THIS SHOULD OFFICIALLY BE BEER 200!!! As I have said in previous posts, I am behind in blogging about them all, but this beer officially makes my 200th beer if they are all counted properly. I have been to the Saucer a lot recently because I have been SO close, and it has finally paid off! I did not meet my goal of doing it in the year 2009, but I think I did it responsibly. I also enjoyed other beer experiences – tastings, brewery tours, and the like. Overall, this has been a great experience! Since I still have thirty some beers to blog about, this blog is far from ending. So keep reading!
Anyway, Smuttynose is a decent brewery out of New Hampshire. I have had several of their beers, and my recollection (which cannot be trusted when I have been drinking) is that I have enjoyed most of them. I also have not blogged about many, if any, barleywines, so I thought I would go for it. Rumor (aka the internet) states that a barleywine is merely called a wine because of the high alcohol content. It is definitely a beer because it is brewed from wheat. This barleywine is appropriately served in a snifter and is not very expensive. It is dark amber, almost red, in color and clear. It has a thick, though not very tall, head. It is very hoppy on the nose with a strong smell of alcohol.
The taste is immediately full flavored. While there is a strong bitterness, it is a little more balanced than some at first. However, the aftertaste is very hoppy/bitter. It is a little more balanced than the Stone Self-Righteous, which I also tasted today. There is a little more sweetness which mellows the strong bitterness of the high-alcohol hops. This beer is over 11% alcohol, so it needs some mellowness. It is the 2009 beer, so it has sat for a while. It is very nice though still maintains that bitterness at the end. It’s very powerful and not for every day drinking. Still, I give this beer 7 1/2 out of 10.
