Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

Clear dark amber with a cream color one finger head. Head fades quickly but leaves a ring and plentiful very fine lacings. Aroma of plums and floral hops. Taste is sweet plum, some black cherries, earthy leather bitter hop finish. Mouthfeel is adequete carbonation with a sweet wine body. Alcohol is well hidden considering the high abv. A slight burn at the back of the throat. Drinkability is quite good for this style.

22oz bomber, 2008 vintage, poured into a snifter. Pours a light clear copper with a small off-white head that recedes quickly to a collar with a swirl on top. The aroma is thick and sweet with tons of caramel malts, toffee and dark fruit. Definitely figs, raisins and some brown sugar to top it off. The taste follows the aroma and has a huge sweet caramel malt base that supports the dark fruit and brown sugar. Very sweet overall with the faintest hint of citrus hops up front. There is a bit of alcohol burn in the finish as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft carbonation and it coats the palate with the mixture of sweetness. This is a solid barleywine that has all the prerequisites of the style. It doesn’t blow me away on any aspects, but it’s a good, sweet, drinkable brew.

2009 Bomber. This barleywine poured a clear reddish orange with a slight head which quickly disappeared. Lots of lacing. Aroma of malts and figs. Complex flavor dominated by malt (of course!). Tends a bit sweet, but gets by with it. The alcohol is nicely muted. I am becoming a big fan of Lagunitas brews. At $4.99, it is a deal.

Bottle at the Spotify tasting. Big heavy barley wine aroma. Bit more cultured in the mouth. Good toffee, nice sweet jammy fruit and a tangerine edge. Good big hops.

(bottle - 22 oz) Coppery color with a fluffy tan head. Aroma is very sweet and malty with lots of dark fruit aromas, caramel, honey, and alcohol. Lots of sweet malts and fruit at the beginning of the flavor with a nice caramel and bitter hop middle. Finishes lightly bitter with a very chewy body. Alcohol is extremely well hidden.

Bottle; tailgate tasting at Rose Bowl. Best of the tasting. Poured a reddish brown/amber color with a tannish color head. Aroma of sweet malt, sugar, fruit, and chewy caramel. Quite sweet. Flavor was sweet and delicious. Sugary, malty and fruity. Alcohol is hidden very well; could drink alot of this. Liked the mellowness of the hops. Great beer.

1pt 6oz bottle. Pours amber brown with a rich silky tan head. Smells of citrus fruits, dark fruits, piney hops. Tastes of fermented oranges, grapefruit, sweet malt, sugary sweet candy, strong hop bitterness. Tons of flavor. Long lasting flavor. Very thick and sticky mouthfeel. Some lacing on the glass. Moderate alcohol presence. Very good stuff.

Source: 22 oz bottle purchased from Green’s in Atlanta on Buford.
Appearance: Poured a clear ruby red with a half finger of tan head. The head quickly dissipated, leaving a lot of intricate lacing.
Aroma: First note was dead fish...disgusting. Further sniffing gave way to notes of brown sugar, dark fruits and a bit of earthy hops.
Flavor: The flavor was solid. Dark fruits, sweet caramel malt and brown sugar dominated. Not much in the way of hops here. This bottle said 2009, so I don’t think they should have faded too much by now. Guess this just isn’t a hoppy BW.
Palate: Full body with soft carbonation and a slick, chewy mouthfeel.
Overall: I was pretty impressed here. Having sampled several of their offerings, this one was above par.