Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

Lagunitas event at the Brickskeller. 2004 keg. Cloudy, reddish-brown appearance; light tan head with great retention and lacing. Strong pine / citrus hop character, maple syrup in the aroma. Full, viscous mouthfeel: tea-like malts, maple syrup, spice, and white pepper. Long, sweet finish: predominantly candy sugar.

Pours clear deep bronze with a modest light tan head. The aroma has lots of dirty woody hops, a thick malt presence and a good deal of alcohol. Fairly thick body with very little carbonation. Starts with thick caramel malt that is quite cloying and has lots of alcohol presence. There is also a bold woody presence and brown sugar. The finish has a big emphasis on woody hops and alcohol. This is a fine barleywine, but I just don’t find this style as mind blowingly good as many out there.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev, jerc & mabel -- my bottle courtesy of acertain. 2006 bottle. Pours a clear amber-orange with a spare diminishing off-white head. Very fruity aroma with caramel malt, wood, brown sugar, hops and alcohol -- I love it! Flavour is sweet and woody with caramel malt, brown sugar, alcohol and hops -- very tasty. Medium bodied. Wow, this is an awesome Barley Wine!

From a 22 oz. bomber bottle with an August 2006 bottling date, with a humorous blurb along the right side of label, sampled at a cooler cellar temperature in a snifter glass. Poured a reddish, orangey caramel brown, a little sediment, with a foamy, creamy off-white head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing. Aromas of caramel and milk chocolate, toffee, sugary, a light raisin and fig fruitiness, a soft pine and grapefruity hoppiness, and whiffs of spicy alcohol. Good moderate carbonation and a crisp, dryish, velvety smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. A nice west coast barley wine taste, caramel and milk chocolate maltiness, caramelized sugary, a light butter toffee, pine mixed with orange zest and grapefruit hoppiness, a soft lingering bitterness, a subtle plum and apple fruitiness, the alcohol is lightly solvent-like and warming in the palate, and a dry fruity, malty finish. Good sipping drinkability, another decent brew from Lagunitas, well worth trying.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, jerc & mabel - courtesy of blankboy. Dark orange-amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of rich brown sugar, resiny hops, fruity malt - mmmmmm! Great flavour - caramel malt off the top, some notes of candied orange peel and cocoa, with a slowly building hop bitterness to finish. Mighty, mighty fine.

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and mabel, blankboy’s bottle. Ahh - THIS is a barleywine. Poured clear mahogany, oily and refractive, with an average off-white creamy/rocky head. Soft, fresh sweet grain aroma - oats, rye and wheat - mildly resiny alcohol and some fruit sweetness. Tasted of caramelized malt with alcohol, orange peel, herbal hops and oh so yummy - not too boozy or sweet, nice balance. Silky mouthfeel, light bodied for a bw but nicely astringent and a surprisingly mellow balanced finish - very well done indeed.

Brown body, small khaki head. Sweetish aroma of gingerbread and rye, malt, muted dark sugar notes. Sweet malt flavour, more prominent dark sugars with light hop bitterness that accents the dry caramel notes nicely. The dryness keeps it from becoming cloying. Medium palate (3+). Quite nice! 7+/3/9/3+/17-18

22 oz bottle. Poured somewhere between amber and copper with a tan head that was gone quickly leaving nice lacing. Nose was fruity and somewhat piny. Really rich on the tongue, and it hides the alcohol well. Flavor of caramel and chocolate. Somewhat sweet but not objectionably so. Almost like drinking a liqueur. Wonderfully executed Barley Wine. Update: Recently drank a 2006 bottle (aged two years in my cellar) This seems to have gotten even better. Great stuff.