Green Flash Barleywine - Tasting and Aging Notes
By jason on May 14, 2008 in Barleywines & Strong Ales, Reviews
Name: Barleywine (No fancy names here!)
Brewer: Green Flash
Style: Barleywine (Bet you couldn’t figure that one out!)
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: April 9th, 2008
Original Tasting: April 21st, 2008
Green Flash’s barleywine poured a clear dark amber with a very light brown head. There were some sweet caramel and toffee malt notes in the smell, but they were totally overwhelmed by the citrusy spicy smells of the hops. It reminded me more of a double IPA then a barleywine. Given the big hop presence, I was pretty sure I knew where this barleywine was headed too….
After one good swig, I knew I was right. This barleywine was one hop bomb from start to finish. There were lots of complex flavors to the hoppy bitterness - mostly grapefruit (and orange) citrus notes, but there was a kind of spicy piney flavor as well. There was also a rich malt presence here - it’s just taking a background role to the hops. The malty sweetness had a caramel/toffee feel to it, but it really had a hard time exerting itself. A little bit of alcohol came in and rode this thick and syrupy brew out through the finish, which was sweet with intense lingering bitterness.
Enjoyable to drink, but most definitely a sipper.
Cellar Outlook: This brew could definitely use a year or two to calm down and balance out a bit. I’m hoping that as the hops pull back we’ll get some additional development of roasty flavors.
Next Tasting: October 2008
Jason
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