From Dec 2007 This pours from 22oz bottle a clear deep amber with a small but stubborn head of foam with plenty of lacing. The smell is of caramel and roasted malt...very sweet on the nose. The taste gives me notes of caramel malt, fig, toffee, roasted malt, some honey, some molasses, and a slight citrus snap in the background. It has a medium to medium thick body and the carbonation is medium. It finishes almost syrupy sweet and the alcohol is fairly well hidden. Pretty good sample of the style. I'm pretty impressed with how long the foam hangs around(it's still a solid 1/2" layer far into the session)...longer than most BWSAs I've tried. I think it could use just a smidgeon more of a hop presence to balance the malt but as is, it's pretty good. Would I seek it out again?(as it's not available locally) Probably not.

22oz bomber: This one pours a dark caramel-brown color. There was almost no head on it. The nose is pretty good. Caramel, dark fruits, perhaps some rum raisin notes. The taste is OK. caramel, raisin, some dark fruits. Minimal sweetness with a small touch of dryness in the finish. It’s good, but just seems to be missing something I can’t quite put my finger on.

"one of the weaker (in flavor and body) barleywines i’ve had...especially american BW. overall it’s still a barleywine, and it’s got a decent sweet flavor and aroma of caramel and a touch of hops, but it’s not all that great for a BW."

Aged a few years in my cellar. Lots of red ale like toasted malt, not so drinkable although true to a British style.

22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours hazy/cloudy very dark brown color with a small dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of raisin, plum, fig, cherry, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toast, brown bread, light chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good complexity and solid balance of dark/bready malt, fruitiness, and earthy hop notes; with solid strength. A bit strong on fruitiness, but not bad. Taste of raisin, plum, fig, cherry, caramel, molasses, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light amount of earthy hop bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, plum, fig, cherry, caramel, molasses, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light chocolate, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity and balance of dark/bready malt, fruitiness, and earthy hop flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a smooth and moderately creamy/slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good barelywine style. All around good complexity and balance of dark/bready malt, fruitiness, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Just a touch better than the other BW from this company. Smooth in a good way, just not large in many.

Dark reddish copper in color with a tan head. Deep, dark fruit and malt. Sweet, full, strong. Raisins, cherry, fig flavors. A nice example of a barley wine that would likely age very well.

Bottle. Poured a dark brown with a fizzy tan head. Aroma of dark fruits, molasses, and light alcohol. The flavor also found dark fruits and molasses with a hints of roast. Full body and warming.

Backlog rating. Bomber from Rodman’s, D.C. Strong and sharp beer, from the first of its boozy glowing amber pour. One of the first majorly hop-aggressive barleywines I had, and one that I still enjoy from time to time (though I notice it’s now described as an American Strong Ale on its label). But while the hops are certainly quite forward, this one isn’t like Double Bastard so much as a strongly malty base with a serious makeover in the finish. In other words, the strength is from boozy intensity all the way round.

Pours a clear ruby with minimal off white head. Aroma of candied fruit...red twizzlers. Flavor is candied fruit, odd saltiness, metal...oxidized/cardboard. Mouthfeel is light/medium with a fruity/woody/bitter finish.