Dominion Millennium Oak Aged

Brewed by Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Dover, Delaware USA

Bottle into Duvel tulip; thanks to cquiroga for sharing this with me, summer 2005. Murky, low-saturation brownish orange in the glass with a creamy ecru head of varied bubble size. Reticent lacing pulls up in columns, fairly uniformily. Racing is eager and quick. Tangy, somewhat artificial musky orange aroma; smells "fatty." Some oaken alcohol leavens the tang a bit. Lightly malty sweet with orange rind dominant. A dry alcohol sting emerges late in the finish after bitter dry hops. Finish starts sweet and then gets salty. The finish is easily the best part of this beer. The middle seems raw and untutored, not that smooth or rounded.

Thanks to TheBeerLover for the trade. Bottled 11/04/05. 11.4%. Clear copper. Small, frothy, tan head settles to a thin layer. Aroma of rich malt, caramel/toffee, vanilla, oak, sugar, alcohol. Same flavors - rich, malty barley wine with heavy accents of vanilla, oak, whiskey. Bourbon flavored toast aftertaste. Full, balanced body. The alcohol rests directly on the palate, while the other flavors use it as a stepping stone. Great barley wine.

Hazy dark amber color with a thin fully diminishing off-white head. Strong oaked aroma with some light molassas and caramel hints. Notably oaked flavor with sweet caramel and vanilla flavors.

Bottle. Slightly different label than that in the picture. The abv on this one is 11.4%. Bottling date: 11/04/05. A murky rust-colored pour with a fizzy, thin tan head. Bourbon and molasses dominate the alcohol-packed aroma. Some plums, vanilla extract, apples and a bit of oak to round things out. Goes down smooth and sweet. Medium-bodied and a little sticky. Starts off with plenty of toasty malty caramel flavors. Finishes wood-smoked, dry, sticky, and somewhat bitter. Vanilla becomes more pronounced as it warms. Lots of warming alcohol in the dry, bitter finish. I generally prefer barley wines of the hoppy variety, but this is quality.

12oz bottle bottled 11/05 via trade with kp! - Thanks Keith! - Pours a lovely shade of copper with a short offwhite head that fades quick but hangs in a ring and laces from there on down. Aroma of vanilla, a touch of the bourbon, some cherry, and light hops. Flavor of sweet cherries, caramel malts, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is nice rich sweet cherries, caramel, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and some definite alcohol kick. Smooth and almost sticky palate. Pretty good stuff!

Barrel Draught from the jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 30/09/2005 Amber golden coloured with a slightly hazy appearance. Strong in alcohol. Fruity aroma and flavour. Some dryness in a whisky finish.

Heavily oaked beer, high oak, cherry, maybe some burbon in the aroma. Great reddish body with a medium ivroy head which dissipates quickly. High levels of oak flavoring in the taste, alcohol is also very evident. Very light alcoholic burn in the mouth after swallowing.

I have had a few oak aged beers, and this one definitly has the most bourbon flavor in it. It is a wonderful beer because of this. I have a feeling that i would not like the original as much as this version becuase i personally think it is the bourbon flavor that makes this beer. Also has a nice bitter flavor. One other plus about this beer is that it is not overly sweet like many are, that is a problem that frequently turns me off of them, sometimes that thick syrupy sweetness that some of the high alcohol ones have really wear out my tastebuds. So, all in all, one of the better barleywines i have had, which is impressive in a style i am very picky about. Oops, almost forgot aroma. Flavor is amazing in the same way taste is, wonderful aroma of bourbon. So, i basically have a soft spot for this because i love bourbon. So my rating might be a bit skewed.