Great Divide Barrel Aged Old Ruffian

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Denver, Colorado USA

purple red with a yellowish head.. love this nose, almost smokey, vanilla, berry..love it. alcohol and berry flavors with a nice woody tartness. the barrel notes accent well and make this a very good beer. throughout this there has been a tangerine note that is odd, but not bad. 5 8 9 5 18

25 oz bottle, via crosling. Pours a slightly hazy dark amber body with a small tight bubbled beige head that retained well. Very thick heavy aroma, full of caramel and toffee with a good deal of whiskey and oak but it doesn’t smell overly boozy. A nice vanilla accent as well. Rich toffee and caramel maltiness really melds well with the whiskey flavor. Maybe a little boozy, but not overwhelming. Fairly light woody quality but it’s probably just covered up by the whiskey more than anything. There’s a good bit of resiny bitterness on the finish. Full bodied and thick on the palate up front, the alcohol thins it a little on the finish. Very warming all the way down the chest. Nice light prickly carbonation cuts the body pretty well. All in all pretty darn good. Quite a bit better than the regular Old Ruffian.

750ml bottle. Pours a strange fecal brown with a foamy tan head. This beer does not pour like a barley wine. The aroma is of oak, whiskey, caramel, malt, chocolate, alcohol, and vanilla. The aroma is very rich in flavors and smells fantastic. The taste is of caramel malt, chocolate, grass, vanilla, and spice. Huge oak and whiskey flavors dominate the beer, but don’t make it seem unbalanced. Lingering taste of oak, alcohol, and vanilla. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. The alcohol compliments the beer very well, but turns this beer into a definite sipper. Finish is all harsh alcohol. Although it seems to have lost any barley wine characteristics in the barrel aging process, it is still an amazing beer. One of the most enjoyable beers I have had, even though you can do little more than slowly sip on it. I goddamn loved it.

Bottle courtesy of MaltDawg at the 8th Richmond Gathering. Number 193/461 from August of 08. Copper pour. Aroma is wood, caramel, dark fruit, and boozy alcohol. Vanilla is present throughout. Taste is sweet with caramel, spicy hops, vanilla, oak, alcohol, brown sugar and dark fruit. Body is full and chewy. Slightly sticky. Warming feel as well. Moderately carbonated. Ends with more sweet malts, brown sugar, caramel, oak, vanilla, bourbon, and fruit. Very tasty and well worth rating 3000!

Bottle. Dark cola amber body with a thin lacing of bubbles. Wow this beer is loaded with whiskey notes, boozy as hell, what a ridiculous aroma of sour mash, oak, whiskey, and lots of hoppiness. I was never crazy about the base beer, but i’m pretty sure i liked that more. Wow just too much barrel, that’s like an oxymoron out of me too. Next to mirror mirror, i’d have to settle there.

Bottle courtesy of MaltDawg at the 8th Richmond Gathering on 06/06/2009. Bottle 193/461, bottled in August, 2008. Opened to celebrate TheBeerGod’s 3000th rating. Dark caramel amber body with a small frothy off-white head. Sweet caramel, molassas, vanilla, whiskey, and light yeasty aroma. Sweet caramel, light fruit, some molassas, more vanilla, and a touch of yeast in the finish with a gentle whiskey background. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation and a very smooth creamy mouthfeel.

Medium amber, clear, little head. Aroma was lots of raisin, a bit of caramel, and loads of alcohol. Flavor was much richer than I expected, deep caramel, some raisin, faint oak, and vanilla. Great depth of flavor. Glad to be able to share TheBeerGod’s 3000th!

Bottle 193/461: Big thanks for this one maniac. Beautiful mahogany body with a light ivory head. A great aroma, nice oak and vanilla accents. Taste is outstanding, a bit thicker than expected which is nice. Great toffee, nuts, oats... some dark fruit, maybe plums. Smooth ending with great accents from the oaking. Outstanding beer overall.