Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Petaluma, California USA

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.

22oz bomber. Pours a gorgeous, deep, clear ruby red with a thick, pillowy, tan head that lasts forever and leads thin wisps of lace all along the glass. The aroma is thick and potent - caramel and malts first, pine and alcohol second. The flavor starts with evergreen hop flavor combined with a big ol’ wallop of malts. The malts are lovely and complex: molasses, chocolate-covered caramels, toffee, and dark Karo syrup. There is a good bit of residual sweetness and a good bit of fruity esters (even a subtle, fleeting note of bubble gum). The combination is quite nice, and the hop flavor is everpresent throughout. By mid-palate the malts are giving way spicy and piney hops and bitterness. The finish is very full and rich with a lot of caramel and a lot of hops (chinook or simcoe). The mouthfeel is velvety and quite full with just enough carbonation to give the beer some depth and extra texture. Overall, a fabulous american barleywine.

22oz. Pours deep red with a small but sturdy off white head. Aroma is a nice blend of strong malts with a spicy hop presence. Caramel, vanilla, and just a touch of alcohol. Taste is nice, smooth, slightly bitter, malty. For a semi-fresh BW this tastes pretty balanced and smooth. I could see this aging well but it is drinking pretty great right now.

Bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. Pours ruby red with a small head that doesn’t stick around. Aroma of nicely balanced hops and caramelly malt. Same applies to the taste. Hop bitterness, pine, lemon, brown sugar, caramel. Nice, chewy mouthfeel. Yum!