COMING TOMORROW (3/17) – ONE MORE FABULOUS BARLEY WINE — THEN A PUB CRAWL THROUGH WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA
MAD FOX SLOBBERKNACKER: ONLY THE TASTING WILL BE VERTICAL
Mad Fox Slobberknocker 2016 Abv 10.4 Dry Hopped
A sloberknocker, in case you haven’t been in one, is a respectable fight that brewks down into chaos. There’s no doubt that a couple of pints of Mad Fox’s Slobberknocker would deliver a knock out punch; there’s a delightful riot to be had along the way.
Bill Madden has been a towering figure in the DC area brewing community for many years. He’s had a chance to hone approaches to some classic beers that have migrated with him as he changed breweries. Now with his own place in Falls Church, he can not only brew freely, but determine which beers will age and for how long.
Barley wines age well. The malt forward flavors mellow with time, the alcohol acts as a preservative and if the hops fade a bit, they never were the main story. The Mad Fox Barleywine Festival, held at the brewpub each February, provides a wonderful chance and vertical tastings that will leave you horizontal if you’re not very careful.
The best range at this year’s festival was of the brewery’s own Sloberknockers. Some aged in wood, some quite fresh, and this one-year-old prize that had been dry hopped with Citra hops. Citra can be a good hop if it’s used carefully, but it can be edgy to annoying if used excessively or carelessly. Madden has a knack of using it well, and rarely better than in this 2016 version of Slobberknocker. The beer shows all of Citra’s remarkable breadth of flavors without succumbing to its edginess. Ellie, who hates Citra if she can spot it, loved this beer.
The original barley wines were intended to replace Claret wine on the tables of British aristocrats. This winey barley wine shows the original intent of the style better than most even if it does rely on a not-at-all 18th century hop. We think the like of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, (Marquess of Lansdowne) and his buddies would love it.
Tasting notes: Big and exceptionally soft, especially considering the alcohol strength and Citra hop. Some fruit – stone with some pear-ish notes as it drinks creates a breadth of flavor that dresses up the booze in a three piece suit. Ellie found a good deal of maple sugar in the malt that blanketed the Citra almost entirely
Food Pairings: We’ve been recommending cheese with barley wines all week and there’s no reason not to repeat the choice here. The is so smooth though, that any dish worthy of a smooth rich wine would pair as well with the Slobberknocker; its taste is ever so much more elegant than its name. Review #0083 20170311
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