Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine

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

From Liquidsolutions. Had to get this as a filler for my Fred from the Wood. Sure as hell glad I got it, this is one awesome barley wine. Pours out dark red with a yellow colored head that goes away quicker than I thought. Taste is sweet, hoppy, slightly grassy (too fresh) and rich. The more I drink of it, the more the hops subside to a nice malty backbone leaving a very drinkable, very enjoyable Barley wine. One of the better examples of this I have drank in a while. Great beer, and I think as a whole this breweries beers are under rated - Ive never been disappointed from them. Great brew here.

Bottle provided to me by André and served in a St Bernardus chalice:

Pour a slightly hazy coppery hue topped by an initial beautiful frothy off-white head and outstanding lace, sadly it did fade a bit. The aroma is pure barleywine with heavy caramelized malts, piney and spicy hops, candied fruits, earthy yeast esters, a hint of salt and wood. The taste starts with a nice dose of bitters and spice laying on top of a rich malty base. Good citric and fruity overtones balanced by a peppery and cardamom spice character. The finish displays a biting edge of resin and salt, earthy and chewy developing a strong lingering aftertaste. For the ABV, this is quite drinkable and only develops a moderate warming after half of the bottle. YUMMY for sure, you know it’s like totally gnarly! Get ya some, highly recommended.

Bottle 2003 vintage. This is a good one. I have to admit, I'm partial to barleywines as it is, and this one is a great example of the style imo. Pours thick and the color of a moderately used penny in the mid-day sun. The head rises out of the liquid, creamy and full, leaving beautiful lacing as it languidly diminishes. The aroma feature sweet, rich roasted malts and lots of them, balanced with a generous portion of hops and prominent alcohol profile. Specifically there are notes of apricots, dried pie cherries, grapefruit, molasses and pine. Flavor is bold and assertive, sweet, tart, bitter and astringent all blended together in a brash, yet wonderfully nuanced liquid glory. Mouthfeel is smooth, rich, full and creamy. I've got another bottle too, just waiting to delight me once again in a year or so.

In the bomber bottle at The Brickskeller. 2006 vintage. Pours a clear dark amber with an abundant, but fleeting off-white head. The residual head after die-off is a thin but impermeable layer. The first aroma is of chocolate and alcohol. There’s an essence of wheat in there as well. Little to no lacing remains. The esophageal burn is extreme. This is just too green to drink in its first year of life. The flavor is medicinal. It is thick for sure, but not so thick that you have to chip it out of the glass. You get heartburn from this beer immediately. Aroma of apricots. I think this vintage will mellow nicely with time. The strong hop bitterness is totally lost inside this beer. It seems much stronger than the promised 9.7% ABV. This is a barleywine with a rough edge of still being a child. I’d say 1-2 years of mellowing will do it good. Dave is such a big shot that he should buy these up and store them for a couple of years before even allowing goobers like me to stroll in and order it off the Brick book. It has an outrageous bitter chocolate aroma and flavor. The taste is in fact not far from Gran Marnier. You need a cautious discipline when you drink this. An odd saltiness emerges at mid bottle, or am I just getting drunk? Seems quite bicarbonate in character. Now I’m getting lots of Tootsie Roll candy out of it. Rivlets of alcohol can be seen in the light through the beer. This begins to dehydrate you after awhile. Leaves you with chocolate chip cookie dough burps.

Mmmmm Mmmm delicous. Pour a real purty red-gold pour with very minimal slightly bubbly head. Nose big on heavy malt with lots of sugary sweetness. Dark fruits mixed in as well as a few of the lighter ones as well. Raisin and prune swirl around with a great caramelly mix. Flavorwise it was a true treat. Cherries mixed with all the forementioned aromas with a big but delightful alcohol presence.

Bottle: Courtesy of beerguy101 via trade. Fruity, caramel, light banana bread, and nice hops in the aroma. Pours a transparent bright red with a hint of orange with a nice off-white head. Caramel, fruit (some apple), and cinnamon up front with a very nice citrusy hop finish that blends very well.8-4-8-4-16

2004 botte (sampled on 10/20/06) : Courtesy of lunaticharness. Aromas of toffee, banana bread, caramel, light citrus hops, and a touch of oxidation. Pours a cloudy brownish orange with a small off-white head. Flavor starts with caramel, toffee, hints of banana bread. Mild oxidation is a positive. Finishes with a mild citrus hoppiness. This is aging well.

22 oz bottle. Poured somewhere between amber and copper with a tan head that was gone quickly leaving nice lacing. Nose was fruity and somewhat piny. Really rich on the tongue, and it hides the alcohol well. Flavor of caramel and chocolate. Somewhat sweet but not objectionably so. Almost like drinking a liqueur. Wonderfully executed Barley Wine. Update: Recently drank a 2006 bottle (aged two years in my cellar) This seems to have gotten even better. Great stuff.

(bottle, 2009) Clear, dark amber with wispy head. Interesting aroma is sweet and tart with notes of grape, strawberry, cherry, and pepper. Very full bodied and moderately carbonated, sticky mouthfeel. Flavor made of warming alcohol, candied fruit, and pepper and other spice.