Hale's Rudyard's Rare

Finally bottled in a special release, Hale’s Barleywine is in the English mold, featuring strong malt flavors and an understated hop finish.

3.6

219 reviews

Seattle, United States

Community reviews

4.1 12 oz bottle from "Lifesource".Salem. $2.95 LOvelly beer to look at.. hazy( morelike pea-souper) dark brown ale..with a gorgeous rocky,thick,creamy light tan head..im in love with the looks. Great malty aromas..caramel,treacle,fresh whole wheat bread. Thisk malty brew to drink..sour malt, unusual and throws many off..but its the same kinda sour if you ever had Monkman’s Slaughter..i like!! Great smooth/thick mouthfeel. I definatlly like this brew..an aquired taste, but delicious stuff.

3.3 This seems like a sweet stout to start then there is an off putting sour finish.

3.3 2007 edition. Shipped to me by my wife on a trip to Portland. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured thick and murky exceptionally dark brown color with a small creamy tan head. The aroma was molasses, cherry, anise and was a bit metallic. The flavor was bitter and rough with notes of cherry, molasses, butterscotch, iron, earthy hops, rough fruity hops and a hint of cocoa. The finish was long with caramel and harsh fruity and earthy hops. Fairly full bodied. Decent.

3.0 Tap @ brewpub. Colorful, dark red maroon appearance with a tan head. Mild earthy hoppy, slightly fruity nose. Big cherry, red fruity flavors along with some quite bitter, piney hops. Somewhat boozy with a very strong flavor that doesn’t make this one too smooth though it has potential.

3.6 Bottle (Special Limited Dec. 2007) at Papsø’s - Thanks. Clear dark brown - white head. Roasted, licorice, berries, coconut, light alcoholic, ok bitterness, barley notes, cookies, dreid fruits. OK.

3.6 12 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy brown with a small tan head. Aroma is cheesy, dark malty and roasted. Dense caramelish. Sweet, caramelish, toasted malt. Bitter and dark roasted malty finish.7-4-7-4-14=3.6 From tap at Brouwers. Pours hazy amber with a small white head. Aroma is citric and fruity. Dry citric, barnyard, fruity and mild yeasty. Ends dry, citric and overripe fruity.

3.4 Bottle 12fl.oz. [ Vintage 2007 ]. Clear medium to dark brown amber colour with a small, fizzy and open, virtually none lacing, fully diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, light alcohol, licorice - laber laver notes. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, roasted malt, caramel. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20110622]

3.5 Bottle at Papsø. Hazy red brown coloured with a small off-white ehad. Sweet aroma of caramel, dried fruits and hops with notes of cookies. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel and dried fruits with notes of hops and grass. Sweet and hoppy finish.

3.5 cloudy brown, small light brown head. roasted malty, sweet flowery note. flavor is cofee, roasted malts, dark fruits, quite complex, not your typical barley wine, leds notes from stout and porter.

3.6 Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of scrizzz. Vintage December 2007. Pours a dark brown with an orange hue and a tiny off-white head. Sweet dark overripe fruits in the nose, some hops and booze. Solid body, fairly low carbonation, dark overripe fruits, roastiness, slightly oxidized. Warm alcohol finish with quite some bitterness. Nice. 220611

3.6 Bottle from 2007. Deep mahogany pour with scant head and no lace. Sweet malty, molasses nose. Medium heavy body has the expected anise, toffee and some slight earthy and tobacco undertones, but there is also a bit of tartness. Body peters out a bid towards the end and more black licorice enters in the long finish. Not much hops here, but enough to keep this from being overly sweet, as many barleywines can do. I’m not clear on how this one has evolved over the past three years, but I rather like where it’s arrived.

3.4 Bottle. 2003 vintage. Poured a nearly opaque dark brown color with red highlights. The head consisted of a few soap bubbles and fizzled out pretty quickly. Nice aroma of dark fruits, anise, and light roasty malt, toffee, fruitcake, chocolate, and a bit of rum. Medium bodied and delicately sweet with lowish carbonation. Tasted of toffee, date, and citrus liqueur.

3.4 Dark mahogany pour, small beige head. Smells of sweet toffee, caramel, vanilla, wood, grassy hops. Sticky toffee flavors with brown sugar, more vanilla, toast, a strong bitter finishing hit of grassy, earthy, slightly astringent hops. Didn’t care a lot for the finish: I found the hops to not meld too well with the sweeter flavors. I feel like this one might be better given a little age.

4.1 12 oz. bottle, pours dark brown/black with a reddish tint. Aroma of dark dried fruits, prominent molasses, and roasted / burnt caramel. Flavour of toffee, caramel, molasses with the roastiness and burnt flavours lingering. Excellent barley wine.

2.7 2004 bottle sampled August 2010. This barleywine has definitely lost it’s mojo. I would expect a 6 year old 9% ABV barleywine to hold up a bit better. Taste is decent but it’s flat flat flat. Barely any head mostly because I dumped the whole bottle in a glass. Caramel syrup, banana and roasty malt flavors. If you have any 2006 in your cellar, drink it now.

3.7 2007 bottle, via trade with scrizz, pecan shell brown pour with thin foam ring, fruit and maple syrup aroma, flavors of maple syrup, leathery, oak, sweet finish

3.5 Many vintages have been sampled. A tasty beverage, and a great BW for something year round. Aged and mellow it’s quite nice as well.

