For the Third Beer of Christmas, we tried a Barley Wine (see Style below).
I’ve only had two other Barley Wines in my life and didn’t like
either. Although during my days of homebrewing I always wanted to try
to make one. This one came highly recommended from a clerk my daughter
knows at World Market.
The Hog Heaven pours out as a dark, golden orange color with a high
level of fine carbonation. The head built quickly and the crispness of
the carbonation stayed in the feel of the beer until I was well near the
bottom of the glass. Which, in all honesty, took a while. And that’s
because …
Whoa! This beer is a handful. Or mouthful, rather. You might need to brace yourself for this one.
The lightly fruity citrus aroma is accompanied by a strong whiff of
alcohol. Almost like if someone a couple of feet from you opened up a
bottle of Cabo Wabo Anejo Tequila and you caught a light whiff of it.
These two smells can be compared to an old west gunslinger showing you
his two six-guns when you meet in the street for a gun fight. When you
taste the beer, he’s just drawn on you and fired.
The intense hop taste followed by an alcohol warming in the throat is
nearly overwhelming at first. But over 5 or 6 drinks, it became more
comfortable. Possibly because it killed my taste buds.
It reminded me of an extra strong Double IPA. Aubrey was not a fan of this one. But, she’s not a fan of regular IPAs, much less doubles.
Give it a try, but you might want to be prepared to share the big 22
oz. bottle. I have a second one in my refrigerator. Wyatt … I’m
bringing this to your house to share on your next Brew Day.
Stats
Brewer: Avery Brewing Company
Location: Boulder, CO
Website: http://www.AveryBrewing.com
Style: Barley Wine
Alcohol Content: 9.2% ABV
Interesting Note: Founder Adam Avery started Avery Brewing Company in
1993 after 7 years of home brewing experience. To my home brewing
friends out there … yes, you can turn your hobby into a career! Please
consider this to be my application to be your official alpha-taster!
No comments:
Post a Comment