Epic Barley Wine Review

Name: Epic Barley Wine
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11.2%

Note: This review is based on the Release #10 batch

I have been seeing more and more of Epic Brewing popping up. Recently I've been seeing other release series besides their Exponential Series on the store shelves which is quite nice to see and they have no plans for stopping in terms of selection.

In my review of their Imperial Stout, I mentioned that the ABV shifted depending on the release for the beer in question. The same holds true here as well though I was unable to gather the previous ABVs for the last releases of this beer, though this one comes in at 11.2%

Epic Barley Wine pours a dark crimson color with a filmy brown head and a strong haze. The carbonation visible in the glass is moderate and you can make it out along the sides of the glass.

The aroma starts off with a rather malty scent with chocolate, caramel, and plum notes. In the back there are some fairly pungent grapefruit and citrus hop notes, which is faintly masked by the maltiness.

Much like the nose, the flavor is also fairly malt heavy upfront with caramel, toffee, roasted barley which are followed by a citrus hop sweetness. There is some boozy sweetness that is rather noticeable throughout.

It possess a rather thick body and while the carbonation starts out strong, it does taper off after a while. Best to let it sit for a few minutes before trying it out.

All and all, it's a solid barleywine-style ale with a pretty good flavor. The booziness does get in the way of the flavor but it isn't a deal breaker. Besides at the price I paid for it ($5.99) I really can't be one to complain too much.

Epic Barley Wine - 8/10

Epic Imperial Stout Review

Note: This is based the Release #10 batch

When I think of Utah, I think we can all agree that craft beer is not amongst the things that pops into our heads. I mean, Utah has some of the strictest alcohol laws in America, so it's hard to imagine that it could be anything craft beer related could come out of Utah.

Well, I have been seeing more and more of Epic Brewing, a Utah based Craft Brewery, in stores recently and haven't really bothered to check them out until now. In fact, when I did happen to finally start checking them out, I was surprised to see that they were based out of Utah. For right now, they come in 22oz. Bombers and from what I've seen, it's only the Exponential Series which is available in around here.

The other thing the Exponential Series I've noticed is that their beers have a different ABV based on which "Release" it is. For example the Epic Imperial Stout, which I'll be reviewing, is Release #10 and has an ABV of 11.4%. Now compared to Release #9 of the same beer, that has a 9.4% ABV; Whether it's intentional or not remains to be seen.

Epic Imperial Stout pours a pitch black color with a foamy dark brown head with some carbonation visible on the sides of the glass and no lacing, giving it a clean finish.

The aroma has notes of Chocolate, Vanilla, Licorice, Roasted Barley & Malts, and just a hint of coffee. In terms of flavor, the Chocolate and Roasted Barley & Malts are more pronounced, giving it a slight Oak taste. The Vanilla and Licorice take a backseat in terms of flavor but are still noticeable. There is a slight booziness in the flavor, but it doesn't really hurt the overall quality of the flavor.

The body is fairly light for an Imperial Stout, and the carbonation starts out quite strong but it tapers off after a few minutes. Once that happens, it becomes a very smooth and drinkable Imperial Stout.

While nothing jumped out at me in particular, aside from the slight oak flavor, this is a solid Imperial Stout. I think if allowed to age, and in a barrel (hint hint!), this would taste amazing. For now, I'll settle for good!

Epic Imperial Stout - 8/10