Nebraska Reserve Series Fathead
Fathead started out as a Strong Scotch Ale but has morphed over time into Barleywine territory. This beer features an addition of dark brown sugar to boost the alcohol and contribute a unique caramel/molasses character. Hopped with just enough Centennial and Cascade to offset the slight sweetness of this big, warming beer.
2010 World Beer Championships – Bronze Medal – Barley Wine
2013 US Open Beer Championships – Bronze Medal – Barley Wine
2014 18th Annual Great International Beer Competition – Gold Medal – Barley Wine
2015 United States Open Beer Championship – Bronze Medal – Wood / Barrel Aged Strong Stout
2010 World Beer Championships – Bronze Medal – Barley Wine
2013 US Open Beer Championships – Bronze Medal – Barley Wine
2014 18th Annual Great International Beer Competition – Gold Medal – Barley Wine
2015 United States Open Beer Championship – Bronze Medal – Wood / Barrel Aged Strong Stout
3.7
159 reviews
La Vista, United States
Community reviews
On tap. Pours a reddish brown color with a small tan head. Aroma caramel, malt and dark fruit, with a nice touch of whiskey. Taste of caramel, dark fruit, vanilla and bit of whiskey. Some bitterness and fairly dry finish. Moderate body, nicely craft and not overly sweet as I expected. Good sipper to relax with.
April 17, 2018 - on tap at Flying Saucer OF, good to be back here. Light brown pour with some thick head that lasted and left nice lacing. Aroma was sweet malty with light hops. Taste was sweet, but not overly so and had a very mild bitter finish.
It pours tawny brown with a tan head. The aroma has toffee, caramel, figs, oak, ripe apples and some oxidation. It has a full rich body with semi sharp carbonation. The taste has the aroma with some wine barrel to taste with dry berry/grape thing and more woodiness. Really nice.
Torpedo bottle. From Blaw. Pours a brownish color with generous head. Aroma of caramel malt, oak, molasses. Taste is Bourbon oak barrel, dark fruit, caramel, molasses, brown
Sugar, malts. Medium heavy body. Nice oak flavors. Whisky tasting throughout. Average carbonation. Warming alcohol. This is good stuff. Yum.
Strong bourbon oak vanilla. Complex beer and well put together. A good sipper for sure.
Aroma: sweet brown sugar and ripe fruits.
Flavour: ripe fruity sweetness with brown sugar and whiskey notes.
Colour: brown with an offwhite head.
Bottle from Craft Beer Store, Hamburg. Hazy amber brown with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel, dried fruit, vanilla, wood and whisky. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet and moderate bitter finish with a little warming alcohol. Oily and soft. 010717
This really does smell like a scotch ale/barleywine hybrid with some strong barrel characteristics. Reddish brown with a light tan head. Tastes like whiskey barrel up front with a very sweet finish. Palate is a little too bubbly but otherwise good. I would like to try more from this brewery.
5/15/16. I do not remember why or how I had this... but hey... I did! Amber pour with a nice khaki head. Light BA aroma, dark fruits, toffee. Good flavor, barrel, vanilla, whiskey, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, nuts. Tasty!
Draft at Bru Craft. Opaque dark copper pour with soft white foam. Nice lace. Aroma of sweet berries and whiskey. Tastes of rich dark amber fruits and thick medium caramel malts. Currants. Molasses. Dates. Plums and prunes. Agave. Blackberries. Peat. Thick and sugary. Earthy hops in there as well. Some alcoholic harshness as it warms. Interesting but not perfected. Big but uncertain.
It pours a hazy medium brown with an off head head. Head retention is low. It has a deep aroma of toast and bread. There are background notes of floral and dark fruits, plums, and sugar. As it warms, the dark fruits and floral elements are closer in balance with the malts. There are sweet malt flavors with some floral elements in the background. There are some dark fruit featuring plums and raisins. The notes of whiskey are complementary, not overly done, but provides a solid background flavor. It has a full body, not quite chewy. The carbonation is low that is a good deal of alcohol warming. The finish is not hot and does add a bit of bitterness in whiskey in the aftertaste. Overall, it is balance towards the malts, but the fruity esters and whiskey provide enough background notes to create a complex flavor sensation.
Bottle shared with Lauren, aka iheartgeist.
Murky copper body a thick, creamy, khaki hued head that coats the glass in sticky lacing. Aromas include oak, sweet, fruity malts, breads, vanilla, oak, whiskey. The beer improves as it is allowed to warm and open up a bit. Sweet, but not overpowering, and appropriate for the style. Gentle alcohol warmth late palate. Medium-full bodied. Enjoyable.
