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The color of this "Killer" is awesome! Deep, dark, and shadowed over in a unpenetrable cast of blood brown. Thin and firm capping of tanned foam. Resides slowly to keep a slivered ring and ghostly strings of lace stick about the glass.

Aroma isn't much unfortunately. Partial cherry and berry, darkish, with a bit of off heat from a alot of malts used and a slow retreat in each wiff mirrors raisin and fig notes.

Taste is darkly doppelbock-like with a malt carriage and carry of dark fruityness that resembles a bunch of dark cherries, berries, figs and twigs, raisin, prune, and plummy stuff. Moderately paced and sticky/tacky to the tongue with a broad base of length across the finish of malty chewyness lingering with molasses, toffee, and slidings of the fruits. Hops are only skimped in with a bit of oily waxness of candle floral essense and brief pine pricks touching late.

Feel is quite sticky and malty yet clean and full. 'Substantially based in the malts this Barleywine is", as Yoda would maybe say.
Hops are very secondary, if at all grazed upon by the balance cows of the barleywine field in which my cows like to feed. As fore mentioned, much more Doppelbock-like in nature and character then Barleywine. I tend to favor more of the hoppy beasts that fold your tongue and then unfold it to develope tough and rough bites before soothing warmth comes in. This is all malts; dark, brooding, heady, large, and sticky with a long exposure over the finish of toffee and a somewhat dried fruityness.

Ok, so this is not quite the cereal that one might expect to pour in their bowl(glass) for a Barleywine, but as an example of the English style, and not the American, which I favor, this is quite solid. Malty rich and favorable for malt lovers alike. Too bad the aroma did nearly nothing for me.

Served In: Goblet

Vintage 2006.

Pours a deep and clear reddish mahogany. Finger or two of bubbly deep tan foam sits atop the brew. The foam slowly settles and leaves a little bit of lacing on the walls of the sniffer.

Nice thick malty aroma. Rich with notes of dates and a touch of raisin. Caramel and toffee with a nice fruity bit in there. No sign of the alcohol coming through at this point although it hasn't warmed much (served at around 55º F). Just a hint of oak.

Super smooth and silky body. Medium to thick in viscosity. Lots of caramel and a touch of toffee from the malt. Very fruity with raisin and a bit of date notes coming through. No sign of the alcohol once again.

Seems to be about perfect age wise. I could see it going downhill a bit with another year or two on it. Smooth and easily drinkable for a barleywine. Nice.

Price: $6.79 Served In: Snifter

Review from 12/20/06

A - Nice clean dark garnet color. Big tan fluffy head made up of mostly tight bubbles.

S - Green hops and lots of them. A bit of ripe red fruit (date?). Slight toffee or caramel background (hard to tell which here).

T - Fresh green hops combine with plums and dates. There is some toffee in here and almost a big of bittersweet chocolate.

M - Smooth. Medium to full bodied. Carbonation consists of fine bubbles and is good.

D - Very easy drinking barleywine. Another nice brew from Arcadia.

Served In: Pint Glass