Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

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

2003 bottle, courtesy of Dorwart (Thanks Jason!), pours a clear golden orange with a two finger fizzy off-white head, minimal lacing. Aroma is malty, caramel, some dark fruits, and a touch bready. Flavor is an improvement on the aroma, with malty sweetness, caramel, candied dark fruits, and some more breadiness and a slight warming. Alcohol is very well hidden. Palate is medium-high carbonation, smooth and very mellow. A well done barleywine!

Sampled at Badgerben’s Cellar Reduction Night. Pours a semi-cloudy golden amber brew with a thin off-white head that slowly dissolves and leaves behind a great lacing. Aroma of sweet Hawaiian bread, grape skins, apricots, caramel and plenty of alcohol. Tastes is strong (alcohol-wise) medium bodied, lightly carbonated with a sweet caramel malt, candi sugar and some citrus. Finish is strong metalic from alcohol content with a lingering semi-sweet caramel and apricot aftertaste. A great winter warmer.

From the bottle, courtesy of MrBendo, pours a hazy golden amber color with visible carbonation and sediment from me pouring the bottle like an idiot. Thick foamy white head with nice lacing. Strong aroma of alcohol, grapes, malty goodness. Geez that’s a strong taste. Alcohol is the dominante flavor throughout, but there’s some candy sugar, honey, malty deliciousness, and, alcohol again. Smooth on the palate, but strongly alcoholic in the immediate and lasting aftertaste. Good strong beer, but be ready for it.

Bottle. Bottled 10/16/06. This has been sitting in my fridge for a while because frankly, this fucker scares me a little -- 15 friggin’ percent! Pours a murky orange-amber with a million little floaties and an average size mostly-lasting frothy off-white head. Nice, yet milder then I would have expected, aroma of fruit along with hops (floral and grassy), honey, caramel malt and a bit of alcohol. Flavour of fruit (apricots, citrus and more), caramel malt, alcohol, some sugary sweetness, wood and floral hops. Starts sweet followed by a bitter and slightly astringent/boozy finish. Doesn’t taste 15% but it still has some alcohol burn to it. Quite tasty though. Medium bodied, syrupy mouthfeel. Not something I’d want to drink very often but would make nice occasional winter warmer.

Thanks to beachbum for the bottle!Cloudy orange-brass body; Nice buttery yellow at bottom and autumn leaves at the top. Head is thin, cottony white and does a decent job of lacing the interior of the container. Looks a little old (hopefully it isn’t). Smells of apple, sugars, lime and lemon. Taste is gorgeous. Sweet, silky and medium-thick. Similar to syrup. Begins sweet with cherries, apples then lemony hops, raisins and figs. Sweet fades a bit, getting a little roasty (that’s about it for the hops), then ends as nothing but figs. Figs, figs and more figs until you take another taste. Very good, complex beer.

12 oz bottle gifted to me by beachbum25. Pour is a hazy orange, apricot color with a white head. No lace. Senses are immediately assaulted by alcohol( not uncommon w/ DFH). Other than alcohol, nose was of raisins,dates, figs and other dark fruits. Taste was same as nose with some sweet caramel and maybe some molasses. Mouthfeel is a bit thick. A good barleywine although a bit over the top.

Bottle courtesy of OhioDad...Thank you. #325...WOO HOO...Bottled in early 2004! Poured a cloudy light orange color, nice frothy head. TONS of sedement in the bottle. First taste was a complete WOW. Total alcohol in first sip...After it warmed, found lots of carmel malty sweetness. Raisins and figs abound here. Good. Not my favorite barley wine but certainly drinkable!!

Name: Olde School
Date: 01/06/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Vintage Cellar, VA

cloudy orange, frothy white head, sweet and tart citrus fruit aroma, sweet malt flavor, lots of nice hop flavor and bitterness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4
-------- /> Name: Olde School
Date: 03/29/2004
Mode: Bottle
Source: Vintage Cellar, VA
Vintage: 2004

pours into a rusty opaque nectar with just a wispy trace of a head, light sweet citrus aroma, rich malt flavor, initial wahming effect on the first sip but no aparant alcohol afterwords, nice fruity character, nice light bitter finish, hint of citrus, fruityness gets stronger as it warms, bitterness really takes a back seat, should age really well,
-------- /> Name: Olde School
Date: 08/02/2005
Vintage: 2004

opaque orange after adding a nice dose of sedement, thin off white head leaving very nice lace, mild sweet malty aroma, light and fruity malt flavor, nice hop character with mild bitterness, very deceptive, fruityness comes out really nice, more of an aprocot than a plum, aging nicely
-------- /> Name: Olde School
Date: 06/24/2006
Vintage: 2004

thining out a bit, still the nice apricot fruit flavor, a hint of alcohol, a bit of sugary sweetness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4
-------- /> Name: Olde School
Date: 11/18/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Vintage: 2007

clear dark copper, fine beige head, hot sweet dark caramel malt aroma with lots of fruity character balanced by earthy hops, sweet malt flavor, lots of fruity character, caramel sweetness brings out the fruit, plenty of alcohol adds a hotness and light spicyness but does not overly detract from the overall character, good earthy bitterness adds balance and a light bitter finish but still allows the sweet fruity character to shine, wonderful young and could only get better with age,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4