Stuck At The Tunnel

At 10.1% abv and 120 IBU, this large format big beer (22 oz. bombers only!) is sure to keep you warm during the upcoming winter.  This barleywine pours a dark amber with a slight haze and a small, splotchy, off-white head.  The aroma is prominent chocolate and coffee malt complimented by bready and toasty highlights; this aroma is a bit peculiar for a barleywine as chocolate and coffee are rarely noted in the style let alone be the prominent features!  But, the malt aroma is accompanied by welcomed resinous hops with lightly dank notes.  The flavor features a little less dark malt allowing the bready and toasty elements to become more even with the chocolate character.  The beer finishes moderately bitter with lingering chocolate malt and a background of breadiness.  Despite the peculiar malt character for this style, the beer is well brewed and enjoyable to drink.  This big beer will be quite interesting to try with a few years of age as time allows the malt characters to meld and the dark malts to mellow.