Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

’04 on tap at Hard Liver. Very smooth....still a bit of hops left after 3 years. Good sweetness and alcohol is very subdued. Slight floral aroma.

Bottle of the 2008. Aroma is a great candied pineapple. Flavor reminds me of a really good fruitcake. Sticky sweet with a nice piney hop backbone that doesn’t overpower, even though it is a very fresh bottle.

Lagunitas event at the Brickskeller. 2004 keg. Cloudy, reddish-brown appearance; light tan head with great retention and lacing. Strong pine / citrus hop character, maple syrup in the aroma. Full, viscous mouthfeel: tea-like malts, maple syrup, spice, and white pepper. Long, sweet finish: predominantly candy sugar.

From Bottle. Cherry amber colored pour with a small beige head that quickly diminishes to a sticky caramel ring. Aroma of starwberries glazed with caramel sauce and garnished with tangerine zest and a fresh squeeze of peach juice. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel with tons of sweet passion fruit, mango, sticky pineapple, and ripened pear. Pleasantly sweet palate is followed nicely by some white grapefruit hop tones, but could be a touch stronger to minimize the cloying effect of the sugary fruits. Final smack of spiced fig and maple syrup.

Bomber. Pours slightly hazy dark orange-amber with a moderate tan head. Aroma is sweet, fresh citrus, along with some caramel malt. Flavor is sticky malt, with a fairly complex mixture of flavors---caramel, citrus, light fruits, set off with a bit of resiny citrus hops, some earthy hops towards the finish, and a bit of peppery spice. Thick mouthfeel, and slight alcohol kick. A bit on the maltier side of the scale for American barleywines. This is quite well done, and interesting enough to stand out in a way that Lagunitas beers usually don’t.

22 oz bottle. Pours a beautiful clear amber with a deep red tinit with a small head. Malt nose with some hints of citrus. Dark fruit and citrus comes through on the palate. It is also sweet with notes of earthy notes. Sticky mouthfeel and slight alcohol warming, surprising considering it comes in at 11%. Remarkably easy to drink.

2008 bottle? Pours a nearly flat, blood red color with clarity and an off-white, fairly small, frothy head which is mostly diminishing and leaves minimal lace. Nose is simple, a bit sherry-ish and surprisingly likable; cherry candy, raisins, pine resins, light grapefruit, light bready notes, and mild alcohol warmth. Flavor is warm and candy sweet; dried apricots, light maple, sweet breads, light grapefruit, dry pine resins, and some floral notes that creep in. Palate is full and viscous, lively, and velvety, almost syrupy. Finishes long, a bit dry, and mostly sweet with dried fruit notes, lingering candy, resins, and a moderate warmth. A pretty decent BW with all parts fitting together well, but the over-the-top sweet BW’s are not really my style. Plenty of warmth in this one so I’m sure it will calm down and grow in complexity with some time in the cellar but it doesn’t have the high hop content I find preferable in the style. A nice beer from a great brewery.

Copper color. Smell of hops, nuts, toffee, spice, malt and candied sugar. Taste of malt, nuts, hops, pine, spice, copper, metallic, flowers and alcohol. Solid barely wine.