Full Sail 2010 Old Boardhead Barleywine Reserve, a limited release from Full Sail Brewing, poured a deep honey hue with a small head, single line of lacing, and a single trail of carbonation running up on side of the glass. The nose is led by maltballs and honey with slight tea and orange hop notes.
Full Sail 2010 Old Boardhead Barleywine Reserve opened extremely hoppy, with dark citrus, grapefruit rind, and a carbonated prickle. The ale never settles into malt, and stayed mostly hop-focused to the semi-bitter (pun intended) end.
Full Sail 2010 Old Boardhead Barleywine Reserve drinks more like an Imperial IPA with an out of whack malt profile than it does a strongly hopped barley wine, which is both a weakness (from a style perspective) and a strength (from a taste and novelty standpoint). The ale is a great introduction to the barley wine style ale for an IPA drinker, and just a fun, if iconoclastic, drink for a cold evening.
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