Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

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

Draft at Callahans. Pours a bright red to amber hue, head mostly dissipates, excellent clarity. Nose is light fruits, rich sweet malts, light spices and hops. Flavor is thick malts, alcohol warmth, pears and apples, light vanilla and oaky tones, finishes sweet. Full-bodied, thick texture, moderate carbonation. A rich and fruity barleywine, the alcohol presence detracts from overall drinkability.

2009 Reserve. Good carbonation opening the bottle. Foamy off-white head. Beautiful dark ruby colored body. Balanced suttle aroma of malt and hops. Not overly aromatic. Body is thick. Actually on the malty side when first consumed, with hops catching up to you in the aftertaste. Just noticed the "Best After" date on the side of the label and it’s 11 months away!! Guess I’ll have to get some to lay down and rerate it next year. Mirror Mirror on the way, is this the best barleywine of them all? No, but it’s pretty damn good!!

malty sweet front. apple in the nose. Mild hoppiness. Easy nice summer beer, drink carefully :). I broke the rule and popped this open a year before it’s "Best After" date.

Bottle… Clear, electric orange ale with a small, fizzy, khaki head. Decent retention. The aroma is of caramel, date, grassy/peppery hops, ethanol and a touch of dried plum. Full-bodied with a thick, chewy mouthfeel and delicate carbonation. The flavor is sweet and caramely up front; followed by a gentle bitterness that lingers right on through the caramel/toffee, mostly sweet finish.

22 of the ’05, capped. Thanks, CShwaz! I had this on tap long ago but somehow missed rating it. Pours clear copper with a white ring of foam. Creamy medium body. I’m going to need to rate this one again and keep better notes.

Blood red pour produces a creamy eggshell head that left significant lacing. Aroma is faint but yummy. Cotton candy, brown sugar, molasses, and maple syrup. Also a little raisin and dark fruit present. Mild alcohol presence that will disappear with time. Thick, low carbonation, and heavy...which fits the style nicely. Another solid offering by Deschutes!!!

No relation in flavor to MP. Pours thick and clammy with a profuse stubborn head. Aromas of sour candy. Effers are almost non existent. This goes down like mucous. A lot of candy essence coming through on this one. Not sure why they state drink a year from now. I initially thought because of a hop infusion but not at all close. Very English and mucously sweet. Those malt concentrates will still be there next year. Not real sure about the hype. With all that said this is a quite nice beer with an extremely strong presence. Big head but low carbonation. Don’t complain about Angel’s Share. Wine meets beer.

wax topped bottle took me 10 minutes to freakin open. Beer poured into the glass a nice shiny burnt sienna, the head atop resting in halo position sporting a mixture of fine and medium sized bubbles. slightly caramelized powdered sugar nose with hints of alcoholic cantaloupe and watermelon rind. Cold/Wet palated yet sticky and severely bitter, its certainly not the relaxing beer I was hoping for. Flavors tend to be unorganized, with harsh hop residuals clouding any potential for congruity. There’s an ackward attempt of fruitiness, but ends with bitter melon rind..something I don’t think has too many positive attributes. The bitterness here almost makes this beer something I don’t see myself drinking until the beer is at least 3 years old...by then, who the hell knows what this thing is going to taste like. Right now, it’s way too damn green.