Heavyweight Old Salty
Inspired by and brewed with Bill Coleman, creator of the 'Salty Dog' strip which appears regularly in the 'Ale Street News'. Bill's homebrewed recipes were the focal point for 'Old Salty'. Made with wonderful Maris Otter pale malts and some Belgian specialties, this strong ale is really defined by the use of Challenger hops (and lots of them). Although it is brewed in the English-style, the high bitterness level (especially when drunk young) makes this beer more drinkable and reminds you where it was made. This beer is released in December and is vintage dated.
3.7
360 reviews
Ocean Township, United States
Community reviews
2001 bottle courtesy of Footy. Cloudy deep ruby body with a small frothy head. Lots of sweet malt and dark fruit in the aroma. Slightly sweet berries and wine in the flavor with a nice shot of earthy hops. Really good stuff! Thanks Rudy.
2004 Bottle courtesy of SpringsLicker. He deserves major commendations for obviously storing/aging this one properly. Thanks, Jay!
Pours a gorgeously deep, rusty red. Head is small, but lively and ever-present. Nose is a huge, lovely malt-wave; full of ripe figs, brandy apples, and fresh golden raisins. The flavor is so very true to the nose; like a flavor-infused gourmet salted caramel in liquid form. While they take a back seat, there are plenty of hops to balance this monster out, making for a long and satisfying finish that never approaches cloying. This is a fantastic English style barelywine, and it has been an honor to be able to sample it. I’ll be opening a barrel aged version with some friends soon, and cannot wait to experience the differences.
Sampled at Hell With the Lid Off. 2004 vintage. Malty nose, smells like macerated raisins, light alcohol, burgundy. No hops. Dark brown amber with light haze and no head. Medium heavy body with medium light carbonation. Kind of sour now, tastes like tart macerated raisin juice, tobacco. Alcoholic warming. Grows on you after a while, with some vinegar acidity. Would have like to try this in its prime.
2003 Bottle - Thanks BBB63! - Pours a dk and hazy amber with barely a whisp of a beige head...aroma is beautiful, coconut, dk fruit, molassas and, brown sugar, caramel...flavour is similar, sweet cocoa and coconut on the front end, dry gritty grain and slightly tart on the finish...very little carb, almost still after all these years, but just amazingly drinkable without a hint of oxidation...amazing stuff!!
Bottle courtesy of Oslo, Ratebeer tasting under the Bridge 12/9. 2004 bottle, as stated below by highlandlad, slightly oxidised. The aroma is sweet and alcoholic, caramel, some sultanas. The flavour is quite sweet, some dark fruits, and warming alcohol.
Our 2004 bottle showed mild oxidation but this style can handle a few sherry notes. Lots of stewed fruits, caramel and a warming finish. Slick palate. Very nice drinking. The human failing of suggestibility meant this actually tasted salty to me at the end of a long group tasting. Lucky it’s not called Old Shitty. bottle courtesy of Oslo - thanks buddy - at the Milson Point park session September 09)
12 oz bottle courtesy of Secret santa. Thanks Rudy. This is the 2004 bottling. Pours a hazy chestnut brown color with a small beige head that has fair retention. The aroma is rich with molasses, dark fruits, toffee and spices. The flavor is faithful to the aroma; lots of dark fruits and toffee. The palate is smooth, creamy and full with soft carbonation. The finish is long with lingering brown sugar. A very tasty barleywine, I’m glad I had a chance to try it.
2005 bottle. Deep, reddish-brown, muddy body. No head and little carbonation. Thick, viscous aroma of caramel, raisin, prune and some hints of anise. Smooth flavor - prune comes through along with some chocolate, cherry syrup and white grape. 4 years of slow oxidation is highlighted by some light sherry notes. Similarly smooth palate, full body, no carbonation, very sweet and light bitterness. Overall a smooth, very enjoyable barley wine. Good sipping beer.
Too bad they stopped brewing. Always enjoyed the offerings from here. This bottle may have reached its’ zenith. Pours a cloudy brown color with no head. Aroma of caramel, molasses, spice, and raisins. Perfection on the palate! Smooth. Tastes of caramel, molasses, and dark fruit. Hard to find a flaw in this.
Very sweet, without great depth. Good cellar flavor if that’s your thing. Moderate palate. I didn’t care for this. Bottle shared at RBSG 2009 grand tasting.
