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This will be my first taste of the County Line Series from Good People. I got lucky in getting this bottle. The owner of the shop gifted me a bottle after they had sold out. I am in his debt for his kindness. Served up in a snifter.

A: Pours up a deep brown color with garnet colored hues. Held to the light, more of those garnet and reddish hues come out. Although dark, the body is pretty clear and allows plenty of light through to add vibrancy. The pour yielded almost a finger or loose, bubbly, ivory colored head. This falls pretty quickly to a thick and complete ring that lasts the rest of the experience. The beer is thick and coats the glass with a film which makes any lace slide back down into the liquid.

S: This beer really does have a beautiful hop aroma. Getting a wonderful floral note that just fills the air. A little bit of pine and spice. Citrus comes out in the form of orange and grapefruit. Caramel and maple syrup round things out with some sweetness. Touch of booze can be detected.

T: So smooth and well put together. Starts off with some caramel malts and citrus hops. The citrus notes or orange zest and a touch of grapefruit tartness. This tartness is subdued by a very tasty maple syrup note. The maple and citrus just works perfectly together. Things shift to a pine and woodsy note with a touch of nuttiness. Everything just works together nicely and keeps from being too strong or assertive. Although I can smell and feel the booze, not much alcohol is coming across in the flavor.

M: Lighter side of full in body with a medium carbonation level. The beer is sticky and resiny from the hops oils, and really coats the mouth causing the flavors to linger. The ABV is very noticeable and it warms the throat and belly. Surprisingly, for a sweeter beer it finishes pretty dry. Aftertaste is citrus hops and maple.

OA: Just a very nicely put together beer. I was expecting a hop bomb of an American Barleywine, but it is pretty mellow and well balanced. It has all the hop flavor and aroma I want, but still has that sweetness and heartiness you would expect from a more traditional BW. My only wish is that Good People made more than 48 bottles. Damned nice beer.

Served In: Snifter