Harpoon Barleywine

The saying goes that in life there are no second chances. Luckily for me, the Harpoon Brewing Company is a lot less hard-nosed in their beer-producing morality. Not to say that they play fast and loose with their brewing ethics mind you, but they did give lackadaisical beer drinkers like myself a second stab at their previous 100-Barrel limited release Barleywine.

The label touts its credentials like a decorated general does his medals of valor. Weighing in at a whopping 10.3% alcohol by volume and 80 ibu, this rough customer will certainly make you stand up and salute.

Upon opening a freshly chilled Barleywine, the imbiber is immediately greeted with the hoppy denizens of this bottle. They were here before you and will remain long after you are gone. Not the strongest smelling beer I've had by any stretch of the imagination, lightly caramelly and hoppy on the nose.

The Barleywine pours a slightly cloudy tawny brown with a quickly dissipating head and very little lacing. The taste is rich and full, both toasty and quite bitter. In the bitter aftertaste, there are the slightly disturbing ghosts of peach and lychee haunting the alcoholic vapors. Though smoother than the alcohol content would suggest, this beer is still quite sharp on the tongue and throat.

The strongest characteristic of this brew is the bitterness; it sticks around to slap your face after you swallow a mouthful of this beer. Very interesting, but after drinking three bottles my typing skills are suffering so I would believe that this beer is stronger than it tastes, and I shouldn't have had Harpoon's Barleywine on an empty stomach.