Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Bend, Oregon USA

Pretty solid barley wine. lots of malts an a bit of hops. has some nice barrel aged flavor but i was expecting more. good beer but not worth the high price tag.

Bottle in trade from BgThang. Pours clear dark maroon with a lasting creamy beige head. Smell is sweet, smooth candy like malt. Taste is semi sweet up front, followed by a good shot of booziness and some bitterness to finish out. Some raisin and candy/caramel flavors. Still a lot of alcohol in the finish as well. Good full mouthfeel and normal carbonation. Too boozy too be great, but still enjoyable despite the slightly alcoholic and light medicinal quality

Bottle purchased at beverages for less in Santee. Mahogeny red poor little carbonation. Nice dough flavors of yeast, bisquit, candy sugars, carmel, raisins. Nice but a different tasting barley wine.

2009 Bomber w/ Simon. Shockingly non-existent nose. Where did it go? Flavor plays between candi sugar, plum, caramel, sweet malts, hops, booze. Not much oak. A bit raw. Not really all that great ... time will help, but it’ll never be worth the price tag. Bummer!

Thanks to smokepot23 for this brew. Sweet nose of fruits, mostly raisins with some vanilla and booze. Flavor is more balanced with some hops and booze and the finish stays pretty sweet. Medium bodied. Not a spectacular barley wine, but very drinkable and very pleasant. Would be happy to sip this any time.

2009 bottle enjoyed June 2009. Young but ready. Pours deep ruby amber with tan head. Nose is delightful mix of chocolate candied oranges at Christmas, miscellaneous dark fruit, and soft malt. Alcohol is somewhat masked on the palate, and the body is very smooth/creamy, as it brings forth a rich malt sweetness with dessert-like hoppy candy flavors to balance it out. This one is on the sweeter, softer side - which is what I prefer.

Bottle courtesy of retorp. Pours a dark brown with reddish amber highlights and a thin off-white head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of ripe dark fruit, booze, bourbon, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and hints of run-soaked raisins. Flavor is also sweet and malty with notes of ripe dark fruit, caramel, boozy bourbon, molasses, hints of chocolate and cocoa. Generally medium body with a boozy finish. Nice BW.

22oz bomber, 2009 Reserve, from Bottle Barn for $10.49. Clear copper with a one finger yellowish beige head, fair retention. Lots of scorched caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and cherries in the aroma. There is also some hot spicy alcohol, grain and oak, and faint vanilla. The flavor follows suit with big fat malt character--lots of grain, cherries, raisins, caramel, etc.--with not a lot of hops to speak of. The finish isn’t as brash (from the alcohol) as I thought it would be--I suppose the vanilla helped it out. The finish was semi-dry with bitterness around a 3. Light carbonation with a full body. I shall listen to the bottle and set one aside for the "Best after 04/20/10" date.