New Belgium Brewing Company Lips of Faith Series Blackberry Barley Wine Ale American Barleywine at 10% ABV (US$8.41 at Specs Main Houston, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 23-Jan-2016, reviewed 22-Jun-2016)
Appearance: clear ruby-tinged amber-brown with one finger of creamy light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muted, caramel, grassy, mild dark fruit. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry slightly sticky warming finish. (4/5)
Decently smooth and surprisingly easy-drinking for a double-digit ABV. Tastes slightly better than the fairly muted aroma: there is a little field berry tartness on the tongue, but in all honesty I don’t get a lot of that on the nose. Fairly sweet, but between the pleasant carbonation and the lingering mild berry tart it never gets cloying. Good, but not even close to my favourite in the Lips of Faith Series. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
