Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

Deep cloudy amber color. Aroma of sweet bread, raisins, a hint of alcohol. Nice strong aroma. Very sweet and strong flavor, well balanced. Just the right amount of hops. Very malty, medium-heavy bodied. Velvety smooth mouthfeel. Very nice.

I was very excited to see this product at my supermarket, as I like Lagunitas offerings. I poured the beer into a glass and the aroma was very sweet with a slight bit of alcohol in the background (smelled a little like peaches or pear juice). At first sip, I wasn’t impressed (I thought it tasted a little flat with no real character). My second taste was much better. A little bit of hoppy finish makes this a tasty beverage. Careful though, if you drink the whole thing in one sitting you’ll be more than a little tipsy.

22oz. Pours deep red with a small but sturdy off white head. Aroma is a nice blend of strong malts with a spicy hop presence. Caramel, vanilla, and just a touch of alcohol. Taste is nice, smooth, slightly bitter, malty. For a semi-fresh BW this tastes pretty balanced and smooth. I could see this aging well but it is drinking pretty great right now.

’08 Bottle: Murky amber pour with no head. Sweet caramel malt nose with some pine, red apple, brown sugar and other dark fruits to round it out...very nice. Full bodied mouth feel that is slightly sticky and viscous. Creamy toffee, dark fruits and floral hops come through in the taste with some minute notes of amaretto.

Amber in color and after pouring only some light lacing remains. The nose gives off scents of raisens, black cherry, light caramel and spice. In the mouth it is medium to full-bodied with a rich and oily mouthfeel. While there are still flavors of raisens the beer shows a very nice freshness and lightness. Really a quite nice barleywine.

bomber. a very solid barley wine.... did not blow me away, but solid nonetheless. And at a price of $3.50 / bomber you really can’t beat it... obviously not as good as the top BW’s out there - but they will cost you 4x as much / bottle. pours a deep red / amber with very little head. some spice and sweet malts in the aroma. medium hop presence from the start to finish - but balances the malts extremely well. sweet finish - the sugars really shine through. Overall a solid BW that drinks very well and almost too easily... will knock you on your butt with its near 10% abv.... go buy some when its out.

Sweet currant/sherry aroma with spicy pine, solid 2 finger head lasts a bit and holds its shape, deep ruby color. Plenty of flavor, not all of it married yet. Oak, plum, and the sharp sting of alcohol all coexist and if I could lay a few down I’m sure they’d blend together great.

Snifter served at Lunar Brewing. A deep amber/ruby color, with a foamy,off white, diminishing head and clingy lacing. The aroma is definitely malty, sweet citrus, and a touch of floral. The flavor again is malty, now with a medium hop bitterness to mellow the sweet fruit and caramel notes. The alcohol needs no introduction!