Ozeno Yukidoke Heavy Heavy

It was pretty cold here Monday.  Just when I thought we had made the turn towards warmer Spring tempertures, too.  O well, it gave me the perfect chance to take out my bottle of Ozeno Yukidoke’s Heavy Heavy Barley Wine I’d been sitting on.  I’m not as much of a fan of big barley wines as when I was a beer newbie, but they still serve a (delicious) purpose on these cold days.  At 8.5% abv., this one didn’t fail to warm me up, either.  

Tasty Tasty

Caramel colored and lacking much of a head- just right for a barley wine in my book.  A wonderfully sweet, caramel, dark fruit filled aroma also contains plenty of hops.  Neat.  Sticky sweet mouth lets you know you’re not swigging an Asahi (or much else for that matter).  Caramel/molasses, dark fruits, cherries, wood, light chocolate, and honey played the biggest roles.  Heavy Heavy finishes dry, with noticeable alcohol (but not too hot) and hop bitterness.  A nice surprise from a Japanese BW, which tend to be entirely too sweet throughout.  This beer came together nicely and offered me much needed nourishment on this wintery, early spring evening.