4.0 Rudyard’s Rare Barleywine Style Ale--Special Limited Edition Release. December 2000--Signed 12 oz. Bottle. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Mild lace head. Hazy mild sediment dark brown color. Spicy malty mellow hop front. Smooth rich mellow sweet toasted caramel fruit ester body. Tangy malty clean mild hot EtOH hop citrus end. Good. Sampled 3/31/2005. December 2001 12 oz. Bottle. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Purchased 12/19/2001. Mild head. Slightly bottle conditioned hazy brown red color. Malty smooth floral hop front. Smooth mellow malty toasted toffee caramel sweet fruit body. Malty smooth mild hot EtOH hop end. Sampled 4/4/2005. 2002 12 oz. Bottle. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.0 / 5.0) Mild lacy head. Hazy dark brown red color. Smoky mild toasted malt floral hop front. Clean smooth mellow sweet toasted smoky toffee mild fruit body. Cloying creamy crusty mild EtOH hop end. Mellow. Sampled 4/2/2005. 2004 Signed 12 oz. Bottle. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Mild lacy head. Hazy bottle conditioned dark opaque red brown color. Floral toasted fruit mild hop front. Rich Smooth complex mild creamy sweet toasted toffee ester fruit malty body. Spicy mellow hop nutmeg malt spice end. Sampled 12/25/2004. December 2005 12 oz. Bottle Release. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Mild lace head. Clear rich dark amber color. Rich malty floral hop front. Creamy rich malty toasted mild sweet hot caramel toffee body. Tangy mild hot hop EtOH end. Rich & hoppy.Imperial Red Ale. Not too malty. Sampled 2/14/2006. December 2006 12 oz. Bottle Release. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (3.75 / 5.0) No sediment. Thin mild lace head. Cloudy opaque dark amber brown color. Mild toasted fruit hop front. Tangy creamy sweet tart toasted citrus caramel body. Tangy EtOH mild hop end. Mellow sweet Barley Wine. Sampled 5/22/2007. December 2007 12 oz. Bottle Release. 9.20% ABV. 63 IBU’s. (4.0 / 5.0) Thin lacy off white tan head. Sediment hint. Clear dark bronze red color. Smoky toasted fig toffee plum hop front. Smooth hint of creamy mellow sweet rich toffee cheery raisin body. Mild hop roasted crusty toffee malt spice end. Smoky hints. Nicer than I remember. Sampled 8/4/2008. 3 @ $2.29 Each.

3.3 2007 bottle from Scrizzz. Consumed 4/14/2010 Thanks, Clint! Aroma is dates, brown sugar, oxidation, sweet caramel/honey.There is also a slight medicinal aroma to the beer, and possibly some fruit. Nice. Pours a dense, deep brown with little/no head. Taste is initially very similar to the aromatics. Sweet, brown sugar, oxidation, and a medicinal honey/caramel, but the back end is loaded with toasted biscuit, and bitter, earthy hops. The hops are almost a distraction as they are strictly bittering, and add no aromatic qualities- at least to my perception. Finishes sweet, but also bitter and slightly toasted. Decent.

3.5 Dark, thin head. Really interesting, intriguing aroma. Flavor is more ordinary, malty with bitterness. A bit of a mixed bag.

3.5 Bottle shared by Dogbrick. Cloudy brown pour with a medium tan head. Caramel malt flavor with hops and some grainy sweetness. Grainy malt flavor with caramel character before a semi-bitter finish.

3.5 Pours a dark brown color that has an amber hue. Medium light beige head that burns away steadily. Rings of lacing on the glass. Hoppy aroma with some caramel and malt notes. Medium body with a moderately bitter hops character that has caramel malt and notes of fruit behind it. The finish is rather hoppy for an English-style Barley Wine and leaves a toasted malt aftertaste. Decent overall.

3.0 12 oz. bottle, 2010 @ Hale’s Ales. Man, I don’t know why I keep falling for these guys. Every beer I’ve ever tried from them has tasted bland and watered down. This "barleywine" is no exception. Tastes slightly maltier than their other ales, which is the only thing that distinguishes it from the rest of their line-up. I wish Hale’s was better because it’s four blocks from my house, but I guess it just isn’t.

3.3 12 oz bottle- 2007 vintage. Pours a deep woody amber/brown with a medium head. Aroma is toffee, caramel malts, woody hints, with herbal and light vegetal hints, dried fruits raisin and dates. Flavor is earthy leather, rope and green apple skin, caramel malts, toast, and a strange peanut ashy dusty skin character, fruity apricots, apple, fig with a woody astringent finish- some interesting notes in here, but not great.

3.1 2006 12 oz bottle. This barley wine is one of my least favorites, even with age. The pour is murky brown (from yeast) and a small off white head. The nose is maple, licorice, some hops. The taste is pretty similar with a faded quality to each smell. Not really that good.

3.4 12 oz bottle, December 2003. Murky brown with a few bubbles. Nose is maple, licorice and molasses with hints of soy and cardboard. Medium light, minimal carb. Taste is faded caramel, apple and bitter grass. Finishes with stale spices and an acrid bite.

2.9 POurs a deep brown, no head. Nose is raison, dark fruit, sweet malts, booze. Flavor is medicinal, bitter apple, hot alcohol, nutty. Finishes dry and boozey. Very thin body.

3.1 2007 Bottle - Pours the darkest I;ve ever seen a BW, dk dk brown with a small tan head...aroma is sweet and fruity booze, biscuit and grain...flavour is similar, dry, burnt sugar and burnt grain...boozy and bitter with yeast chunkies you need a spoon to eat ...meh...

3.1 pours a very dark brown with little to no head and a little lacing. smell of barley, burnt caramel, and some roasted nuts. taste is watery, malt, roasted nuts, and some caramel, end is on the dry side.

3.3 Pours very dark brown with lots of suspended yeast. Aroma is plum and alcohol. Flavor is somewhat off, a little too abrupt. Malty, but astringent. Pretty full bodied the finish isn’t too bad.