Big Sky Olde Bluehair Barleywine

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Missoula, Montana USA

Found these notes in a pad I use for rating. Was from awhile ago so I’ll just transcribe the notes. Copper/red body. Small orange tinted head. Sweet malt, fruit, hops, bourbon. Medium body. Flavor was light for a barleywine. Somewhat sweet with layers of hops and bourbon.

Date: 07/15/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, RBSG, 2006

dark amber, whispy tan head, rich malt aroma with earthy hops and a slight tart edge, creamy body, hot malt flavor, touch of sweetness, good balancing bitterness leaving a long bitter finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Another rare beer from Skyview. The aroma is simple with sugar and fruit. Flavor is a little bit sour, and I’m not sure if it is intentionally sour or not, but it tastes good either way. More fruit, thick, and a sweet finish. Almost no hop presence. An usual, interesting quality barleywine.

Skyview, dang you keep bringin back the good stuff! Copper color with a thick head. Aroma of cherry, oak and vanilla. Nice, sour cherry taste and a sweet caramel backing. Totally not what I expected. Excellent.

Thanks again to skyview for sharing. cloudy dark brown, with a huge head. Nice cranberry nose with with good deep toffee and malt, and almost like a cherry sweetness. Great full mouthfeel! Wow, that is absolutely amazing, nice cherry like sweetness, with deep rich toffee like sweetness. GREAT!

On tap at Flagstaff Brewing, pour was ruby amber, nice one finger head on top, good lacing. The aroma was grapey, some sweet candy malts, touch of pine resin. The flavor followed suit, light fruits, grapes, malty presence for sure, candied up, vanilla, dark fruits, yet with a somewhat balancing resinous and herbal hop presence. More on the sweet side of things, but shows some balance, pretty enjoyable. Was surprised to see this didn’t score better within style. Ah, the heck w/ y’all, I liked it, my kind of barleywine perhaps.

Bottle, at RBSG Grand Tasting, July 2006. Coppery colour. Distinctly fruity aroma, with some toffeeish malt. Fairly light for a US barley wine, with more plummy fruit in the flavour and quite restrained hop presence. Clean mouthfeel - not too sweet. I sometimes find US Barley Wines a bit over the top, and harsh in the hop attack, but this one was relatively subtle although the warming alcohol did make its presence felt. I quite liked it.

’05 on tap at Hard Liver. Dark caramel w/ small head. Sweet malt aroma w/ good c hops for a barley wine. A little bit hot. Tasty with plenty of good sweet malt.