What Our Panel Thought
Aroma: “Subtle aroma, mostly pear, apple, and stone fruit esters with some pale malt sweetness. Just a hint of vanilla and coconut. Sweetness from the malt balances well. A hint of dried thyme. Perhaps some Muscat grapes? Dulce de leche-like soft caramel. Very different than the others we’ve tried.”
Flavor: “A really well done blonde barleywine: light toffee, bananas, burnt toast, and a bowl of fruit. Light caramel. This is incredibly clean and very strong. Barrel character is complementary and comes through as coconut and vanilla. Some hops character.”
Overall: “Kind of like a Belgian barleywine, if that’s a thing. This is clearly its own thing. It doesn’t fall into the barleywine box, but it is very much a barrel-aged and strong unique take on the style, with the focus being on the lighter malt and barrel character.”
What the Brewers Say
“Helldorado has the lightest color of any of the beers in our barrel program but lots of barrel character: vanilla, light char, and lavender-honey notes. Rich honey liqueur and smooth sweet toasted malt. El Dorado hops dance in the background.”
