Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

Impressive barly wine. Not overly hoppy like similar NoCal brews. Little alcohol and smooth nutty caramel finish. Nice.

Bomber. Pours a reddish brown with a foamy off white head. Aromas of caramel, roasted malt, and some pine. Flavors are complex but well balanced. Hops, malt, and plum are in this one. No alcohol is present at all.

22oz bottle. Dark copper color with a small off white head. Sweet, fruity malt aroma, candied alefruit, caramel, some higher alcohols. Earthy, herbal hops, bready caramel and fruity malt flavors. Piney, citric component, some alcohol presence. Sweet, somewhat raisiny finish, lingering alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is heavy, somewhat chewy and hot.

Draught. Candy-sweet nose, cherry with light hop aroma. Perfectly clear red with a thin off-white head. Very full-bodied with lots of strawberry flavor. Slightly cloying, but not terribly so. Light alcohol in the finish.

In many ways, I thought this was a poor man’s Old Guardian. It wasn’t nearly as tasty but it carried the same look, smell and flavor profile as OG. The beer pours out a reddish/brown color, clear with a nice off-white/light tan head. Aroma is caramel malts, piney hops, spicey and alcohol. Mouthfeel is firewater...lol. Flavor is sharp alcohol, caramel malts, and pine/grapefruit hops with a hot spicy finish. I’d bet this would be really tasty in another year or two, but not bad at all right now.

750ml. 2008. Fruity aroma with a decent caramel backbone. Mandarin oranges, tangerine, toffee and brown sugar. There’s some lurking pine resin hiding on the nose as well. Pours mostly clear dark amber with a thick and lasting white head. Decent balance of caramel malt and resinous pine on the tongue. The alcohol is quite well hidden. Plenty of hops, plenty of malt.Medium to full bodied. Typical of the style. Decent American style barley wine, but far from spectacular.

22 oz bottle from Bev4less in Santee. Pours a translucent amber brown with a medium beige head. The aroma is strong with caramel, lightly roasted malts, dates, plums and hops. The flavor is similar to the aroma, with the biter hops taking on a more pronounced role. The mouthfeel is malty full and satisfying. The finish is long and biter. Overall: If you are in the mood for a big biter barley wine, then this is a good choice. Recommended.

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of caramel, malts, resin hops, brown sugar, and earthy hops. Poured dark amber in color with a medium-sized, dense, beige-with-a-hint-of-orange head that lasted throughout. Slightly hazy. Slightly sparkling. Fair lacing. Flavor is medium sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of brown sugar, hops, dark fruits, resinous hops, Medium to full body. Thick, creamy, chalky texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, hoppy, brown sugar finish. Disappointing.