I was waiting a long time to get my hands on a few of these guys. I came up with a bottle of 03, 2 bottles of 04, and one 05. I drank them in a vertical starting at 03.
2003: Pour is a deep hazy brown/ruby with no head at all. It almost looked like iced tea in the glass. To the nose you get loads of plum, rasins, caramel, oak, and malt. The flavor is full of caramel, sweet potato, candy, plum and cherry. This one is sooo mellow and smooth.
2004: Pour is deep amber with about 1 finger of caramel colored head. One of the bottles was really cheesy and funky. That one went right down the drain and I cracked the other one. The nose on this one was full of malt, sweet fruits, a slight musty funk, and faded hops. The flavor was slightly oxidized with sweet malts, faded hops, and some caramel. Drinkable but a little past it’s prime.
2005: The pour is a deep ruby/brown with no head at all. To the nose is a slight alcohol tinge, sweet fruits, cherries, and vanilla. The flavor is really mellow with loads of caramel, vanilla, burbon notes, warming alcohol, and some rasins. Better than the 04 but slightly watery.
Overall the 03 was the best. Awesome brew and im damn happy that I got to do a mini vert. tasting with it. I just need to track down some of the older vintages and see what they’re like.
Bottle of the 04 at the Cuvee de Castleton release at Captain Lawrence. I was rather excited to try this as by the time I really started getting into hunting down craft beer that was not readily available in my own backyard, Heavyweight was out of business, so I missed out on trying anything of theirs until now. So thank you mystery person who shared this with me. Pours a hazy ruby color with a thin beige head. Caramel and vanilla on the nose. Sweet, sweet, and more sweet. Finishes with some light fruit. Pretty tasty.
From Skyview in March, 2008. There is salt in the flavor. Lots of sugar, including carmel and molassas. Sweet but balanced by the hops, and the alcohol is dangerously well hidden. It is unfortunate this is no longer around.
[2105-20090421] Bottle. Earthy sherry aroma has hints of mild honey. Murky brown body with a quick bubbly off-white head. More earthy wine casks in the flavour with fruity malt. Full body is quite boozy. Yum but hmm at the same time.
(c/o HogTownHarry, w/ blankboy, garthicus, jerc)
Bottle, 2005. Coffee colored, very dark for a barley wine, almost no head. Aroma is sweet hops, vanilla, cheese, bourbon, vinous, salty, (smells like Chinese food). Sweet and smooth, salty smoked meat flavor, almost no bitterness. So sweet, very well masked alcohol, weirdly smooth, and unbalanced in an interesting way.
I was able to walk out of Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore with a vintage 2004 bottle of this. Having never had a Heavyweight before I was very eager to give this a try. 12oz bottle pours an opaque amber, rusty brown with a thin, spitty, clumping, white head. Aroma was sweet with caramel, booze, rum, some tropical fruits. Flavor was malty, sticky sweet, candy, brown sugar, oranges. Finish was sticky, full bodied and a mix of sweetness and bitterness. I was glad to try this but a little underwhelmed. I would have expected more after five years in the bottle. 7-4-7-4-15 ***** Re-rate of a 2002 bottle consumed Feb 18, 2012. Pours a hazy, copper amber with some thin white head. Smells like fresh filet of salmon, minerally, sherry, caramel, apples, leather. Flavor is apples, pears, berries, caramel, leather. Medium bodied, sticky finish. Funny, I rated this exactly the same the second time around. 7-4-7-4-15
2004 bottle Shared by Jerc and Mabel with HogTownHarry and I. 2004 bottle. Appearance: Dirty brown, no head. Aroma: Malt, caramel, yeast, alcohol and yet some perfume. Flavour: Bitter malt, alcohol, honey, passion fruit with a cherry finish.
12 oz. bottle - 2005 vintage; thanks riversideak for this long desired (and retired) brew; pours flat, clear amber with aromas of apples and sweet candy syrup; carbonation is still and musky; seems this bottle is slightly oxidized and getting beyond its usefulness; a little butter, some sugar and quite sweet, thanks brah!!
[’04 Bottle] Pours deep reddish-brown with a small beige head that leaves good lacing. Aroma is quite sweet and subdued, with chocolate, lots of vanilla, yeast and alcohol. Light tartness in the taste, with lots of chocolate and alcohol, a little plum, some malt, and mild bitterness. Good mouthfeel, with a long finish. Wow, this is one of the smoothest, if not the smoothest beer I have ever tried. Overall this is fairly hot yet, but amazingly drinkable and insanely well-rounded and smooth. Just an outstanding barley wine.
