Ah, the good old barley wine……
So many people that I have come across still struggle with the concept and fail to identify the style as a beer, still insisting that it is a wine and, in some cases, refuse to entertain anything with barley wine in the name. Thankfully I am not one of those people and I am very open minded when it comes to beer, so it goes without saying that I am very much looking forward to this collaboration between Hops & Dots and Steam Machine that promises an unfined, unfiltered, unpasteurised, wild blackberry strong English Ale, and that to me sounds rather good!
1. Name : Bramble Barley Wine
2. Brewery: Hops & Dots (Bishop Auckland) & Steam Machine (Newton Aycliffe)
3. Hops : Not specified
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat & Blackberries
5. Aroma : Tarte ripe fruit aroma which could have you believing that this could be a sour rather than a barley wine
6. Appearance : Red in colour with no head retention. Perhaps to traditionalists this might not look the most appealing in the glass
7. Body : At 9% this is as full bodied as expected. A beer to savour.
8. Taste : Very little suggestion (apart from the body) that this is 9%abv. Very appealing almost herby, woody and slightly spicy first taste with a creeping ripe fruit bitterness that lingers on the palate.
At 9%abv this is a dangerous beer! Initial really pleasant taste with a very moreish creeping bitterness this slips down a treat, so much so that after a couple of mouthfuls you need to remind yourself that it is a strong beer and should be savoured.
Whilst the strong blackberry taste may prove to be a challenge to some, I found that this added something unique to a style of beer that I really don’t drink enough. This, it has to be said would prove to be a great winter warmer that would be great over the festive period in particular on a cold winters night.
Well worth checking out!
Our overall rating: 3.8/ 5.0
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 