Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

This beer pours a dark brown, complimented heavily by a deep, burnt orange color. There is a solid quarter inch of foam despite a gentle pour and the ABV. The smell is of sweet malt, followed by heavy hops. The taste follows the smell, consisting of caramel malt followed by piney, citrus infused hops. The mouthfeel is nice, with proper carbonation. I find the drinkability of this beer to be strangely low for me. I can usually drink big beers all night, but one bomber is enough of this in one night for me.

Bottle. Poured a deep garnet-amber color with a thick, rocky off-white head that diminished slowly and left nice lacing. Aroma of sweet malts and some flowery, piney hops. Semi-sweet caramel malt entry quickly gives way to a semi-bitter, piney, flowery hop flavor that sweetens out a bit in the finish. Relatively smooth until the finish, where the hops begin to dry the palate and bit the tongue a bit. Pretty nice, don’t detect much alcohol.

1 or 2 years old, haven’t any notes of the purchase time. Muddy red brown with a small creamy tan head. There are some great aged notes of dried fruits and port in the aroma, but still also some American hops with pine mostly. It’s sweet, yes, but balanced by hops (still very present) and alcohol. Has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel, but it’s deceiving: it leaves your mouth a war zone of hops and alcohol - which also results in a long aftertaste...of Great Divide, basically.

Dark reddish amber pour with a decent off-white head that fades quickly. Nice hoppy nose filled with citrusy tang and some woodsy, piney notes. Flavor is grapefruity hops over rich caramel malt. Very well balanced with a nice, smooth mouthfeel. Excellent.

Bottled (10,2% ABV). A clear red amber beer with a medium sized and fast disappearing beige head. Strong aroma of American hops with notes of grapefruit and pine. Also caramel, fruits and alcohol. The flavour starts sweet and thick, but then the hops prevail with a very high bitterness. Quite simple flavours, but enough pleasant. Creamy mouthfeel, full body, soft/average carbonation, long finish with unbelievable bitterness. The alcohol is not so hidden. A good stuff, not overly syrupy, but not the best offering from Great Divide.

22 oz bomber. Deep amber beer, thich white head. Aroma is richly malty with lots of bright pine and a bit of resin. There is a soft cookie dough malt sweetness in back. Flavour is very nice and hoppy, immediately there is a toasty malty sweetness that is quickly followed by a strong piny/resiny bitterness. There is a soft cherryish fruitiness in the middle. Warming intensifies the fruity/piny hoppiness which lingers all the way through the finish. Lots of sticky resiny bitterness. Brash, but tasty.

The nose is very sweet malty, and hoppy. Full-bodied, alcoholic and very extracted is the beer itself. Fruit and earthy hops emerge as the beer warms to room temp. Overall, a very sticky and hoppy barley wine that is admirable. However, there is too much alcohol showing which detracts from the rest of the beer.

Pours a hazy brown color with a fluffy off-white head. That leaves a bit of sticky lacing on the glass. Smells of malt and quite a bit of booze. Tastes sweet and malty but there is also a bit of hop spiciness in there as well. Damn nice mouthfeel. Good carbonation. Thick like a BW should be but not overly thick. Good barleywine.