Big Sky Olde Bluehair Barleywine

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

One of the best bw’s I’ve had in a while. Dark gooey caramel in color with a good lasting head job. Strong aromas make it sweeter. Full body, luscious and creamy with mild bittering. Well balanced sweetness to abv. NIce flavors of coffee cake batter, stonefruit, and butterscotch. The finish is long and savory. Well done laddy.

Bottle. Nose-caramel. Taste-high CO2, Sprite, ginger ale, good sharp CO2, unsweet fig, a really perfect mix of unsweet molasses and fig, perfect balance of dark fruits, medium alcohol. A winner.

Shared growler from the brewery on 4/12/08 - 2006 Vintage... excellent Barley Wine! Big Sky puts out some solid beers and this is by far their best that I’ve had.... pours a deep red with a nice creamy head. I don’t think the ABV is 10.5% - the brewery had it at around 8.5 - 9%. Great hoppy character from the nose to the palate... citrus, piney, caramel and nice and sticky. Looking forward to my ’07 bottle. Great American BW!

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!

OK. This is a bummer. Why did they alias the bourbon barrel aged version to the regular? Whatever. 18 bottles in existence? Wow. 2005. Malty, amber color, Buttery oaky sweetness. Seaoffloydster tasting.

750 ml bottle, 868 of 1,800: This stuff is nice! Deep amber-red with a big, snap-crackle-pop head. Only medium bodied, but where it lacks in texture, it makes up for with boldness. And, I should say, even though the texture wasn’t heavy on the tongue, it was still real nice, with a great carbonation level. Malts are very complex and tasty, with very rich elements of brown sugar, molasses, toffee, caramel, toasted bread, nuts and wholesome wood. Hops are grassy, earthy and herbal. Lesser notes of citrus and blood. Very nice alcohol notes from start to finish, with some fruity qualities. Hard alcohol coziness and warmth. Nutty aftertaste. Great barleywine.

On tap at the 2003 Toronado Barleywine Festival: Not huge but nice. Subtle flavors. Nice malt presence. Very subtle beer but quite complex.

Bottle 1549 of 1800. Pours a deep yet hazy reddish brown with a soapy tan head. Aroma of ripe fruits, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, barrel, vanilla and spices. Flavor is dark fruits, caramel, sweet malt, vanilla, spices, barrel aging is evident but compliments the beer instead of overpowering it. Nice sticky mouthfeel and just the right amount of sweetness. The BA version is truly a Fantastic Barleywine. Awesome stuff.