Oh, how am I looking forward to this one! Limited to 475 cans we have got our hands on number 362, it is one of those that looks almost too good to drink and certainly one that you would like to keep in the collection to show off to friends. BUT…We are all about providing reviews to our readers so without further ado, lets get the can open and taste the contents!
1. Name: #004 Singularity Series – Heavy Dreams Marsala Barley Wine
2. Brewery: Turning Point Brew Co. (Knaresborough)
3. Hops: Godiva, First Gold & Bullion
4. Grain: Barley, Wheat & Dark brown sugar
5. Aroma: Very pleasant sweet aroma with notes of figs and sticky toffee cutting through the alcohol presence.
6. Appearance: Ruby/Claret in colour with a two finger dissipating white head.
7. Body: Very full mouthfeel but despite the strength slips down very easily
8. Taste: Initial sweetness with an extremely complex flavour profile of fig, dark berries, sticky toffee caramel with subtle barrel aging and powerful yet complimentary alcohol presence
Firstly, let me clear something up for those who may not be sure what Marsala is. Marsala is a fortified wine that is produced in Sicily and is often stronger than the standard wines thus proving to be a great ingredient often used in cooking. So with this in mind it clearly proves to be an effective addition which made me even more excited and curious to see how aging a beer in Marsala barrels would work and honestly it is very nice indeed!
An extremely complex barley wine that has an aroma that is extremely pleasant and sets you up very well for what is about to come. In terms of taste the complexities continue with all kinds of extremely nice flavours bouncing around the mouth and lingering well on the palate. There is so much going on in this that with each mouthful you get different flavours. Initially figs and dark berries dominate which make way for a sweet sticky toffee caramel flavour that adds a pleasantness rather than making you feel that it ever comes across too sweet.
The taste of the barrel aging is quite subtle but that is not a bad thing as again the subtleties add to the experience and allows the other flavours to cut through the powerful alcohol presence well. As the beer goes down you do get quite a strong alcohol kick but thanks to the complexities of the brew this again only compliments proceedings and it is only after you have drunk the can that you actually start to realise that it is in fact an 11% abv drink.
I have to say that Turning Point have brewed something special with this and I absolutely loved every mouthful, Now, where can I get my hands on the other 474 cans…. Excellent!!!
Our overall rating: 4.4/ 5.0
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 