Big Sky Olde Bluehair Barleywine

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

Poured a deep ruby red with a big fluffy eggshell head. Smells like an old ale, veggy hop smell, vanilla, caramel. Taste is very sweet, tastes like a lot of Crystal 20, hot with bourbon and oak and vanilla.

750ml bottle, # 709. Pours a mostly clear deep ruby color with a 2 finger thick beige head, some spotty lacing. Tons of sweet caramel, toffee, bourbon and oak on the nose. Flavors were dominant with big caramel sweetness followed by sweet oak and hints of bourbon. This was a damn good Barley Wine.

Bottle shared by myself at hellbilly’s holiday tasting. Deep amber brown pour with a lasting foamy head. Big malty aroma with some citrus, hops, ripe fruit and alcohol. Flavor is nice and complex as well, unfortunately it is just a bit too sweet to be a great BW. Not bad at all though.

Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing! Pours a clear dark brownish-amber with a nice bubbly off-white head. Big sweet-sharp aroma, quite herbal, with malt, dark fruits, wood, and alcohol. Rich taste, of brandy, wood, malt, dark fruits, brown sugar, and an alcohol bite. Lingering rich alcohol-wood flavors. Very nice.

Thanks Joe for this "awesome" beer. I loved the giant slug that poured right into my glass. I couldn’t even spoon that crap out, too slippery. Besides that there was some surprisingly good flavor. A bit stale with some cardboard but after the nasty cloudy appearance I figured it would taste like it looked. Aroma is a bit cheesy with some bourbon and burnt sugar. Not bad but not great.

750 ml bottle (#722 of 1800) from Plaza Liquors - Pours a clear deep mahogany color with a large, two finger thick light tan head that took its time to settle. Light lacing. Aroma is full of esters, sweet malt, oak, and vanilla. Flavor is much of the same. The alcohol is noticeable, but not overwhelming. Medium to full body. A very nice sipping BW.

Thanks to Joe for sharing. Pours a nasty cloudy brown with some nasty shit floating around in there- very strange. Aroma is slight roasty malts, sharp caramel, hairy leathery, with lemon citrus, earth, dirt, molasses and sweet dried fruits. flavor is sharp fruit and solvent- a bit harsh, bourbon, vanilla, oakiness, sweet brown sugar- a bit gritty, with a solvent and burning alcohol note in the end as it warmed. Meh.

Bottle shared by JoeyBigTimes. During the pour we found a slug like clump of malt and sludge that turned a few people off from sampling. Bottle 2006. Pours a mahogany body with a tan head. Sweet scotch, apples and light bourbon, etoh latent fruit with a sweet tangy caramel. Not bad, but for the style not great.