Marin Old Dipsea Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine Style Ale

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Larkspur, California USA

Side by side rating of the Heaven Hill version and the 12 year old fitzgerald. Both are great. And at this point in the tasting i could only notice subtle differences. Heaven hill pours clearer brown than the old fitz. Both noses are pretty sweet and rich with lots of bourbon. Taste for both are pretty amazing, chewy, rich very rich very balanced and overall beyond excellent.

Bottle from brewery. Dark brown with no head. Caramel vanilla bourbon toasted coconut and oak aroma. Buttery palate. Vanilla caramel bourbon and oak and toasted coconut taste with a nice alcohol warmth. Excellent.

Bottle 32/180 2009 Heaven Hill Barrels) Slight head formed. More so when I pour straight down the mouth of the glass, but it falls quickly. Little carbonation visibly present. Dark orange cloudy body. Aromas of vanilla and oak.. Smooth very pronounced vanilla flavors, with bourbon alcohol finish on the tongue. I think aging this a bit more would would really help to mellow out the pronounced flavor, but I’d be concerned about aging it too much more for fear of losing what carbonation is still in there. Will put the release date on the calendar next year to lay in a good supply!

22oz. bottle, green sticker on cap, neck label says Bourbon Barrel Aged in a 20-year Old Fitzgerald barrel for 7 months, Unfiltered, Bottled 1/5/09, #133/180, with a huge thanks to AgentSteve for this! Pours a nearly clear dark amber with ruby highlights and a small foamy tan head. Aroma is absolutely lovely, with bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and dark fruits in near perfect harmony. Flavor also shines, with these same components working very well together. A bit prickly start on the palate, followed by a smooth finish. Wow, I’ve been on a BA barleywine kick lately to finish up the winter season, and like FS Wooden Hell, this one did not disappoint; thanks again Steve!

To clarify with the commercial description--there are two different bottlings of the 2009 release: the ones with the labels on the neck are as described (on the neck): from 20 year Old Fitzgerald barrels, Those also have a green sticker on the cap. There are also 180 bottles that were in 12 year Heaven Hill barrels, though they are unlabeled on the neck and have an orange sticker on the cap. This first rating will be the orange stickered, Heaven Hill barrel. Clear medium brown with a 1/2 finger beige head after a vigorous pout, and didn’t last long before fading to a thick ring and thin film. Toasted oak and vanilla is dominant, though not harsh in the aroma--with a good amount of brown sugar and raisins behind. Oh man, the flavor gets even better--the word pleasing keeps coming to mind. Lots of sweet brown sugar and raisins, maybe a bit of prunes. This gets nowhere near cloying thanks to the barrel--plenty of toasted oak and vanilla (again), and some light spicy alcohol in the mouth, that does warm the throat going down. There’s also a little milk chocolate and coconut in the semi-dry finish. Low bitterness. Full smooth body with low carbonation--I thought I’d want more carbonation, but I don’t here. Shit, this is good--I can’t think of a better BA (bourbon) beer in recent memory.

Sampled at Toronado 2009 Barleywine Festival. Pours slightly hazy amber with copper edges and thin white head. The aroma is smooth bourbon booze and bright wood notes followed by molasses, vanilla and alcohol heat. The taste begins with bourbon and near bright wood followed by sweet ripe cherries, prunes and sugar stewed raisins. By midway and into the finish pleasing layers of molasses murmur to the surface.

Draught at the brewpub Murky, dark brown with a tan head. Loads of sweet fruits and oak in the aroma. Sweet, almost sugary flavour. Dark chocolate and a lot of vanilla and wood.

On tap at Toronado for Barleywine fest ’09. Amber color with an off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, bourbon, vanilla, and wood. Flavor is sweet and malty with brown sugar, bourbon, port, and vanilla. Smooth mouthfeel.