Young's Old Nick
Available filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles.
Production moved from London to Bedford in 2006 when Wells and Young’s merged. Brand acquired solely by Charles Wells in 2011.
This fabulous barley wine is a malty, velvety smooth and full bodied beer with a rich dark ruby colour. Old Nick is overflowing with sumptuous flavours of fruit and hops, with a complex bitterness on the finish.
Pale ale and crystal malt together with Young’s unique mix of cane sugar and Fuggle and Goldings hops.
Try it with cheese as a delicious and flavourful alternative to port.
Production moved from London to Bedford in 2006 when Wells and Young’s merged. Brand acquired solely by Charles Wells in 2011.
This fabulous barley wine is a malty, velvety smooth and full bodied beer with a rich dark ruby colour. Old Nick is overflowing with sumptuous flavours of fruit and hops, with a complex bitterness on the finish.
Pale ale and crystal malt together with Young’s unique mix of cane sugar and Fuggle and Goldings hops.
Try it with cheese as a delicious and flavourful alternative to port.
3.6
780 reviews
Bedford, England
Community reviews
caramel, barnyard, banana, cooked vegetables, soy sauce, red, cloudy, minimal head, heavy cloying sweetness, medium bitterness, light body, creamy, astringent, fizzy,
Bottle. Hazy amber colour with a big head. Sweet fruity nose. Malty, fruity and acohol flavour. In a part of my life this was the worst thing ever that had happen to be inside my mouth.....
Bottle (apparently from the late 90s). Pours with a hazy ruby brown body. Aromas are a bit oxidized with notes of dark fruits, currants, dates, sherry, and caramel. Flavors are also a bit oxidized (sherry and light cardboard). Caramel, dark fruit and a bit vinous. Minimal carbonation, a bit sweet.
In London. Amber body with big head. Nose of malts, fruits, sweets. Taste is malty and quite high ABV. Spicy too. Syrupy texture. Bitter in the finish.
Würzig-alkoholischer Geruch. Stark malzig-herber Antrunk, die herbe weicht zum Mittelteil etwas, ein hopfig-süßer Ton bleibt. Dabei ist natürlich die Malzigkeit weiter im Vordergrund und wird im Nachgeschmack deutlich stärker. Unter dem vollmundigen Aroma ist eine süße Note zu erkennen, der getreidige Ton ist schon fast Nebensache.
Test vom 26.6.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 10,10,10,12,9,10
2005 and 2006 vintages shared by dbsdelight- thanks a bundle, Dan! The 2005 was a 330 ml and the 2006 was 500 ml. Pours a cloudy brown color with almost no head on either. Aroma of brown sugar, maple, raisins, nuts, and earth. Flavor is right along the same lines- very sweet and mapley. The 2005 is lighter bodied and more sugary, while the 2006 as more of a medium body and syrupy mouthfeel. Low carbonation in both. Pretty cool English barley wines, and even though they have 5-6 years on them and show it, they’re drinking pretty well.
Bottle that’s been cellared for 3 years, consumed 12-28-10.
"Best by 22 Feb 07." Ooops! Pours a very deep ruby, nearly opaque. Very full head, plenty of carbonation. Lacing is full. Nose is raisins, toffee, brown sugar, ever so slight hint of staleness, but not as much as I was expecting. On the thinner side of mouthfeel, a bit slick and creamy. Sweet, slight oxidation present but not much, really easy drinking. Not a trace of hop bitterness left, but there is some resiny hop notes on the finish. Pretty decent for a 7% strong ale with this much age on it. Bonus points for lasting far past the best-by date.
Sweet, not too much hop flavor. Dried fruits. Malty. Yummy. Serving: Bottle (Does any one else much prefer the old Young’s imaging/branding?)
Best before date on label is 22 Feb 07 (originally rated November 2006). Pours a clean deep amber colour with a great tanned frothy head that is long lasting. Decent web lacing comes out of this, and carbonation is slow with tiny bubbles. The aroma is mild at first, but becomes much better and strong as the beer gets warmer. Written to drink at room temperature. The bar I was at served it cold. Nice caramel nose that overpowers the dark fruit. Very smooth mouthfeel with no burn at all. Good hoppy taste without being bitter. Caramel malt is present with roasted malt in the background. Alcohol slightly shows up in the finish, but disappears as fast. The aftertaste is kind of dry. Like most beer from Young’s (I’ve tasted)... greatly brewed and easy to drink for any level of beer lovers. Very, very smooth.
Young & Company Brewery, P.L.C.--Ram Brewery Wandsworth--Young’s Old Nick Barley Wine Style Ale.
1999 16.9 oz. Bottle. 8.00% ABV. (3.25 / 5.0) Clear red rootbeer color. Rich sweet malt body and thick texture. Huge familiar aroma is not quite hoppy but more apple cider. Finishes with light alcohol bitterness. Needs aging. Sampled 6/14/1999.
2002 16.9 oz. Bottle. 7.20% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Clear dark red bronze color. Sweet raisin floral fruit hop front. Sweet thick roasted malty spicy doughy cherry toffee body. Mellow smooth Barleywine flavor. Rich finish with hot hop end. Winter Ale rich. Sampled 12/13/2002.
2003 16.9 oz. Bottle. 7.20% ABV. (3.75 / 5.0) Hazy dark amber brown color. Mild lace head. Malt spicy floral fruit mild hop front. Thick sweet rich creamy malty toasted caramel fruit body. Tangy lingering malt citrus mild spice hop end. Rich, doughy. Sampled 3/29/2004.
