Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

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

22 oz bottle. Hazy rose brown with some white froth. Nose is caramel, apple, light citrus and grass with a hint of pine. Medium body with a tingle. Beautifully soft with no trace of alcohol. Taste is caramel, toffee and raisin balanced by citrus peel and pine needle. Finishes slightly bitter with green cantaloupe. An expertly executed English barleywine with just enough hops to add a spicy bite. Lip smacking goodness.

22oz bottle, 2009 release. Brilliant dark red with some orange and an off-white orange-tinged head. Pungent, fruity, and piney hops, spicy oak, dried mango, vanilla and orange creamsickle in the aroma. The flavor is almost soft at first, with a rather gentle bitterness for an American barleywine. Fruity and sweet, with brown sugar, dried pineapple and a rather generous hop flavor considering there is barely enough bitterness for balance. Smooth overall, lightly tangy, with some fruity alcohol but little heat or astringency. Oak is pretty mellow and seems to pull more of a mellowing act than to ass much overt flavor or mouthfeel. The body is soft and creamy, with plenty of weight and lower carbonation. I like the softer bitterness and subtle oak. The only real drawback is that the sweetness gets to be a little too much by the end. Not really a great buy at eleven dollars a bomber, but feels like a couple more years of age could make my other bottle an interesting experience

Holiday Ale Festival... I guess the bottled version is different batches that have been barrel aged and then bleneded together to create the final product. This version was from a single batch aged in a single barrel that was "lost" at the brewery and later discovered. We were then treated to this very special, unblended version of Mirror Mirror at the HAF 2009. Poured deep amber with a tan head. Rich, boozy, nutty, and malt aroma. Creamy palate. Sweet with pure sugar cane flavors. Strong vanilla and a solid alcohol warmth. Barrel notes like oak and whiskey. Astringent (in a great way), boozy finish.
Earlier Rating: 12/4/2008 Total Score: 4
2005 vintage at Holiday Ale Fest 08... Poured reddish with a beige head. Aroma was tart with bakers yeast and was sweet. Flavors of fruity and floral notes with hops and caramel flavors. Stung the palate a little bit with alcohol and pine-like flavors towards the finish.

2009, amber with red hue, medium off white head.fruity nose, raisins mostly, with a little floral bouquet and spiciness. Sweet taste that was on the bitter side, a lot of alcohol, medium bodied with a slightly oily finish. Nice warm feeling to it, overall a good one.

2009 bottle poured a dark ruby brown in color with a thin light tan head. aroma has caramel malt, a good punch of hops, and some alcohol. mouth feel is a solid medium and the carbonation plenty strong to push it across. flavor gets more chewy, dark dried fruit, resiny hops, light citrus, and sweetness. surprisingly light burn for the abv. and it has a nice softness despite it being such a big monster underneath.

2009 bottle, probably a little early to drink this but very nice all the same, orange garnet color with slight frothy foam, aroma and flavor very reminiscent of Hardy’s, malty, buttery chocolate, vanilla and caramel, lots of lasting finish

Pours a reddish amber with a good sized tan head. aroma of carmel, hops, grapes, cherry, pear, yeast, and some oak. flavor is malty with carmel, hoppy, fruity, with pear, grape, and then some oakness and a kind of soapy aftertaste. has a full body with a creamy almost syrap texture with a nice bitter dry finnish. overall, a very tasty barley wine.

Bottle thanks to TheCheeseMan/scrizzz, not sure which one I opened. Pours a deep amber with a tan head, glass walls covered with spotty lacing. Aroma is caramel, toffee and sugar, with a slight fruity hop note and some vanilla, with a solid alcohol warmth. Not much alcohol flavour going on though. This is not bad at all. It tastes fairly sweet, but not overly so due to the hops balancing it out, making it quite easily drinkable. Comes off a bit spicy and soapy in the finish, but not in a bad way. Full on flavour, medium to thick mouthfeel with tingling carbonation. Pretty good stuff, but nothing I’d go out of my way to try again.