Anchor Old Foghorn Ale

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Francisco, California USA

355ml bottle from west lakeview (2009 vintage, i think).....pours a dark amber brown pour with a thin film of slightly off-white head.... dark fruit and caramels make up the nost with very little hops presence.... flavors are very similar with ripened fruits, old grapes, and caramel malts. bitterness comes 3/4s of the way through and lingers on the palate. almost too sweet for my liking. not a big fan.

Pours a three finger light tan head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Nice crystal clear amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Malty nose. Flavor is sweet malty caramel, smooth. ABV is low (8.2%) for a barleywine. $3.25 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, MA.

Cloudy copper pour, low head, no lace. Strong, malty raisin aroma. Low carb, alcoholic and very sweet. Thick phlegmy caramel and raisins. Sickly sweet and cloying. A little too much for me.

Aroma of caramel and bathroom cleaner. Bright red appearance with lasting residue around the glass. Lemon zest, brown sugar, prunes, and honey. A little too green and chemical for my taste. I could appreciate a heavier malt presence, a little less sharp, and more well-rounded barley wine. Still, it’s interesting, complex, and enjoyable.

Slightly hazed copper body is topped by a quickly vanishing beige head. Not much lacing. Aroma of toffee maltiness and citrusy and floral hops. Smooth on the palate and nicely balanced, with the abv cleverly concealed. Floral, herbal,spicy, and citrusy hop bitterness melds extremely well with the soft caramel and toffee malt backbone. I think this one is the 2008 version, but all the previous vintages I’ve sampled have been similarly well balanced and superbly crafted. A benchmark American barleywine.

355ml bottle, 8.2% abv, picked up at Gammel Strand Øl og Vin in Copenhagen half a year ago. Bubbly, light orange-brown hue, fading slowly over a lucid, ruby-red body. Fragile laceworks on the glass. Smell of dried fruits on a malty background. Taste of malty sweetness and sweet dried fruits where prunes and apricot can be spotted. The taste profile is supported by underlying, but not overdone, alcohol. Dry hopped bitterness to the ending as a welcoming counterpoint to all the sweetness. Still it comes off a bit too sweet. Medium to full bodied. Has got a very promising start, but loses some interests after the first sips (Tromsø, 29.03.2009).

A hazy red-brown beer with a small tan head. The aroma is a very sweet fruit, lots of banana which is odd but it works, strangely. Malt too. The flavor is not too hoppy, dominated by a caramel and roasty maltiness. Chewy mouthfeel. This is a very interesting BW, not at all average.

Bottle. OMG. Dark copper body, with a small off-white head. Aroma is fruity, candy sugar, malt. Aroma is fruity, candy sugar, dark fruits. A bit hoppy, but not much for a barley wine. Fantastic beer.