Free State Old Backus Barleywine

Brewed by Free State Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Lawrence, Kansas USA

Thanks to Captaincougar. Poured a hazy tawny color. Aroma was sweet and fruity with caramel and sugar. Flavor was malty and sweet with more caramel. Long hop bitter finish and light alcohol. Medium to full bodied.

rating #1000 comes courtesy of csbosox. Thanks Chris. Clear mahogany color, no head, this is a tasty brew. What’s scary abou this beer is that it if full of flavor, but drinks so easily for 10.5% ABV. It starts out sweet, but has a dry, almost salty finish. the body is medium.

Bottled from a growler by who else?? csbosox!! pours a nice reddish brown with no carbonation.Nose is heavy with the aromas of fermented dates,like some crazy compote you might find in Istanbul.Sweet smelling with a liiiittle bit of alcohol.But,wait,what do I detect upon first sip, could it be some bitterness?? But I can’t hepl get some home made caramel apples outta’ this.The Ying and the Yang compliment themselves nicely here,both of them showing some manners by not outdoing the other.

Bottled from a Growler... This beer rocks!... Hazy, ruby ale with a tiny, quicky dissipating, off-white head. Malty aroma with a carefully designed hop pop to add balance and complexity... caramel, oak, toffee, pine, dried plum, sour mash, black cherries and dark chocolate. The flavor is full of malt with notes of chocolate, bourbon, oak, caramel and port with a pleasant alcohol burn on the way down. Very well-balanced for such a HUGE beer. Mega full-bodied and chewy with moderate carbonation. Medium-length, bitter-sweet finish with drying alchohol and freshly cut August grass at the far end. BEERTASTIC! Thanks csbosox via footbalm!

GABF selection and I’m glad I did. Brownish color with a little head. Roasted smell with a honey taste.

GABF 2004. Perfect balance in an archetypical barley wine. When people use the word archetypical, it’s usually pejorative; not here. By archetypical, I mean that this stuff should set the standard. Sure, other good barley wines can deviate from it, but these are the rules that lesser beers dare not break. Raisiny, perfect level of acidity, with a mild hops finish that was stiff enough, fresh, and not overpowering of the silky sweet fruit in the main body. Finish transitioned from full to dry, which was a nice twist.

Tosa Tasting growler ala Jason via csbosox. Dark copper color with a slight haze and small off white head. Old ale aromas waft. Prunes, cherries and mild saaz hops catch the nose and hang on. Flavors of raisins and mild oak seem to dominate. Sticky on the lips and oily on the palate. Finish is a touch sharp with a white pepper burn.

Ap: deep red in color w/ a thin light head Ar: hints of malt, hops, maybe malasysis pa: thick and creamy no real carbonation a touch of acidicy in the finish flr: NUM! a nice malty sweet blend of other flavors just great, not much hops but GOOD ovr: a bit of a bitter after taste in my burp.. I this was a damn good beer. thanks to Jason via trade in a growler Had this bottled at DL release as well 2002 vintage. Still good but not as good.