Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

2003 bomber, many thanks to whoever sent this! Poured a brilliant reddish-copper with a short cap of beige head.. looked quite nice! Smelled quite nice too.. picked up lots of darker fruits along with a dusting of banana, some molasses, and brown sugar.. sweet, slightly-boozy, and well-aged. Sweet again in the flavor department with a significant aged caramel presence that popped up.. lesser dark fruits, brown sugar, and maple round out the solid malt profile.. bitterness was very mild, and was more likely just prickly alcohol notes.. sweet, warm, rewarding finish. Sweet and warm on the palate.. lost almost all of its hop bite, but I was really feelin’ a sweet aged barley wine this evening. Great stuff!

Tap, 2006 vintage. Lagunitas I think is a let down sometimes, but I liked this beer. Reddish pour, slightly hazy. There’s considerable sweetness in there, that’s balanced by a good bitter finish. Vanilla, clove, maple flavors also. Raisin, Dates. I think a little more alcohol in this couldn’t hurt it.

2007 bomber. Pours thick. Amber color with a decent beige head. Smells of brown sugar (light molasses) and caramel, and underlying dark fruits. Medium bodied with creamy carbonation. The flavor is brown sugar, overripe plum, and citrus and resin hop. The finish is rather dry after the sugar leaves, and there is a very nice bitter build up. Definite fine lacing as the glass level drops. Alcohol is noticeable, but it doesn’t distract from the other elements. Beats a milkshake anyday.

22 oz. bottle, 2003 edition cellared about a year.. Pours an awesome, crystal clear copper hue. The off white colored head leaves a nice lacing. Strong smells of raisons, dates, figs and alcohol. Rich, creamy mouthfeel with nice carbonation. Caramel malts highlight a sticky sweet taste of raisons and figs and alcohol. Finishes with a nice alcohol bite followed by a warming feeling inside. Along with the fireplace the perfect RX for the 10 * F January weather outside. Jan 2005

Nice deep amber hue with a slighty cloudy appearance. Great balance of fruit and malt with a nice taste of hops. Doesn’t really give in to the alcohol until the end. Good overall taste. Nice to have a barley wine without the total bite of alcohol. Well balanced.

Dark amber with red highlights and a brief beige head. Ripe fruit, caramel, hops, alcohol aroma. Full bodied. The malt and fruit are evident in the flavor with the alcohol in the finish. Gnarly, Dude.

This may be the best barley wine I’ve had yet. To me that means it is actually drinkable. Aroma of Vicks, hops and alcohol. Pour was a cloudy brown...but what is that? A head. 1 finger no less. Taste was very hoppy and not incredibly hot. Still had the Vicks and heavy hot malt, but it was a tad subdued (maybe because it was on tap?). Wouldn’t try it again, but I don’t regret that I did.

There is a dry vegetal character to the hop that is unique to this beer and for the life of me I can’t figure out if I like it. The malt is sweet, juicy and complex enough to make it quite a pleaure to drink- so I didn’t mind pondering the vegetal thing for quite a while...like as long as it took me to finish the bottle. I still don’t know. I’ll have to have another.