Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Thanks to Dansting for sending me this bottle. Aroma that first hit me was some wet paper. I’m thinking oxidation, but sometimes that’s a character in b/w’s. So I dig a bit deeper and there’s clear cut caramel, and a piney hop character that is incredibly balanced. Appearance is a soft brown, cloudy with a khaki 2-finger head. Mouthfeel is creamy, thick and sticky. Flavors were nice with a strong balance between caramel and piney hops. It was a bit two-dimensional for me to get any higher marks in flavor. It was nice, but nothing to set it apart. Money well worth spending if you can find it.

Honey Orange with Brown Hues..Mocha Cream Head. Creamy, Heavy Mouthfeel. Some Sweet Barley Notes...Very Hoppy Barleywine...Balanced Out Pretty Well but Hopped in the Great Divide Way. Fairly Simple Beer on the Mystery Side of Things...but Still a Nice Example of the Styel.

Complex fruit, pine, carmel flavor. Similar to Sierra Nevada Big Foot BW in that it has much much hops and bitterness and less sweetness than most BW. More vinous quality, dry bite, and edge, than say Avery Hog Heavan BW.

750 Bottle. Tulip glass. Ruby color with decent head for a barleywine. Tons of malt, hops, and sweetness in both the taste and aroma. Caramel and grapefruit with a woody tinge and a bitter finnish. A little overdone.

I was hoping the caramel was more present. This beer is massively hoppy and sweet, which tames the alcohol that is still even present. I was hoping for more complexity, fruit is present however faint. But dont get me wrong, this brew is solid. Exactly what you’d want in an American Barley Wine.

Bomber, pours a dark ruby with a fluffy off-white head that sticks around and great lacing. Very nice sweet aroma of caramel, toffee, and mild orange hops. Taste is sticky, just the right amount of sweet and a bit of a hops bite. A very tasty BW fresh and can imagine this will only improve with some age and mellowing. Very nice; recommended!

Bomber. Pours deep dark red with a brown head that quickly fades. Aroma is sweet, malty, and hoppy. Taste is straightforward bitter, piney hops. I’m glad this falls into the very hoppy Barley Wine category as opposed to the syrupy sweet style but it lacks depth. It’s good but could be much more complex.

Pours a thick ruby color, with little or no head. The beer is very thick, and smooth. This is not my favorite style of beer (barley wine), but it is also my first time drinking this type of beer. I love the sweet taste(s) that this beer offers. This beer is a good brew, but not my favorite style.