Flat Earth Winter Warlock English-style barley-wine ale

I'm doing a big of focused work on this blog, trying to cover the local beers as best as I can, though it's not easy with all the new breweries that keep popping up, left and right. Just today, another new one debuted. How long has it been since the last, a month or so? Crazy.

So, while I'm tracking down the new, I'm also catching up with the not so new, and utilizing my old notes posted on other beer sites. Here are notes on Flat Earth Brewing's Winter Warlock English-style barley-wine ale, (9% ABV), written from a bottle 5 years ago in April of 2008, way, back when I still had a Flat Earth snifter (broken long ago)....

-------------------------------------------------

Into my Flat Earth snifter you go, Winter Warlock....the name and occasion is apt, as I thought last week, when we spent time in summery sun and basked in 60-degree weather, and the melting snow slipped out the sins of winter, that spring was finally here, at last. I was the fool, and the magician who rules the weather made a mockery of my delight...we're back at winter again, for awhile, and it's warlock now rules us. Aw, well... on to investigate this ale.

You are golden, sorcerer, with a quickly gone head... 

your aroma is mostly rich, sweet, boozy malt...I'm not feeling much more from it. 

Taste: more slick, more sweet, more malt, more booze...not exactly what I expect from the barleywines I enjoy most, and have historically found to my favor, but it is quite nice in it's own regard. Lacks the hops of many of those, and leans heavily on the malt...something about that dynamic takes it somewhere else, indeed. Golden, bright, crisp, and, yes, boozy...the 9 % isn't shy at all. Not that I'm complaining.I think Jeff Williamson has a thing for Fantasy/Sci-Fi/sword & sorcery,Tolkien, mythology, etc...not that I've played Dungeons & Dragons with him, but I bet if you played craps at his house, the dice would be twelve-sided. Sweetness is just right for a dessert or a nightcap, and the alcoholic warmth is well-needed in chilly evening (okay, mornings) as this... 'tis a fine ale...works nice, tonight ...another winner from Flat Earth.

-------------------------------------

I've had my ups and downs with this beer. Had it on tap and didn't like it much at all. And former owner/head brewer/beer creator Jeff Williamson is gone from the company. And this bottle I had last night? Tasted just fine, though the booze didn't stick out as much.