Alcohol Content: 10%
Official Description from Brewer:
"The Mutiny Fleet was 'berthed' by Heavy Seas brewers who were discovered secretly brewing small batches of big beers to amuse the palates of their fellow crew. Since most secrets are best kept bottled up, we're bringing you these big flavor extrAARGHdinary brews in 22oz bombers. Embrace your inner pyrate and joining the Mutiny! An English style barleywine ale that can be enjoyed now or kept "Below Decks" as it becomes more complex as it ages."
Wilk's Take:
It has been said that your sense of smell has the best memory and that you can recall with complete accuracy the smells you experience. As I shoved my nose into Below Decks I was reminded of not only beer, but sweet, sweet Communion wine. To truly appreciate that, you have to understand that Serbian Orthodox Communion wine can be as sweet as it is bitter. The smell of Below Decks can be mistaken for a sweet red wine. Now, not knowing the process of brewing a barleywine beer I'm not sure if this effect is intended or not. All I can honestly say is that my beer smelled like Merlot. Does that even make sense? Is Merlot fruity?
Below Decks poured like your favorite cola out of a 2 liter bottle left for a week or so to get nice and flat after the party where you ran out of Jack Daniels. There was no head to be found anywhere and the "tiny bubbles, in the wine" showed very little carbonation. The sweet, sweet sensation was very appealing and I dove in. With an ABV of 10% I was expecting the best.
Below Decks is not heavy at all. It flows smoothly from the glass to your tongue and settles there almost like a Kool-Aid. To expand, when I drink Kool-Aid the sugar is very prominent and coats your tongue making each subsequent drink sweeter than the one before. The ale is very distinctly beer and the fruity notes are very conspicuous but enjoyable. You are not knocked around by the "wine" aspect of the brew.
It's hard to say what would happen to this beer if aged any longer than when I consumed it. The year on the bottle is 2010. I do not have the patience to store this beer and see what it would taste like in five years. Then again, if the bottle is available at my local liquor store for a reasonable price I'm doubting it's an ale that anyone would let settle in their beer collection for any length of time. I would probably reserve that honor for a bottle that cost roughly ten times as much.
Suggestion: For my first foray into barleywine style, I think Below Decks was a good choice. If you are an adventurous sort, pick it up for it will satisfy you and will not leave a lead weight in your gut.
Value: As with all the other beers this week, Below Decks went for roughly $6 for a 22oz bomber. For 10% ABV you'd be hard pressed for a better deal. Don't think it to be cheap tasting though. Below Decks certainly brings the quality you want in any ale.
Michelle Factor: If you have ever seen a kid's face after eating brussel sprouts you can imagine what Michelle looked like when she tried this beer. She lumped it with the YETI, a beer that she absolutely cannot stomach. I guess the sweet notes were not enough to save this one for her.
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