Beer #168 - Killer Penguin Barleywine Ale, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, Colorado

And part of the joy of winter are the wide releases of barleywine style ales. Characterized by their sweet and strong elements, they help to warm these cold months. The Boulder Beer Company's barleywine selection is the Killer Penguin. Barleywine's age well, their finer tones evolving and developing over time. This particular one is from 2008 and is 10%. Let's pour.

It pours an auburn color with a big head.

The aroma holds tones of sweetness, fig, alcohol and molasses.

It is a very very smooth and silky sipper. Indeed, rarely have I had barleywines so smooth. Oak and fig develop in the body, slightly coating the tongue with molasses and burnt caramel, but distinctly steering clear of the stickiness that pervades the heavy ales. Alcohol tones arrive late, firing up the taste buds.

The aftertaste hold the alcohol tones which round out subtly and smoothly with oak and fig sweetness.

Highly recommended for fans of very smooth ales and newbies of barleywine styles, to help you ease into the realm of these ales.

Cheers!

Never Summer Ale, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder Colorado

Our next beer comes from somewhere that definitely knows something about winter. The Boulder Beer Company is advertised as Colorado's first brewery. They have an assortment of beers with a decent amount of distribution around the US.

The Never Summer Ale pours a deep red with a thin tight head.

The aroma is earthy hop and mildly sweet.

The taste is bright hop, fairly aggressive from the get-go, but the bitterness is balanced out in the body by the malt. It mellows to a soft malty and very subtle finish. It is a little creamy and very smooth. There is a slight sweetness with the malt in the finish. The hop mellows over drinking and the beer becomes a subtle winter warmer that is easy to drink and very easy to pair.

The aftertaste is mildly bitter with mild malt. The palate resets quickly.

This is an easy party beer - a little something for everyone in it's hop and malt. Not too extreme, so it is a safe bet -

From their website:

5.94%
Bitish Dark Caramel Malt & U.S. 2-row Barley. The hops are: Nugget, Willamette, Cascade and "Top-Secret Brewmater's Spice"

Cheers!