This bottle was picked up in Lancaster, CA after a visit to Kinetic Brewing. On sale for $4.99! Was it cared for before I bought it? Let’s see….
First some math, this was the 2010 Reserve from Full Sail. It is now 2014. And this beer is under 10% ABV. Back in 2010, I sampled the 2009 version and had this to say, Not a huge barleywine fan but I can tell this one is done well. This was the 09 version and it wasn’t overpowering in alcohol. Still had some nice hop kick to it. Will be interesting to see how it ages.
Well, now I appreciate the barleywine much more.
Boardhead pours an amber brown color with little to no head. Not much lacing either here. The aroma seems astringent with notes of apple. Reminiscent of British type beers. There is not much in the way of hops here. Medium to high dryness. More of the apple type taste comes through but not sweet at all. This does warm the cheeks though and I get a certain bourbon-esque quality too. There are still some bubbles but it also has a touch of silkiness to it as well.
The Verdict – This falls under the category of “probably should have opened earlier”. A category that I think will be packed. It is not bad but I think that I had popped it in 2012 that more notes would have been there to combat the apple that is the most dominant part of this beer.