The Triangle

Issue date: 1/16/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs

Here's to the official beer review of The Triangle! Each week I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale: The Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels, and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). But enough of this formality crap: let's talk brewski.

After a majority of stouts consumed in the past few reviews, I decided to check out a beer from an extremely different style.

Although the style's name suggests that it could be anything but a beer, it compensates with what it brings to the table.

Get ready to experience some of alcohol's effects - barleywine.

Barleywines, regardless of the name, are known by beer drinkers as some of the hardest hitting beers that you can get your hands on.

Generally strong in ABV levels and containing an intense taste, these beers are meant to be complex in their composition and effective at knocking you down - two things that I personally cannot complain about.

As you probably could guess, these beers feature a heavy amount of barley, which creates a sweeter overall blend. However, the American versions of this style are usually loaded with hops whereas the British versions are not.

Knowing this, it's very tough to judge how each brand will taste - some brands are sweet, some are bitter/hoppier, some are balanced, and then some get you drunk before you figure it out.

Although I've already reviewed a beer from Victory Brewing Company, I couldn't help myself and decided to stick with a good local craft.

Old Horizontal, like all other Victory brands, displays an interesting label.

With a half moon facing horizontally, sleeping and a cute poem explaining when to drink it, Victory is blatantly implying that one should be nice and relaxed after drinking Old Horizontal.

When poured out, the brew looks very inviting - a deep amber red color finished with a thick carbonated head.

Being one of my first barleywines, I was a bit surprised to find that this beer was not very aromatic.

Grains and sweeter flavors were highlighted by a small amount of hops. But since very few flavors were coming through, it was a bit frustrating that I couldn't sample the complexity of this style through scent alone.

Simply put, Old Horizontal had a very powerful, delicious taste. Even before I had the chance to swirl the brew around in my mouth, I was hit with a charmingly sweet flavor that grew into a cornucopia of taste.

Continued...

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