Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

Rating #1 (7 3 8 3 17) Tap @ Toronado Barley Wine Festival of the 1997 vintage. A cloudy light amber color. Very sweet with a light flavor, candy, apples, and caramel. Rating #2 (8 4 9 5 18) Tap of the 2000 vintage. A hazy mahogany and brown color. Full sweet malts, dark fruits, cherry, medicinal, and very smooth with just a bit of the vinous and biter bite on the finish. This coats the mouth in sweet molassas and fruits. A little wood in the aroma.

Edition Twenty-Aught-4, as indicated on the label... gotta quote the label: "The first sip is for thirst, the second one for pleasure, the third sip is for knowing, and the fourth for pure madness." Yeah, they got me pegged! Dark, devilish, deep crimson color, with a flush, creamy cocoa head atop. Aroma: big, bright fruits...malt and hops are at work, and at play, and doing well with the account...nice, nice, nice... Taste: a huge mouthfull, an immense mouthfeel, all the richness of a well-crafted barleywine, dense cherries, plus alcohol, rich in malt, some hops, but so thick with classic barleywinish flavor...just like I like it..too tasty...very nice.

Oh heck yeah. Deep reddish brown, small head fades into a lasting ring. Aroma of pine resin, citric hops, and chewy toffee. Initial malt thrust of thick caramel and coffee gives way to fantastic hop bomb of pine and citrus that leans towards grapefruit. The flavors linger wonderfully in the mouth long after the sip is finished. A magnificent, overtly American barley wine.

Bottle purchased at Bottleworks in Seattle. Fruity, sweet, vinous hoppy aroma. I detect dried fruits, oranges, grapes, peaches as well. THere is also a sweet, sugary and caramel aroma to this. Very enticing. Transparent amber/orange color with frothy yellowish head and nice lacing. Slight sweetness to start, turning more hoppy in the middle with some earthy hops. Finishes very roasted and quite malty with some caramel notes. Alcohol is well-hidden and the body is silky. This is a wonderful West-coast barleywine that is extremely well-balanced. Well-done!@

02.19.05 2003 on tap at Toronado BWF Deep garnet and brown pour with smallish head. Deep and bready aromas. Some soy and berries...like soy coated berries. Drinkable, but I didn’t love it.

Attractive garnet-amber hue with fine, hypnotic suspended particles and a loose, velvety beige head that left splattered lacing. Very nice aroma of sweet caramel, cigar, brown sugar, cherry, cinnamon, and earth. Flavor is like a young black cherry that is tart, sweet, and earthy. Woody sour flavor come out. Fairly sweet for sure but has ample depth of character to carry it. Excellent barley wine. Lagunitas impressed me with this one.

Aroma:alcohol,ligh caramel... Appearance:CLear cooper,good small head... Flavor:strong alcohol,good bitterness,light caramel...

Orange yellow color with faint head. Hoppy sweet malt nose. Similar tste, cloying.