Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Pours a cloudy reddish brown with a small foamy head. Aroma of fruit, caramel, hops, malt and grapefruit. Flavor of malt, hops, caramel, spices and a bitter piney grapefruit finish. Nice lacing and good mouthfeel on this one too. This is a really nice barleywine, I really enjoyed it.

Chalk up another winner for Great Divide! Pours a deep amber maybe even cherry or burgandy color. Nice thick khaki head, especially considering the alcohol content, which produced a bunch of sticky lacing all over the glass. Aroma is nice and hoppy with some citrus fruits. The flavor starts with sweet caramel malty notes. After that is the big grapefruit, tangy, hoppy blast. The aftertaste is grapefruit and a bit winey. Considering the abv here this is quite easy to drink and smooth. This is flat out an excellent brew. If you’re a fan of the style I definitely recommend this!

American style barley wine with a very pungent, citrusy hop aroma and flavor with a malty and refined taste followed by a somewhat decent palate. May be a bit less astringent with some age, but overall this is up there among my favorite barley wines.

Vintage 2005 Pours dark copper with a mohagany tinge. Barely hazy at cellar temperature, with a one-inch head of dense beige. Sheets of clingy, fine lacework. Very nice. Aromatics are still brash after three years. Massively malty with an aggressive high-alpha blast. Oxidation is plenty apparent, with sherry and damp paper shining through. The nose rounds out with citrus-rubbed cedar bark and some smoke-funk. On the large side of medium bodied, plenty chewy and tacky. The pallet has an assertive bitterness up front, drying malt and pine-bark midway, and lingering citrus pith and alcohol follow through. Finishes with lingering bitterness, grapefruit zest, woody tannins, and a building warmth. Three years has not mellowed this ruffian much, and the oxidation is detracting in the nose. Past prime.

Bottle with a little age on it (not sure how much). Pours a deep auburn with an off-white head. Huge citrus hops flavors, plus roasty caramel malts, some dark fruits. No surprise, huge hop flavor on the front transitions to caramel maltiness and finally hints of chocolaty alcohol and backing hop bitterness. A little thick in the mouth, though the carbonation cuts it quite nicely. Really good.

Bottle. Red/amber colour with medium creamy off-white mostly lasting head. Sweet malty aroma with notes of caramel. Sweet bitter flavor.Heavy bitter finish. Oily palate.

tap @ papago... pours a dark caramel color with a frothy white head which leaves a bunch of sticky lacing. floral aroma with notes of brown sugar, citrus rind, pine and a burn from the spice/alcohol. flavor is the same as the aroma. not overly sweet with a dry bitter piney finish. alcohol burns a little on the breath as it warms but that’s to be expected. medium body for the style with a really smooth oily texture. no stickiness or cloying sweetness as too many BW tend to have...nice.

Pours dark copper with light tan head. Aromas of malts and caramel. Flavor is sweet and malty and finishes with a nice hoppy bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden for over 10%. Full body with minimal carbonation and a creamy, syrupy mouthfeel. This is a very good barley wine. I will definately have this again.