A very good bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine. I wish beers like this were brewed in Nebraska when I lived there in the mid-90s! 750 ml bottle poured into a small Sam Adams Utopias snifter, which does the glass justice. Pours a hazy brown with a healthy tan head on top, which slightly laces to the glass as you sip. Aroma is molasses bread, bourbon and brown sugar. Taste is caramel, pecans, brown sugar, figs, vanilla beans, white pepper and charred oak, followed by a pleasant boozy burn. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and slightly chewy; for a 12.1 percent brew, it’s surprisingly smooth and drinkable with a clean, almost Belgian-style finish.
Massive beer - quite boozy as one would expect, but it:s quite layered without hitting the high notes. Sugar, booze, plum pudding, apricot.
This beer is tough to judge. At 12.1%, it doesn’t feel like it has a pinch of any kind. I sometimes struggle with barleywines because they’re so strong, but this doesn’t do that to me. I almost resent it for it. It’s stronger to smell than it is to taste, and I don’t get the whiskey notes I expected to since it’s aged in whiskey barrels, but it’s a solid beer overall that’s pretty easy to drink.
bottle poured into a tulip glass..amber/burgundy with a medium off-white head..
aroma of caramel,toffee,molasses,dark fruits..tastes like it smells..bit thin and a
little dry..just ok.
Hazy dell Amber brown with thin Lacy beige head; aroma is sweet malty with whisky notes; flava is sweet caramel malt blended with whisky with notes of licorice;feels thick silky creamy with moderate fizz; finishes dry mildly sweet notes of wood and mild sugar
750 ml. Hazy, deep copper with a lasting disc of foam. Aroma is earthy caramel and whiskey with a touch of dark fruit. Flavors of earthy toffee apple, whiskey, raisin and toasted oak. Maybe a touch of chocolate. Medium-heavy body has smooth medium carbonation and a dessert slant that isn’t cloying. A bit of the abv is there, but fairly well masked for a 12.1% entry.
Pours a dark hazy amber with light tan head. A dark fruit malt and caramel aroma. A strong dark fruit, caramel, malt, and whiskey taste. A lingering sweet malt and whiskey aftertaste.
Nebraska fat head 12.1%
With a wispsy off-white head, it’s a deep orange gold pour with a sharp oaky burning green hop aroma. Medium to full bodied with a rich fruity spice snd malt flavor. The booziness is too sharp but it is good. 3.6-3..7
Marked a 2011 bomber bottle from shop that may have been cellared too long to enjoy the full barrel flavor. Tan/orange pour with some cloudiness. Heavy caramel with slight fig aroma. Taste is sweet caramel followed by oak and dark fruit. Would never guess that it is 10.8% by taste.
Not much to say other than very impressed. Olongapo the best withe balance in all areas. A classic American/west coast barley wine. Buying more to age.
Bottle 75cl / Botella 75cl.
@ Tanakaya Liquor Store, Tokyo, Japon.
A: Dark amber / Ambar oscuro.
T/S: Malt, caramel, raisins, alcohol / Malta, caramelo, uvas pasas, alcohol.
2000!!! Thanks Joe! Drank poolside…which might not have been the most appropriate. Still awesome ba barley wine. Light cloudy brown color. Got lots of barrel, vanilla, whiskey, some char, some fruit, creamy body. Good stuff.
750 ml bottle from the brewery. Cellared about 2 years. Unclear Amber color with very low carbonation level. Aroma shows me mild whiskey, English malts, earthy hints, dark fruits.
I find it funny that so many people don’t write the vintage of this beer they had. The two years of cellar helped mellow the sweetness. Flavor is heavy on the English influence. Deep, layered malts that give dark fruit and booze. Borderline syrupy texture. Also still shows some bitterness that helps cut the sweetness. Whiskey treatment for sure enhanced the base. I like it a lot!
Poured from bottle thanks Airforcehops cellar aged 2014 brown mahogany with a thin white head. Aromas of honey caramel oak and malt. Taste is mildly sweet up front caramel oak and then turns into a lingering bitter finish which is meant to balance the sweetness but just lingers a bit too long.
2014 750ml bottle from AirForceHops’ cellar. Thanks, Chris! Pours murky medium brown with an off white head. Aroma is barnyard funk, caramel, bourbon, oak. Flavor has a mild funk, caramel, dark fruits. Pine bitterness balances out the sweetness. This is turning sour, and if you have a 2014 bottle, drink it now.
750ml bottle pours a hazy, deep brown with some swirling white head. Nose has vanilla, cake, some spice. Flavor is hot with booze, spice, vanilla, chocolate, caramel. Full bodied, booze finish.
From a 750ml bottle at the DC tasting on March 25, 2016. Poured a hazy brown color with a smal tan head. Aroma was light sweet malts, some mild oak notes. Caramel malt notes. Woody character.
Bottle shared at the DC Tasting on 3/25/2016. Thanks Travlr! Slightly hazy brownish orange with off-white head. Aromas of honey, caramel, citrus, alcohol. Tastes of whiskey, oak, caramel, light roast. Medium-light body with a dry finish.