Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Now, this is a Barleywine. Piney, hoppy, floral opening. Sweet candy on the tongue, and a wallop of face bending hop bitterness on the way down. Not as crazy as a Bigfoot, but a bigger punch than Old Foghorn. This is a one and done (10%). I had a bomber of this on an empty stomach at McNelly’s and was good to go.

Bottle. Pours an amber colour with a small golden head. Aroma is sweet malt, hops and rock candy. Flavour is malt, lots of caramel and hops., with a long and to bitter aftertaste.

This beer is flat out fascinating. While cold, it was so dissapointing due to its heavy lean toward the extreme hoppy end of the beer pool and nearly absent aroma. When left to warm this sucker blooms into a whole different animal entirely. Aroma of a cheap screwdriver (the drink) with rich maple syrup mixed in and a back drop of earthy flowers. You just want the aroma to bond with the skin on your nostrils so you can experience the smell for hours. It gleams a gorgeous deep garnet red that almost looks back at you. The flavor is smoother than the smell, or maybe just less aggresive with the bitterness coming through at the finish. Nice lift in the mouthfeel. This beer seems to be a prime candidate for a little ageing. I think if properly aged, this would be world class, although a great offering right now. Thank You Great Divide. 2009 22oz.

Bottled Jan. 2009. Pours a dark, transparent brown with a thick, lasting tan head. Sweet malty aroma with a hint of earthiness and alcohol. Flavor is heavy on malt sweetness, and extremely bitter. Almost reminds me of a very dark, high cacao chocolate. Lacks some of the subtle flavors that I enjoy in a few other barley wines - raisin, fig, plum, oak. I’m not tasting any of that; just bittering hops, caramel, and loads of malt. Nonetheless and tasty, interesting beer. This is a young bottle. Perhaps some time in a cellar would serve this well.

Pours clear, scarlet-brown, with a big one-finger tan head, and good, lasting lacing. Smells of grapefruit, pineapple, barley, pine and grass. Medium body, velvety, slightly dry. Tastes of molasses, barley, grapefruit, nuts, grass and pine. Lots of malt flavor, but also lots of hops. A strong, bitter aftertaste.

A- Pours a translucent auburn hue with a 1.5 finger, creamy off white head. S- Lots of caramel in the nose, raisins, figs, brown sugar and perhaps a bit of piney hops. T- Taste is superbly balanced. Huge malt notes come through with lots of caramel, brown sugar and dark fruits followed by a nice piney hop bite to counter the malt. M- Thick and creamy with medium to low carbonation. D- I put off trading for this beer for a long time and ended up getting it as an extra. It is by far one of the best "easily available" beers i’ve ever had.

22 oz. bottle (2008) in a snifter. This one needs to warm up a lot! Ar: Floral hops, pine, caramel malts. Ap: Pours ruby-amber, resinous appearance. Creamy ecru head w/ supernova lacing. Fl: Very, very hoppy, to the point of overpowering everything else. Amla, spoilt orange juice, vanilla and toffee as it warms up. Some coriander and spice notes that are overwhelmed by a disgusting loamy aftertaste that coats the tongue in a morning lather. Aftertaste dissipates some as it warms. Pa: Full and sticky. Perhaps this beer needs to be aged a lot, but it seems to lack any sort of subtlety.

Clear mahogany with a moderate off-white head. Very hoppy, spicy, and little sweet aroma. Very bitter, dry, spicy and the alcohol is well hidden. Fantastic.