Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Milton, Delaware USA

2007. intense alcohol on the nose like fingernail polish remover. hazy amber and a thin head. tastes like a junior 120. dark soft velvety caramel with a fresh pulled taffy finish. After only a few months, became sweet and perfumey in the nose with notes of candied orange, intoxicating and intriguing. stepped up in appearance as well, with a well rounded orange amber color and a dense creamy white head. I have to say that I do not notice any of the alcohol anymore, all I taste is dense oranged sweetness, full and heavy. My chest warms quickly like I’ve sipped some brandy. This is yummy and I know I’ll be finishing the glass much too quickly.

Murky, muddy brown color. Thick off white head. Aromas is all dried fuits and alcohol with a hint of earth and nuttiness. Apricot, raisins, figs, and dates. Medium to full bodied. Dont get me wrong, I appreciate the 15% abv. But its a little much for this style. Keeps it from being a classic.

Bottled in 2007. Aroma is dominated by alcohol but a light amount of malts are noticeable. Hazy light amber color with a small tan head. Flavor is smooth at first then develops a sweet alcohol bitterness in the finish a slight amount of hops are also noticeable. Creamy palate. Aging the other three.

Pours a gorgeous red color with a finger of off-white head. Really fruity nose: cherry, tangerine, date, fig, apricot, rounded by a kind of buttery maltiness. Flavor is both sweet and tangy, with citrus and cherry played up and a bit of bitterness balanced by pale malt. Medium consistency, which is good because I’d expect something this sweet and flavorful to be cloying. Very enjoyable... this will get better with age.

decent to put it lightly, this is a powerful beer, not only because of the alcohol but the overall flavor and texture. It is a very warm beer, has a sort of tang and afterbite. Sip this one slowly and it can be enjoyed. DFH has a consistency with their brews, all being explosive in individual style. This is a great version of barley style wine but has maybe 4 or 5% too much ABV.

pours a clear brown with no head. Has strong hints of caramel, sweet dark fruits, spices, candied sugar, oak, and nuts. Finishes with a sweet warming feeling on the tongue and stomach.

Awesome looking pour of a thick, unfiltered consistency; firey shade of tangerine. Juicy aroma spits orange and pineapple over a dark, starchy foundation of gingerbread and rum cake. Heat is tepidly, then aggregiously present; whiskey emanates wildly and arrives on the tongue with a clumsy violence. Hints of dirty toffee, bathroom sanitizer, earth, dates. Sterilized, dark and fruity; apple liqueur. Old citrus, vanilla, white grape and sour mash mostly with a jameson impression lend a strange amalgam of sweet, pungent, and musty. Heat develops into a more blatant rubbing alcohol effect, cold and dry. Slick in the mouth; warm, gooey, lightly prickly. Finishes with a quiet shade of sweet almond nuttiness and a bit of peppery bouquet. It’s quite a difficult project at this early stage, and it seems unfortunate that it should even be released when it’s so inordinately young. Bury it and see.

Red mahogany with good, foamy off-white head / Winey nose of dates and apricots / Full, syrupy body, with good, bitter finish / Flavors of figs, dates, apricots, pineapple, and apples, with some heat and bitterness on finish / A bit ungainly. Seems a little thin v. the alcohol. Would like to try in a year.