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