhibiting fine clarity. Creamy foam ontop of a nice looking ale.

SMELL: Fruity ale yeast lumbers along with some booze soaked fruits and estery aromas. A bit of almost cherry like fruityness, brown sugar, and caramel.

TASTE: Follows the nose fairly closely with sweet fruity flavors of cherry and dark fruits. Caramelized malts lend a sugary, muscavado like flavor. Damn smooth for a big beer, though the alcohol was quoted as being 8.4% abv. Drank very easily, and the standard barleywine flavors are enhanced here. Sweet and fruity , with a little kick.

FEEL: Full bodied and having perfect level of carbonation, this was a real treat. Smooth, served up cold, and the flavor progressed throughout the drinking experience.

OVERALL: This is a fine beer. One of the best American Barleywines that I have tried. Silky smooth, very flavorful, and has aged gracefully.

Sampled at the Brewpub. 2007 brewing.

Smell is kind of boozy along with some brown sugar sweetness.

Taste is much the same, very noticeable alcohol, some rich maltiness and a bittersweet hop finish. Not as complex as I'd have thought.

Mouthfeel seems pretty light for a barleywine. Slight alcohol burn in the finish.

Drinkability is actually pretty decent, possibly a relation to the body of the brew, which is actually kind of an off point Could be dangerous. I do wish it were more complex.

This beer, served at the Brewery in Slippery Rock, PA is not what I expected at all. First of all, they serve it in a 10 oz glass, not a 12 oz glass due to the high alcohol content. This is not a bad idea at all because you don't taste strong alcohol while you drink it.

It has nice color, a little cloudy--just like any fresh-brewed drink. The first taste is crisp, sweet, and fruity. It finishes with a wine-like dryness. This is the first barley wine I've tried and if others are similar to this I can't wait to try another.

Drink cautiously though, it'll sneak up on you.

i tried this first on my first visit to north country. very nice. although i have had only a dozen or so barley wines, this one was near the top. this barley wine poured a light amber with a small head that disipated quickly. the smell was sublte considering the big flavor. taste was big and malty with plenty of nice bitter hops. mouthfeel was thick and carbonation was low. this brew was definately drinkable. alcohol was barely noticeable unlike some barley wines. it was served in a smaller mug (10oz?) than the usual pints for their other brews. the server warned me of the alcohol content after my third but, i assured him that i was seasoned in high abv drinkin'. perhaps he wanted to keep me from being embalmed.