I’ve not had a barley wine with such a low ABV before and I’m not sure it works too well, though that is an entirely subjective statement.
And so this will be an entirely subjective review.
But then, what review isn’t?
Everything you would want from a barley wine is here, there’s a stench of bruised apples and nutmeg and the colour is just the right thick, bright, deep orange.
Your mouth is filled with English summer fruits gone over, bashed and bruised and ready to be juiced, and there’s an autumnal brown leaf mulch gooeyness and bark dryness that is very nice indeed.
But there’s just not enough heat, not enough booze.
I like a barley wine to heat me through, to give me stewed fruits like this drink does, but for them to be so warm they feel as though they’ve just come off the hob.
This is Elizabethan Ale is pretty good but it’s not a favourite.