Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

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

Bottle shared by wolfman at SL... From hophead22. Thanks guys.. Nice orange color. Sweet aroma of malts and grain. Taste is sweet as well, which I usually dont like but this was nice... Light oak and vanilla...lots of malt backbone. Easy drinking.. I am glad I have one to age.. Thanks wolf, HH22 and sparky...

Source:22 oz bottle from Blake.
Glass:Gulden Draak Ballon.
Appearance:Hazy orange/amber pour with a one finger beige head.
Aroma:Nose has caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, dark fruits, alcohol and a hint of citrus.
Flavor:Caramel, toffee a hint of chocolate, vanilla, dark fruits and warming alcohol. Citrusy bitter finish.
Palate:Full body with mild carbonation. Very creamy mouthfeel.
Overall:I haven’t had many better. Top tier. The sweet malts blend well together, and the mouthfeel sets the beer apart from most. Don’t get much barrel aging here, but that is the intent I’m sure by only using 35% aged beer. Excellent.

Dark orange with off-while head, lace, and ring. Nose is sweet with dark fruit. Warming. Taste is really big and sweet. Hoppy then grapes. Candy and vanilla. Sticky bitterness in the back. Sweet alcohol. Definitely still hot.

Reddish orange color with a small off-white head. Sweet apricot and bread aroma. Nice citrus hops, apricot, plum and cherry flavors with a slightly salty dry finish. Very nice.

22oz bomber, 2009 vintage, poured into a tulip. Pours a deep, clear amber, bordering on copper, with a hefty off-white head that shows excellent retention. The lacing is minimal but it does leaves some legs after each sip. The aroma is big and sweet, dominated by caramel malts, toffee and dark fruits, figs and raisins especially. I noticed some juicy citrus hops as well but they weren’t as aggressive as some other "American" barleywines I’ve had recently....and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The taste is more of the same with the sweetness dominating. After a cursory bit of grapefruit up front, the caramel malts and toffee take over along with some booze-soaked fruits. The finish actually has a bit of astringency from the hops, coupled with an alcohol presence that is understated for an 11% ABV beer. The mouthfeel is silky smooth with a good soft carbonation which all adds up to a sticky palate full of sugary sweetness and a hint of hop bitterness. I really enjoyed this beer as, even relatively fresh, had a solid but not overpowering hop presence that deferred to the big sweet malt and fruit backbone. Very drinkable for the ABV.

22 oz 2009 bottle via HAgen. Chilled for about 1 hour..temp is approx 58f...Pours a dark clear copper with a large beige head. Nose is mostly orange, pineapple, grapefruit and toffee. Tastes like it smells with a bit of oak, some grapefruit and some spiciness, almost corriander but not quite, and some molasses. Body is medium/full. Carbonation is just right. Quite tasty and just a little hot although for 11%, the alc is well hidden....drinks as easy as many 8-9% beers i have had...., am guessing this would be perfect in about 1 year..

22oz bottle: appearance is a dark amber brown with white head, aroma is of pale malt and notes of various fruits and hops, flavor is bland for a barley wine, good amount of malt nice hops to back it up hints of oak but just nothing stand out. Decent beer but not worth the price tag.