Crazy Mountain Local’s Stash Reserve Series Black Barleywine Style Ale

Crazy Mountain Local’s Stash Reserve Series Black Barleywine Style Ale clocks in at 11% ABV. This is bottle 1667 of 3600, packaged on what looks like 12/07/16. (the day part of the stamp is a bit hard make out) The label also tells me this can age for up to 12 months. Thanks to Kevin for yet another beer from his Rare Beer Club membership.

The beer pours with an extreme brown, almost black color and a big thick tan head. An unexpected tart fruity note is the first thing I smell on the nose, kind of like a mix between alcohol soaked raisins and lactose. Sweet caramel malt mixes with a little chocolate to round out the aroma. The taste is not what I was expecting. I was thinking this was going to simply be a jacked up Black Ale/IPA, but that isn’t really the case. Sweet caramel that has a hint of butterscotch blends with a perfect amount of dark fruit to lead off the taste. Some mildly bitter dark chocolate unfolds along with a good bit of roasted malt and hops. A touch of citrus, pine and earth is added by the hops. Although the hops get more bitter as the beer warms, overall they are milder for a Barleywine. Based on how the beer poured I expected a thiner mouth-feel, but this has some moderate heft with a slick feel and appropriate carbonation.

It took a few sips, but I really settled into what this beer has to offer.