2009-04-19. Hazy murky brown body with a small light brown head. (3+) Aroma is mildly alcoholic, fruity malt. (7+) Flavour is pleasantly sweet fruity malt, light dry alcohol and bitterness in the finish balances things nicely. Smooth average to medium bodied palate. (3+) Not quite as assertive as it may have once been but this is quite lovely. Rather pleasant. 2004 Vintage Bottle c/o HogTownHarry
2005 Bottle: Pours a deep, murky amber with no head. Aroma is intoxicating with sweet fruitiness, faded citrus hops, caramel, and toffee. Sweet and vinous. Almost a hint of red licorice... Flavor is mostly sweet and vinous too. Some faded citrus and light maltiness. A bit lost from the aroma. Carbonation is really near zero. I would love to have had this 1-2 years ago... Still, enjoyable. Thanks biggcb!
2004 bottle thanks to Cletus. Brown/copper pour and nose of fruity malts obscured a bit by oxidation. Hops were pretty much gone by now, but some decent sugar and slight butterscotch notes. Decent, but probably very good in its prime.
brewed 2000. poured a hazey brown with a light tan head. aroma brown sugar, caramel, hops. flavor olasses, dark fruits, alcohol.
2002 bottle that i found in my basement...a little past its prime but why not? poured a medium brown color with nearly no head. aroma is sweet with dark fruit notes...fig and raisin, and a slight hint of vanilla. flavor is very sweet with brown sugar, molasses, and raisin with a touch of chocolate. mouthfeel is syrupy initially but oddly finishes a bit watery...i probably should have drank this one a few years ago.
Thanks to Tom for the 750. Dark copper body with a frothy beige head. Great vinous, molasses, and spicy nose. Dark fruits and oak as well. The taste is pretty funky with a strange acetic twang, but the dark fruit, sweet, and wood flavors are very nice.
In short: A past due-date sweet and slightly oxidized beer
How: Bottle 12oz, vintage 2002, consumed when 6 years old. Sent my way by HogtownHarry, thanks Harry
The look: Murky brown body with almost no head
In long: Nose is sweet with a very sweet alcoholised dessert reminiscent of baba au rum. Tasty is brown sugary sweet with main flavours being toffee and concentrate fruit juice. Signs of oxidation that would be more prevalent if the beer wasn’t so sticky sweet. If there was hops to balance this beer they’re long gone. Still, the alcohol is well hidden and the beer is actually a drinkable sweet digestive beer. I almost decided not to rate this old beer but I know they are still many bottles going around and a recent so-so review of this beer is probably more a propos than a 6 year old great rating. I knew what I was getting into when I asked Harry to send me a 6 year old bottle but can I say, I’m a HeavyweightHead and I never had this beer before. I gotta stop living in the past. After spending my youth with a hard-on watching Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie I’d probably jump on the occasion to get a date with Barbara Eden now 30 years later. Brrr… I’m gonna have nightmares tonight.
2004 pours out a cloudy brown color with a rather large head. aroma was very sweet and had some fruitiness to it. flavor was sweet and malty. alcohol showed up in the finish, but still a great brew.
Thanks durhambeer for sharing. Pours a murky reddish orange with a 1-2 finger frothy tan/yellow head. The nose was malty, raisiny, lightly oxidized, peaty, a bit rusty. The flavor is sweet, raisiny, warming, malty, mild oxidation, earthy character. The palate was sweet and a little thinned out.
2005 bottle, courtesy dchmela. The body is a dark and cloudy caramel brown color. There’s virtually no head or lacing at this point. Aromas are massively malty, showing big caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and maple qualities. Candied figs and faded, earthy hops complete the nose. Flavors show more caramel and brown sugar, with figs and just a hint of soured golden raisons. The hop profile is again faded and earthy, not very bitter at all. Medium-plus in body and very lightly carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth and slightly syrupy. Definitely English in style, it’s pretty decent at this age, but was probably better when young.
12oz bottle from a trade awhile back. this is gonna be quick as this seems a little past its prime..... pours a dark amber brown with a bubbly like light brown head..... aroma of thick and chewy caramel malt, somewhat papery and aged..... flavors are sacharine and brown sugar-like. carbonation is very light. lots of sugar and no apparent hops. yet still drinkable if a little thin.