Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

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

2009 Bottling, about damn time... Appearance - The color is a dark amber coming out of the bottle, but once you are done pouring this beauty it turns into a light red beauty. This reminds me of Consecration a lot, just a tad bit lighter. When this is held up to the light it becomes darker and even redder, magnificent! A 1 finger creamy off white head sticks around for a little while and subsides to a ring around the glass. Smell - Very oaky, with strong hints of red wine. A balanced mix of bitter, sweet, and tart mingle in that glass like a swingers club. Dark fruits and a massive amount of malt round it all off with some caramel in the background. Taste - Wow, that was a lot gentler than I expected. Very fruity and oaky. The red wine is very subtle, but it is definitely there. Has the tiniest alcohol kick to the finish, but it is more of a love tap really. I still can’t believe how smooth this is already, even when Deschutes says it will be best to drink after April of 2010. A little bit of caramel appears in the middle as well. Mouthfeel - Awesome, very full beer. It coats my tongue for ages, and slowly drips down the walls of my mouth. This is perfectly thick, just how a barleywine should be. Drinkability - The high alcohol content is going to hurt it here, but damn, this beer drinks amazing. It is extremely well balanced, and the oak aging gives it a massive uplift in smoothness. This is the best barleywine I have ever had. Deschutes, how do you do it?

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.

05 version on tap at Biercafe: Opaque deep amber, smooth tan head.Nose of hops,carmel,whiskeymalt,vanilla. Sweet smooth molasses, brown sugar whiskey like profile.Finish is sweet, then a long lasting hop burst. Complex and well balanced. Great Belgian lace. The best and smoothest of this style I have ever had. This is my new #1 beer

Could have a much better aroma, a little lacking. The flavor comes off as way less than 11%, probably because it doesn’t seem like a hop-heavy barleywine. Pretty nice stuff overall.

must...rate...to...style... I’m very impressed. It’s not nearly as strong tasting as most Barley Wines. With most of this style I like to rush out and get several bottles to see how they age, but I gotta say, this tastes wonderfully aged straight out of the bottle.Very nicely done! Appearance is a cloudy amber with virtually no head which is fine for the style, but a touch of lace would have been nice. Aroma is is of dark fruits and... Damn, ever have a problem where every time you try to smell the beer you end up taking a sip before you get a good read? There’s a hint of hops in there and maybe a touch of spice likely from the wine barrels. It’s very subtle and quite mellow. Flavor is smooth and mellow with some dark fruits (raisens, prunes mostly) and a hop presence that lingers but it hard to pinpoint. This is an extremely well-balanced beer. Palate is thick and almost chewy and somewhat crisp for the style as opposed to being sickly sweet. Overall I think this is excellent comparing well with with anything out there. I really don’t understand how anyone could give this less than a 4 without ignoring the style. Kudos to Deschutes!

A really great American barleywine. I love the best after date on it but couldnt wait that long to drink it. Color was a nice brown color. Aroma of alcohol and malt with some grassy hops. Flavor was big and full of malt, warm alcohol and balanced by a generous heaping of hops. A great beer.

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

Very delicious. Not super complex but has all the elements. Very drinkable. Nice and light.