Great Divide Barrel Aged Old Ruffian

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

Bottle 50cl.
[ Courtesy of Ambassador ]. Clear medium amber brown color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is heavy malty, caramel, fruit - berry, cranberry, cask wood, vanilla, moderate alcohol - whisky. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is soft. [20081030]

Name: Old Ruffian, BA
Date: October 14, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: muddy dark amber, frothy beige head, scattered drippy lace
Aroma: dark caramel malt aroma kept dry by lots of earthy hops, touch of bourbon sweetness
Flavor: sweet dark caramel and bourbon flavor enhanced by vanilla sweetness, touch of hot alcohol, good earthy balance
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4

From the Bottle at the Brewery Room of the Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver 10/10/2008 Whisky aroma. Mid brown coloured smooth on the palate and very strong in alcohol with a bitter and slightly dry warming finish.

(750ml bottle, #161 of 470, bottled Aug 08, courtesy of Lumpy) Pours a cloudy amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of oak, bourbon, caramel, orange, and earthiness. Flavor of caramel malt, cherry, toffee, dried dark fruits, hops (floral), vanilla and bourbon.

Bottle… October ‘09 O-Town Throwdown!… This beer rocks!… Murky amber ale with a small, fragile, off-white head. The aroma offers a wealth of caramel, vanilla, bourbon and pouch tobacco. Medium to full-bodied and creamy with lively carbonation. Vanilla, bourbon, toffee and caramel are the standout flavors. Mild acidity. Warm, but not hot - the bourbon component is not overbearing. Lengthy, caramely, warming finish. World class bottle of beer courtesy of JW77!

Cloudy and muddy dark tawny brown. Creamy tan head sitting 1/2 inch tall in one glass, while the other has only a 1/8 inch film. Nose is creamed vanilla, oak, and overripe fruit - plum, apricot, oranges. Creamy and full up front, rich sticky plum, tobacco, vanilla, amaretto... more of this creamed orange and creamed plum flavor, a little of the fruity sweetness from the regular Ruffian shining through. The whiskey character is thankfully not overdone - primarily vanilla and toffee notes compliment the rich creamed plum and nectarine fruit flavors. A little hot in the back, creamy and frothy throughout, the extended finish really the only spot where it seems to thin out as the alcohol becomes strong. Overall, really delicious and warming. A subdued and quiet aged barley wine complimented by a mild bourbon presence and without an overbearing barrel character.

Bottle. Head is initially very small, mostly diminishing. Body is dark amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (resin, apricot), with notes of cardboard, wood, alcohol. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, lively/soft carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic. Surprisingly unfulfilling and rough. Raw wood and oxidation dominate the aroma, and there’s not a ton of other stuff to pull it out of that rut. The wood returns on the tongue, and frankly I just can’t get into this.

Sampled from 750 ml bottle during MN Gathering II in Maplewood, MN, and shared by BDR. Pours a hazy dark amber brew with a thick beige head that has some nice retention and spotty lacing. Aroma of bourbon, raisin, vanilla and some caramel malt. Taste is full bodied, along with flavors of caramel malt, some flowery hops, bourbon, vanilla, some oak character and dark pitted fruits. Finish is semi-sweet and alcohol bite followed by a lingering bourbonized caramel malt aftertaste. Yah, goot ’n strong.