Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

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

2006 bottling. Copper color with a frothy tan head. Slight piney hop, then oak wood caramel smell. Full bodied, thick and chewy. Very malty flavor with figs, dates, oak, and caramel. Has a perfect hop bitterness in the finish. Very easy drinking. This beer really was a surprize, one of the best barley wines experiences i can remember. 22106

tap at falling rock( i think). brownish bit of purple with a sticky gray head. smells like seeds and stems w/orange & dusty malt. taste: really gritty/dirty tasting. grapeskin. chalky malt flavor. tastes like an aged barleywine. loads of fig. that’s it: the fig newton of the beer world. 4 4 6 2 12

Updated Rating 2/18/09: 22 oz. bottle; thanks a bunch cschwaz!! pours cloudy amber with very faint white head; drinks strong and sweet; tons of sugar and alcohol in the aromas; plenty of influence from the oak too; silky rich texture; wow, i just love this beer; simply amazing

Original Rating 1/14/08 (overall score = 4.1) draft @ bend brewpub - a treat to find on tap; cloudy brown with slight tan head disappearing except around the edges; big aromas of caramel, dates, brown sugar and a some woody hints; alcohol is well covered in both the nose and mouth, though you can feel its strength in its thick texture; one of the few brew highlights on my trip to bend; no complaints on all the powder at bachelor!!

Rating #2300! 2005 Bottle, thanks to Styles from way back! Poured clear, medium garnet with a short cap of beige head. The aroma picked up deep, rich caramel and dark fruits (plum and vinous primarily).. lots of red wine and subtle, and well-integrated oak.. biscuits and mild oxidation notes provide a final wave of goodness with tailing notes of faint smoke.. really nice! The flavor had plenty of dark fruit, toffee, and caramel at the alcohol-laced sweet core.. chocolate, caramel, and plums on the back-end, with very complimentary red wine and oak present.. warm, winey finish. A little grainy on the palate with an oaky feel to it.. sticky, warm fruits on the back.. heavier-bodied. Most excellent!

On tap at Carlsbad Pizza Port. Cloudy brown, small lingering head. Sweet brown sugar, malty aroma. Very rich malts, carob, molassas, prunes, raisins, vanilla, and some bitter hops in the finish. Tasty! I haven’t tasted any big barrel flavor, but it was subtle and smooth. Returning two days later to PP Carlsbad I very much looked forward to two more glasses of this necktar...very yummy!

PP SAF 2007. Orange with a thin white head. Brown sugar, sweet malty candy aroma. Some light candied citrus too. Sweet with a slightly medicinal syrup quality. Nice sweet fruit with some big piney hops in the finish. Noticeable alcohol/bourbon barrel effect, but I actually did enjoy this one.

On tap at the PP SA Fest. Mostly hazy, ruddy caramel color with a thin, wispy head of off-white. Orange citrus aromas blend together with some nutty caramel malts and yeasty bread dough. Medium full bodied, fizzy carbonated mouthfeel. Some chewy caramels up front on the palate, but this is followed by a wave of planty hops that have a lot of bitterness, but not much flavor complexity. Oaky dry finish with some stinging alcohols.

Mason jar (!) from SamuraiArtist - thanks, Ezra! A deep lustrous amber, verging on brown, with moderate carbonation and minimal head. A lovely nutty aroma from this English style BW, with just a hint of hops. Very satisfying blend of pistachio and toffee in the flavor, with a long finish. I’m not tasting any of the barrels, other than a hint of bourbon, but this is quite enjoyable regardless.