Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

Amber red pour; the first appearing violently filtered and the second yielding a pleasant haze of yeast. Aroma is surprisingly dense and nuanced, and even delicately layered; raisins, caramel, vanilla and strawberry compose the original punch of sweet syrups. Red pepper, black pepper, and a hint of vinegar in a pungent middle. Seared, caramelized pears, butter rum and tepid maple sugars lend a sophisticated touch as it warms. Caramel apples and brown sugar dominate the flavor, simply and boldly, sitting in comfortable obesity beneath a thick layering resinous piney hops. Citrus and honey sweetness in abundance, with bready and fruity esters filling in the cracks on that second pour. Medium to full bodied, slick, and loud. Heavy caramel and singed sugars in the coating finish. Hardly unenjoyable, and certainly not poorly made. Still, it’s nothing to revisit.

Ammber with a thin slightly caramel head. There is some citrus and pear in the aroma with a good dose of caramel. Flavor is syrupy with some caramel and dark fruit. Alcohol is present but not unpleasant. I like it.

On tap, nice amber/ copper tone, sweet malty aroma. Flavor was caramel malt, and a bit too medicine like. A touch of caramel, and a strong alcohol flavor. The chalk board at the pub claimed 11%, and it seemed about right. Not bad, but I would prefer many other BW’s.

Aroma is sweet with caramel like tones that remind me of cotton candy and a hint of hops. Color is a bright clear amber with mild carbonation and a tight off white head. Taste is bold and rich. Starting with a full body it goes down with a rich almost sweet feel. Finish expands on this sweetness with a rich malt flavor that has an almost brandy like quality, then a nice bitterness rolls in with a faint hop flavor. After taste comes in sharp with the alcohol boldly standing out. Its a tasty Barley Wine but not as complex as it could be and the alcohol is a little too strong on the end.

Bottle courtesy of BMan1113VR. I had heard good things about this beer but I must say WOW. For once this barley wine is very drinkable while still fresh. Thank god Lagunitas decided not to be cliche and over hop this BW. Pours a beautiful reddish copper color that appears to glow when the light hits it. The head is small when first poured but turns into a nice white rocky ring around the snifter. Very tall, I am impressed. Nose is very sweet, malty, and hoppy (but not overdone.) Also dry and somewhat caramel esque. Taste is all the same with a nice honey mouthfeel and lots of warming sweetness on the palate. Very well done, grade A and high marks. This is what a Barley wine should be!

tap at south loop binny’s..... a transparent amber brown pour with a medium sized light brown head.... raisins and caramel in the nose as well as a sweet syrupy quality to it..... flavors of sweet dark fruits that lingers and then finishes off on a slightly bitter note. sweetness comes off a little bit too cloyingly for my liking. thick/full syrupy mouthfeel.

2008 vintage from bomber. Pours ruby with barely any head, a tiny bit remains on top of the ale. Aroma is mostly sweet, caramel malt with a strong hops. The flavor is intense: sweet with hops, citrus, pine. Surprisingly balances for a barley wine. Overall smooth with a sweet finish. Very rich and impressive.

I tend to like Lagunitas. Find them "unsophisticated" very often and keep going back to see what it is that makes me think that. Guess they are near the target, but not on the mark for being a superior product. And I guess I would add that I'm inferior for not being able to note exactly what it is that I'm saying. This beer is a move in the right direction for me. First sip was fine, but not spectacular. Just seemed to get progressively better so that by the end I was thoroughly enjoying it. Maybe it was the affect of the whole, but I've had plenty of high ABV brews that left me unimpressed. Barleywine traits all there: malty sweet and the American hop wallop to delight the tongue.