Boulder Beer Killer Penguin Barleywine
Traditional winter seasonals are warm and comforting - not this Penguin. Diving in at around 10 percent alcohol by volume, Killer Penguin uses over twice the malt as other winter beers, and is aged for over 6 months to perfect the condition and flavor of this barleywine style ale. This beer doesn't ferment, it hibernates, and wakes up with an attitude.
3.4
543 reviews
Boulder, United States
Community reviews
6 oz bottle. Pours a dark Ruby garnet. Very pretty. Tiny head with no lacing. Nose is robust hops with some sweetness underneath, candied fruit, figs, toffee. Palate is nice hop bitterness, more candied fruit,toffee, raisins. Very nice. Mouth feel is a tad dry with nice balance of hop bitterness and sweetness. Despite the tacky label this was a very nice beer. I dig it.
Hazy, rust colored appearance with a small, off white head and light lacing. Aroma of ripe fruit, rum, toffee and wheat bread. Flavor got off to a sweet malt start before the graininess and alcohol become more distinct. Ripe fruit wove in and out of the boozy aftertaste. Medium-to-full bodied mouthfeel. Carbonation seemed too pronounced for a barleywine. Long lasting finish.
Translucent dark amber pour. Very malty caramel nose. Caramel malts, alcohol, decent hop finish. Quite drinkable.
Pours a murky deep amber with a white head which lingers.....aroma of raisin, plum, slight earthiness.....taste is booze, plum, raisin, heavy malt, finishing with booze.
Bottle at the nuplastikk returns tasting in VA. Clear golden orange with off-white head, some sediment floaters. Aromas of caramel, aged hops, floral notes, malt. Tastes of floral notes, malt, biscuit, syrup. Medium-light body with a dry finish.
Lots of caramelized malt and some citrus. Amber pour with good head and lacing. Sweet and tangy finish. Bottle shared at tasting.
Bottle. Very slightly hazy deep amber color. Aroma of candied caramel, light pine. Taste is bittersweet pine. More hoppy than your usual barleywine.
Malty and good. Strong and assertive. It was indicated that there were undertones of dried fruit...this was lost on me. I liked the warmth of this and liked the rich amber color. I also like the vintage date and plan on getting a vertical going.
12 ounce bottle. Poured out a very attractive orange-red with a strong amber head. Slightly skunky aroma. Taste was honey sweet with floral and citrus notes. Pleasant oily palate. Above average.
Poured from a bottle at Costoberfest. A little to malty and bitter for me.
Poured from 12 oz. bottle after cellaring for 5 months.
Murky, rusty dark orange with a 2-finger khaki head and good lacing.
Aroma of raisins, prunes, other dark fruit, toffee, brown sugar, maple, apple, butterscotch and a bit of citrus.
Very complex taste of butterscotch, alcohol, maple, dates, raisins, plums, toffee, licorice, brown sugar and more.
Full/medium body and medium/high carbonization with a rich mouthfeel appropriate to such a complex beer.
Very complex--what a barleywine should be. I only regret that I did not cellar it longer, as it still had a bit of an edge.
Massive complexity and balance make this beer one of the best I have ever had.
I had no idea what to expect as I had never tried a "barley wine." But this was a very pleasant surprise. It is very malty (my preference over bitter beers) and very similar to Belgian style beers. Wonderful beer.
Bottle shared by Cliff. Thanks! Pours a transparent anger with a layer of light tan head. Aroma and taste of heavy malts, caramel, dark fruits.
Draught at Rattle N Hum cons 2015-05-16 New York
AP: amber/ruby, stouty head
AR/F: dried fruity, rasins, pruns, dry, short flavors, warming feeling
Pours a very hazy caramel color. With a tan head. Aromas of caramel apple, raisin, licorice, bread, nuts. Taste of the same. Very complex taste. Medium mouth feel. Little alcohol flavor. Overall very nice.
2012 vintage from a 22 oz. bottle thanks to Adrien. Aroma is sugary with raisin and a roasted malt and even shows some lasting citrus hops. Flavor shows some lasting bitterness that really surprised me, good balance. Pretty good body with a nice creamy texture.
Hazy dark orange. 2012 vintage. Aroma is great. malt, pecan, booze, sugar, maple syrup. Taste is great. has aged great. brown sugar, some oxidation, vanilla, some shoe polish. Really well integrated. booze is faded. a bit sweet but it is really nice.
22 ounce wax capped bottle, 2013 vintage. Served in a DFH snifter, the beer pours a hazy ruby red/copper color with about an inch and a half frothy tan head that stuck around a long time. There’s also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells like caramel, dark fruit, bready/grainy malt, candied fruit, and some apples. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there’s the addition of toffee, citrusy hops and some booziness. Nice mix between the malty and bitter hoppy flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it’s a bit syrupy and slick with moderate carbonation. I think this is a good barleywine, I’m glad I tried this one!
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass.
Aroma- Malt and fruit, has a sweet smell.
Appearance- This is an amber colored beer with medium sized off-white head.
Taste- Malt, toffee and alcohol; not a bad mix.
Palate- A medium to heavy bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Has a strong alcohol aftertaste.
Overall- Not a bad barleywine, my first beer from Boulder Beer. I will drink this again and try their other labels.
Pours clear amber , good white head . Smell is thick , rich and sweet . Taste is grainy , touch of bitter , sweet ambermalts . Ambermalts build up quite much . Bit too boozy though
Deep copper with red-brown hues. Nose of candiend citrus and citrus/grapefruit hops with caramel. Flavor is citrus bitterness and caramel/toasted malts with a tinge of alcohol. Lingering sticky malt and hop bitterness. Not altogether bad.
On draft at Mad Fox Barleywine Festival 2015. Pours a hazy deep copper with an ecru head. Aroma of tropical fruit. Flavors of pineapple and caramel. Smooth, boozy finish.
14 feb 2015, bottle. Light brown, clear, no bubbles. Nose is winey, bready malt. Med/full body and mildly fizzy. Sugary, bready malt, some yeast, mildly nutty. Nice.
Barley wine bottle share on 1/31. Dark amber with a small beige head. Aroma is a strange caramel and hop mix. Flavor of caramel, raisois and a little hops.
[Tap] Light shade of brown with a fleeting head of off-white head. Nose is of toffee, caramel and hints of alcohol. Flavors include more caramel, light spice, earthy hops, booze and general roasted grainy notes. Medium bodied. Low carbonation. Not a bad beer, but pretty pedestrian for the style.
Bottle. Comes across as a mixture of Fruity Pebbles and booze. Some caramel sweetness is also present. Could be better if it was a bit more balanced and less sweet.
Waxed bottle 2014. Clear copper. Roasted barley, burnt sugar aroma. The taste adds alcohol and rich sweet toffee/caramel malts. The mouthfeel leaves something to be desired for me. Too thin and light. Low carb. Not bad.
Very nice color, sweet, caramel flavors smooth and malty. A bit of bitterness, but very light.
tried at Monday beer tasting at work....thanks dusty.....loved it sweet malty and delicious...