Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine.

From Mikkeller marketing (that I had to hunt for): “Big Worse is the long awaited big brother of the small test brew Big Bad Barley Wine. The idea behind Big Worse is still to make a simple yet heavy barley wine – just like it’s smaller brother. But this time both the alcohol and bitterness has been pumped up! Big Worse is both thick and sweet and is the perfect beer for desserts. Enjoy it now or keep it for many years. Best stored dark and at cellar temperature.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a murky caramel color with a creamy head and very thick lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, brown sugar.  Big, big nose.

Taste: A giant! Sweet malts, raisins, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate and tart citrus flavors.  Alcohol is not masked, but not overwhelming.  This one would age VERY well.

Overall: I’m a big fan of Barley Wines and Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine is fantastic! Flavorful, sweet and well balanced this 12% ABV beast has me thinking about grabbing more as well as checking out their other beers. I think this will be another one for the cellar (if I can handle waiting).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey