Wait… What?!

I re-read.   Milford’s Best Beer Selection huh?…  I’ll show them.  I casually stroll in, expecting a vast array of Budweiser and Miller products.  Much to my surprise and delight, the first thing I see is a stack of cases of Founder’s Double Trouble, and Bell’s Hopslam.  WHAT??!?!?!?!  I FOUND HEAVEN.  Well, I wasn’t going to allow myself to be swayed by a stack of cases of good beer.  I meandered over to their beer cooler, where they even offer mix ‘n’ match 6 packs, as well as a solid selection of deucers and 750′s.    Wow.  What a surprise.  I’ve found a new favorite place to purchase alcohol in Milford.

But to the point.

I purchased Insanely Bad Elf.  I figured, recently I reviewed  Criminally Bad Elf with some favor.  Plus, it’s a whopping 11.2% alcohol by volume.   As you can see, it pours a copper color, and as I so elegantly cut out (my photography skills suck!) the head was once again lacking.  Granted with 11.2% ABV, you can’t expect much.  What you can, and should expect however, is sweetness.  In more ways than one.

The nose is sweet, and boozy.

Strangely, so is the taste.  Yeah, not that strange.   Sorry.  The interesting thing about the taste, however, is that there are some fruity notes.  Not like a belgian though, with the sweet and funky esters giving banana and clove flavors.  No.   This is almost like apples, or plums.  Something savory.

I have to admit, I really want to love this beer, and this series, but they’re not blowing me away.  In fact, it’s almost a little stale tasting and smelling.  There’s nothing mind blowing, or even bending about this beer.  It’s solid, but not bringing anything great to the table.

7.0

-brian!

So, I let this guy rip in a wine glass, because I figured barleywine has wine in the name.  Poured a beautiful light copper, which I must admit is considerably lighter than I’d expected.  Not to worry though.  The head was pretty weak also… Ok, so I started to worry.  The scent is sweet and malty, with hints of bitterness, and slight alcohol.  Mostly just sweet though, almost sickly.  Then…  then… you put it in your mouth.  It’s a whole different friggin ride when you put it in your mouth.

Oh the flavor!!!  What this beer lacks in absolutely all other areas, this beer makes up for in delicious and strangely unique flavors!  It’s sweet, spicy, bitter, and delicious.  I wasn’t really expecting the complexities this has to offer, and I must admit, the surprise this presented me with was worth every penny.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve smiled out of surprise and delight when trying a beer.  However, is this beer the greatest?  No…  but it’s not bad.  It’s akin to presenting some work from Kierkegaard at a molecular biology journal club.  It’s confusing, and delightful, and will certainly spawn some wonderful conversation, but it’s just not that stellar.

7.5/10

-brian