2005 16.9 oz. Bottle. 7.20% ABV--45 IBU’s.? (4.0 /5.0) Barleywine?? Lacy head. Dark clear amber brown color. Spicy malt mild hop front. Thick sweet rich toasted tangy toffee biscuit mild earthy body. Mild hop smoke EtOH malty smooth end. Sampled 7/11/2006.
Dark ruby brown, thick tan head. Aroma is sweet fruit, berry, alcohol. Taste is raisin, burnt biscuity malt. Bitter finish. Medium thick body, soft carbonation.
From notes. Deep ruby red with a small off white head and little lacing. Aroma of dark fruits, raisins and caramel. Flavor has alcohol that shows through, lots of malt and caramel, and some prunes and raisins. Not much hops. Complex and interesting.
(Br-btl, W/R-lbl w/ flames)
amber & lucent, alchl-warm, ^malty T1&T2, bitter T3, spicy-hint, med co2
Brewed in England... Halloween bash 2009 !!! Pours reddish in color with a thin off white head. Aroma of fruit, malts, earth and sugar. Taste of really bad cough medicine( yukk ) malts, alcohol and spices. Mouthfeel is medium in body with a lingering bitter / wine finish. Not sure if this was a bad bottle or if Youngs should stay clear of barley wines.
Bottle.
Dark reddish brown. Little head. A very hoppy aroma, full of malt as well. This is one of the best-balanced big beers I have tasted。Very malty and creamy, with restrained sweetness, and with a lot of hops, although not over the top. Lots of nice malty after tones. An excellent barley wine with manageable alcohol.
Bottled.
Amber-brown with off-white head. Aroma of malt and alcohol. Flavor is caramel, alcohol and spices.
Bottle. Someone suggested to try a few more English Barleywines, so here it is. This may be one of the best looking barleywines I’ve seen in a long time. Deep dark ruby red, borderline brown, with a perfectly formed, thick off-white head. It almost looks like a Belgian strong ale or Abt. The aroma is sweet and fruity... and I’ve never claimed to pick up on any smell of "dust" in a beer before, but that’s something that definitely came to mind in this one. Not an offensive aroma though. The flavor is an extremely smooth balance of malt, dark fruits, caramel. I couldn’t find much hops at all. It was not bitter in the least. I think this was a 2007 bottle. I would like to try a fresh one.
I am a little undecided about this beer though. Something about it really impressed me, and something kind of turned me off. Definitely interesting though, and more complex than some give it credit for. I will probably try this one again.
Poured amber brown, simple, caramel, malty, little dark fruit, little alcohol, slight hops.
This one is from the old Youngs Ram Brewery that was in London and has been aging in my cellar for four year and was a year past the "drink me" date on the bottle. Poured dark brown tending toward black with a fat tan head and thick gluey lacing rings. Nose of ripe fruit and floral hops. Rich and creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is caramel malts with good hop bitterness. This one aged well and was a delight to drink.
Very nice. A strong, bitter flavor followed by a warm, pretty long finish. A bit more carbonated than I like, though, and the alcohol content seems a bit low for a barleywine.
Crushed with Jakebra. Sweet and poopy on the nose. The nice outweighs the nast slightly. Flavor and mouthfeel are rough and scratchy. Dont recommend it. Them limeys dont know barley wines apparently.
Bottle from Vrown. Brown pour, very small head. Aroma is syrupy and sweet wtih some dried fruit and booze. Flavor is sweet and fruity with a syrupy quality that is a bit over the top...but still good.
Decent barleywine with a candy like flavor and a nice smell of fruit and flowers. Very low alcohol for the style and goes down mighty easy.
From bottle bought at Bob’s Liquors in CT, part of beer tasting. Appears a dark brown with little head or lacing. Aroma of dark fruit (prunes), bourbon, nuts, and light hops. Flavor was an interesting mixture of malt, dark fruit, and chocolate. Finish is long and palate is smooth. Overall, a nice, solid brew. Alcohol was not as high as other BW I’ve had, but this managed to hold its own in terms of flavor.
500ml, i’ve had in the cellar for something like 2 years. Pours dark brown with a tan ring. Nose is sweet and ok. Taste is sweet with nice caramel notes. Decent.
Foamy head, nice lacing, coppery dark brown color. Light malty aroma. Medium mouthfeel, high malt dominates, with chocolate aftertaste. Hops is soft and floral, alcoholic after. Good, but not "Devilishly Good".
Getting notebook online. Bottle. Pours cloudy cider brown with no real head. Not much smell. A bitey fruity acid taste that is smooth. Very relaxing strong beer. Great for the evening.
brown body, mild tan head. aroma of malt and fruit. flavor is slightly creamy and maltywith quite a warming alcoholic presense. oily body, alightly bitter dry fruit in the finish. well worth the taste test. i picked up a pint+ bottle of this for less than $4 at The Liquor Depot in Monee.
Had this one as part of "Youngs Night" Not bad really, just bland. Like a Barleywine lite. Nice and creamy, with some malt and carmel, and a good amount of hops. A nice sugar profile in this one. Nothing really stands out about this one.
Pours deep reddish brown with thick fluffy tan head. Good retention and some lacing. Very nice hop aromatics of pine and spruce. These fade into caramel and nutty malts with hints of pepper and butterscotch. This beer is rich, silky and smooth on the palate - very pleasant after dinner. There is not much carbonation. The flavor is of caramel creme candy and hazelnut syrup. There is sweetness, but it’s balanced nicely, although the bitterness is not very forward on its own. The flavor is medium-long and there is a slight metallic note in the finish. As is usual for me, I prefer the american take on the style to the often un-extreme English versions.