Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

Says "Twenty’Aught-4", so I’m assuming this is the 2004 batch. Nose is hoppy with a mixture of red wine... appearance is almost crimson, reminiscent of dried blood (insert evil cackle)... flavor is a rush of alchohol and hops, followed by a sprinkle of toasted malt and cotton candy. Mouthfeel is like just-prepared pudding. Very tasty barleywine; in fact, one of the best I’ve ever had.

Pure madness - from the first sip. Great. Red color, big foamy head. Soft carbonation. Head leaves nice laces on the glass. Nice intense fruity and red berry nose. Wonderful hoppy taste, horse blanket with malt undertones. Sweet kick at the end, medium when kind of bubble gum aftertaste but not unlikely. It is a chameleon - as the lable says, each sip another experience but all of them good ones. It's a great brew and suprisingly the alcohol doesn't come through that at 9.7 % vol.

01 Nov 07, BW Tasting. 1999 Vintage. 12oz bottle. Deep mahogany. Aroma of big malt. Sweet florals. Hints of vanilla. Body is light. Flavors of oak barrel.

Bottle (2004) pours a viscous translucent reddish hued dark amber, medium off-white foamy head, lovely lacing, with very light carbonation.   Sweet alcoholic nose with only a subtle hint of bready malts.   Very thick and viscous on first sip, with a sharp hop bite that quickly settles to a nice super sweet malty background.   This one I think will age very well.   Full bodied with a very viscous mouthfeel.   Slightly cloying, but I think over time that will mellow out to produce a fantastic Barley Wine.   Finishes sweet, with a bready maltiness that hangs on.   While the alcohol is noticable in the aroma and on the tongue, it isn’t sharp nor detracting.   I think I should pick up more of this to lay down for a while.   YUM!

Thick, smooth, and malty - a very full palate to deal with here; and it's brightened up by a huge amount of sharp citrusy hops.

Reddish amber,lasting off white head.Molasses nose.Blended malt/molasses taste,well hopped. Chewy with harsh alc heat

Pours with a slightly cloudy, deepp amber body topped by a thin to medium thick head with some lacing. It’s sweet and malty with a nice caramel/toffee note, a little candy sugar, and a touch of grapefruit and piney hops. Meidum to full bodied, smooth yet slightly warming.

This amber-brown beer has a surprising head for a barley wine, especially one that's been aged for a few years like my sample. It has that good fruity barleywine aroma with a hint of smoke, although I doubt it used smoke malt, I think it's the complexity tricking my nose. The flavor has mellowed a little more than it should, but it's still a tasty barelywine.