Dominion Millennium Oak Aged

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

Bottle: Pours a muddy copper color with light head and lacing. The nose is dark and woody with lots of bourbony oak notes and sweet fermented fruit; cherry, fig, vanilla. Some sherry as it goes on with more of that alcohol. The flavor is nice and rich with a oaky alcohol soaked wood and vanilla note that overflows the palate with flavor and thickness. Not a thick body, just the intense woody notes. The finish is smooth and lively. Nice!

12-oz. bottle, 2006 vintage, received via trade with sloth. Pours hazy tawny with a small, fizzy, off-white head, mostly diminishing with spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toffee), heavy hops (flowers, perfume, pine), average yeast (dough, leather) with notes of bourbon, oak, sherry, and vanilla. Full bodied, alcoholic texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

12 oz bottle, 11/06. Milky pink brown with white sudsy edges. Nose is toffee and over-ripe cantaloupe. Medium light but seems a bit watery; minimal carb. Taste is butterscotch, apple brandy and grass. Smooth oaky touches but overall somewhat faded.

HUGE thanks to hopscotch for sending me this one as a reward for his contest i won a few months back. Tried this one just last night, as I was dying for a Barleywine and couldn’t resist. Pours a nice red color, aroma is slightly funky with a nice candy balance. Very nice mix of flavors here, the wood really comes through in the tase. Lots of malt, carmel, some hops, slight smoke, wood, a touch of dark fruit and vanilla. My only gripe is the bourbon. While not overpowering, it tries to take a starring role instead of staying a member of the supporting cast. In doing so, it masks a lot of the complecity that I am sure is in this beer. Theres a lot of good stuff going on here, and this beer is delicious, but I’d suggest cellaring for a year or so and let the bourbon fade and the other flavors come forward. Overall, a winner and a great brew.

Pour is reddish brown with little head. Aroma is so sweet like candy starburst. Mouthfeel is medium but not highly carbonated. Flavor is only slightly sweet although the aroma would tell you otherwise. Very complex and earthy, rich sweet malt blended with woody undertones. Some vanilla in there. Bourbon is there but not overwhelming. I honestly believe this is not rated higher because it’s not hyped. This is good. I will get more.

Thanks to Carl4beer for this ’05 bottle. Poured a viscous deep brown pour with no head. The nose is wonderful with aged barleywine, vanilla, oak and brandy. The flavor was a bit more subdued with a creamy mouthfeel. Just a touch hot in the finnish.

Bottle. Exactly what this beer needed. Soak in in bourbon rid the hop presence and leave behind a nice etoh whiskey to bring out what i love in a good BW. Great beer with the vanilla and sweet malt to balance the abv.

Bottled 11-17-06 (my daughter’s b day) courtesy of Shigadeyo. Pours a nice orange amber with thick light beige head. Nice aroma of toffee candy, vanilla, maple, and cognac. Medium bodied, slightly oily with no stickiness and a soft effervescent-like carbonation. Initial flavor of caramel, toffee, and raisen that transitions to a spicy and subtle vanilla middle. Peppery bitter bite on the finish with some dry woody accents and alcohol warming. This is not bad. Everything plays well together- it just needs an all star trait to push this to the next level. A bit pricey to warrant a six pack.