Left Hand Oak Aged Widdershins

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Longmont, Colorado USA

Deep amber and cloudy with a decent head. Aroma is of oak, slight smoke, pineapple and apricot. Flavor is fruity and sweet with light hops, some smokiness and a live oak taste.

Bottle, pours and orange ruby color. This beer reaches a nice balance of hops and sweetness for a western barley wine. I enjoyed the hops with the sweet malt backbone. No taste is too overpowering. Alcohol is not noticeable. Recommendable.

750ml bottle, 2007 vintage. Pleasant aroma of brown sugar sweetness, floral hop, fruity yeast and background oak, with lighter notes of vanilla, wood smoke and spice bread. Hazy medium ruddy copper color with a lasting, uneven head and a thin lace pattern. Flavor profile is primarily malty and sweet, the oak remaining an accent throughout, but retaining a surprising degree of spicy hop flavor and bitterness that manifests towards the long finish. In between are aspects of pineapple, dark berry, cake frosting, tobacco, spruce and a touch of peppery alcohol. Finely effervescent, smooth and warming mouthfeel, body is full enough. I believe the decision to make this a blend was a wise one, the oak could easily overpower some of the more subtle aspects. As it is, I think it adds to them.

Tap at Blind Tiger VSK event. Hazy orange-amber beer with a thick off-white head. Aroma is awesome. Loaded with bright fresh fruity hops. Cherry and pine along with just a touch of light toasted smokiness. Flavour shows a bright hoppiness still. A kiss of vanilla and toasted oak. Softly fruity with a light berryish character. A sort of non-descript booziness on the top along with a bit of astringency mid-palate that I don’t care for. In a way it reminds me of some of the Blue Point strong ales... which is not really a good thing. Light vineousness.

Deep gold pour with a slight hint of red. Creamy tan head and lace. Hard brown sugar, oak woodiness, and light smoke or peat. Smokey, dried fruit, vanilla with a good finishing bitter. Full bodied with good carbonation a very good bw.

Oak Aged BW07-25.4oz bottle-pours a retaining tight foamy light tan head and orange color. Aroma is sweet medium malt-caramel, wood, spice hops, some vanilla. Taste is smoky wood, sweet medium malt-caramel, wood, spice/pine hops, some vanilla. OK effervescence. Thanks to decaturstevo for sharing this.

07’ bottle, courtesy of Gillard. Pours orange, white head. Aroma, yeasty (barnyard). Taste, thick mouthfeel, lots of malt, light hoppy aftertaste, grains and some nice caramel malts. Beer turned out to be really smooth and sweet at close to room temperature.

2007 bottle shared at tasting. Pours cloudy amber with small tan head. Aroma of sugar, oak, malt, fruit. Taste is also oaked with more sweet sugar, fruit, some vanilla, caramel. Mouth is sticky. Finish is more sweet. Not a bad effort, though a little one-dimensional.