Left Hand Oak Aged Widdershins

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

This beer starts with a big harsh hop bite but quickly the oak smooths things out. It offers plenty of fruit, wood, earth, tart hops, cereal, vanilla, and funk. Quite hoppy for a BW. It is so tasty and multifaceted. Just lots of flavors popping in and out. I think they call that complex. I call it delicious.

Bottle. 2009 vintage - 75% ale & 25% ale aged in oak brandy casks. Hazed copper pour. Fading white head. Aroma is oak, flowers, fresh fruit, soft hops and caramel. Taste is oak/wood, caramel, sweet malt, wet hops, fresh fruit and flowery notes. Light spicy hops as well. Body is surprisingly lighter than expected and rather thin with nearly zero carbonation. Ends with more caramel, spicy hops, light aspirin-like bitterness, fresh fruits, flowers, and caramel. Overall, this was a bit of a let-down. I’ll revisit this soon.

750ml bottle. 2007. pours clear and amber... keep the sediment solidly at the bottom of the bottle. very little head. aroma was a big with butterscotch and a little citrus. mouthful was a very pleasant fruitiness and finish was a little dry. nice departure from a traditional barley wine. not certain if it was the 2 years that made it such an enjoyable drink???

translucent amber/brown with a nice lasting head. lovely bouqet of fruit and oak, and a few hop notes. taste sweet, malty, fruity, with some oak, caramel, citrus, and vanilla. finishes with piney hops and alcohol... and dry. mouthfeel is resiny. nice complexity... just wish it had more body

750ml bottle. 2007. Pours a cloudy amber colored body with an orange tint. Finger-width, creamy, beige head that dissipates quickly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is initially big on the hops. Fruity with a zesty citrus, raisins, some pepper, overripe fruits, and a woody hop dryness. Once this opens up a little more, the fruity hops give way to a sweet caramel malt, some chocolate, a good amount of smoke, and some yeast. The oak from the aging is present and somewhat subtle along with a light alcohol. The flavor is similar with the oak more present than the aroma. Starts with a woody hop and a citrusy, orange peel zest. More overripe fruits and unsweetened malts come in with some raisins and prunes. A light molasses sweetness too. The citrusy wood continues into the end where a good amount of smoked flavor comes out as well as a good deal of yeast. The malts grow slightly sweeter into the finish where it ends with a noticable, but not distracting alcohol. More citrusy, earthy hops dry this with plenty of oak, a light vanilla, and some smoke for a moderate bitterness and a medium length aftertaste. Medium to light body with a soft carbonation. Overall, a fairly complex, extremely well balanced barley wine. I like the citrusy hoppiness to this as well as the oaky smoke and yeast profile. A light caramel sweetness keeps this in line and the oak never gets out of hand. If the fruits and the malts were more complex this could be something special, but as it is right now, its a well done barrel aged beer.

2009. Pours deep amber into a snifter. Off-white pancake head with medium retention leaves spot lacing as it recedes to coat surface. Very mild oak aromas. Sweet and full caramel and candy corn upfront turning to an oaky alcohol and resin burn.

Bottle shared by Beth and Anand, thanks! pours a hazy copper with a small offwhite head. notes of orange peel, mellon, toast, smoked meat, booze. flavor is a fruity, smoke, booze mix. interesting beer. didn’t expect such a big smoke presence. In the end, fruit, booze, smoke mix was a little too much and took away from the quaffableness of this beer.

2007 big bottle all to myself in the hottub. Pours a nice near clear medium amber with decent fading tan head. Nose is fruity, like tangerines, vanilla, big malt sweetness. Flavor has a great smoke note that totally surprises along with green wood, honey, and some sweet booziness, but not hot. Wonderful cramy full body is very chewy. Leaves a resiney hop finish. Very pleasant.