Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine

I have been fortunate enough to have visited The Pilsner Room down along the banks of the Willamette River, in the beer loving city of Portland, Oregon. The Pilsner Room is the restaurant/bar attached to the Full Sail Brewery. The full line of Full Sail beers flow freely, along with a slew of other Oregon/PNW/ and from beyond beers. Nothing beats the experience of tasting brewery fresh beer straight from the brewery, literally only a yard or two away from the taps. But there are some beer styles, that actually will improve with some age. Full Sail Old Board Head Barleywine is one such beer. I purchased a number of their 98 and 99 vintages in bottles, and brought them home for future consumption. This is one incredible barleywine, one worth the trip to Portland. Old Boardhead pours to a beautiful, bright, garnet color, with a faint tan head, and a very soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is just fantastic. Big hop aromatics marry with peppery hints of alcoholic strength, and sweet malt aromas. The palate is a very firm malt body of pale and crystal malt flavors. Sweet malt flavors of "fresh bread", a touch of vanilla, and some estery fruit coat the tongue. The mouth feel is full, rich, and luscious. This beer finishes with more sweet malt up front, then dries with citric, piney, hop bitterness and a warming high octane burn. Old Boadhead comes in at 10-11% abv, this is a potent brew. I’m sampling the 1999 vintage here, and the hop character is more pronounced in aroma and flavor but mellows with more age. In the 1998 vintage, more malt character seems to come through. Which ever vintage you try, Old Boardhead is one of the finest barleywines on the market today. This beer is a rare and special treat, it is extremely hard to find outside of the PNW. This beer is perfect on a chilly fall evening, or to be sipped as a night cap. I wouldn’t pair this with food, but if one chose to, this would be the perfect foil to creme brulee

This must have been the beer the beer that Benjamin Franklin was talking about “beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy’ It’s a big beer 01 vintage and I love the smell, fruit, and malt, some flowery hops. All that and more in the taste. The very best

The quinessential American barleywine. This one has it all: deep malt flavor, lush body, powerful hop finish, and swirling complexity throughout. Let it age a year or two, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Re rate: Just sampled some of this elixer that was brewed in 1995, and it’s even better with 7 years on it! My pick for best barleywine at the Tononado Barleywine Festival.

A phenominal beer. These were brewed on 6-30-97 and then bottled 10 months later. Very round in flavor and warming and yummy yummy yummy.