Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

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. Fluffy long lasting yellow head. Beautiful clear dark brown body. Aroma of roasted barley malt with walnuts cocoa caramel and butter. Good. Nutty caramel sweet flavor disguising the alcohol very well. Berries notes on top of it as well. Soft, smooth, pleasant, good, whate more can I add. Close to perfection. Lovely bitter sweet and surprising. Low carbonatiion. Long aftertaste.

Classic BW -- not too sweet. Chewy mouth feel. Long finsh and after taste that can hang on to. Nice creamy off white head.

Nice deep amber hue with a slighty cloudy appearance. Great balance of fruit and malt with a nice taste of hops. Doesn’t really give in to the alcohol until the end. Good overall taste. Nice to have a barley wine without the total bite of alcohol. Well balanced.

Soft pine and floral nose, some fruity cinnamon in there too. Deep copper, clear, with a frothy medium head that lasted a long time--nice lacing too. Deep sweet malt, with a smooth transition into hop bitterness--excellent balance! Full body, tight carbonation, the finish lasts forever. Very well put together beer, possibly the best Barley Wine I can remember tasting.

Beautiful orange/brown colour with almost no head. Fantastic malty and hoppy nose only overpowered by the taste of brown sugar, charamel, and lots of hops. This is almost a DIPA, and although the style may not be a pure/traditional barley wine, it is my favourite kind of barley. The american tradition shines through. This bottle is a year old, but has not changed at all, as far as I remember. I really wanted to save this at least another year, but as I am going to New York on vacation monday, I wanted something to set the scene for long avaited trip. Fantastic beer!

VINTAGE: Twenty’Aught-9 This pours a medium-dark amber color, with some nice ruby highlights. It has a thin head of light, creamy, tan colored foam. This is really just a surface covering film, with a couple of islands of bubbles. The lacing is almost web-like and quite sticky. This is a damn fine smelling barleywine. It smells huge, rich and decadent. Just the way I like them to be. There is a big presence of rich, sweet, malts. Loads of brown sugar presence, along with about a ton of butterey caramels. A light touch of roasted nuttiness. Very light hint of hops. Deliciously enticing. The taste follows the nose, completely. Everything that is there, is also here, and there are no unannounced guests. This one is very rich and delicious. Full-bodied, without question. A very nice, low-to-medium level of carbonation. Very smooth, with a mild level of creaminess. Okay, 11.00%abv, combined with richness of flavor, make this one a fantastic sipper. This is not designed for mass consumption, but it is meant for mass enjoyment. Absolutely delicious.

No doubt about it, this is one mighty fine barleywine. Spot on for the style and rather similar to a year old SN Bigfoot. Clear amber/copper color, thin off white head and plenty of good lacing. Underlying grainy aroma with a robust sweetness of rich, hearty malts. Sugary plums, thick toffee, and floral/perfume like hop scents. A thick, smooth sipping beer. Sweet and mildly bittering with a great finish and prolonged aftertaste. Flavorful with a mixture of burnt toast, raisins, toffee, bitter flowers and dark cherries. A touch of pine along with a woody, fibrous taste. An overall mellow blend of aromas and flavors that tickle the senses. I liked this one a lot, it really is what I look forward to in a well crafted barleywine.