Marin Old Dipsea Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine Style Ale

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

Bottle 72 of 180. Popped with John(Wetherel) and the guys at the bottle shop. For some reason I thought this one was going to be a let down. All of these super rare hard to get beers have just been a let down when I open them. Wow did this one not go that way. The second I popped the cap I knew this was going to blow me away. Super sweet bourbon and chocolate wafted from the bottle. I have not even poured this yet. Pours a dark brown with a nice off white 1 finger head. The label says unfiltered and this one has the nice cloudy look to prove it. The nose on this is insane. Perfect balance of bourbon, caramel, chocolate, light fig, plum, candy sugar, brown sugar, cookie dough, light roasted malt . Good lord is there anything that smells better then this? The only thing that comes close was the first batch of bourbon angels share on cask. I am afraid to taste this. As I taste this everything I smelled is right there in the taste. Oh my lord. I am like a kid in a candy store. So complex with not one flavor being over the top. 10 weeks in a barrel was just perfect for this one. One of the few barrel aged beers that you can walk through the flavors and enjoy everyone of them one by one then allow them to blend back together and be just perfect. As John said as this one warmed up it started to get even better. The carbonation was perfect and dialed in. I would have to say that if this was available on a larger share this would take out Angels Share and many others. These guys hit a homerun with this! One of the best beers I have had in the last 3 years.

Bottle generously opened by Tim at the PP bottle shop. Tasted with Tim, Ryan and Sean. Huge, huge thanks Tim for letting me try this tasty treat. Looks like I’m the first rating for this (hopefully not the last, since there are only 180 bottles). They need to brew a ton more of this. A rival to Angels Share. Bottle #72/180. Bottled in 3/2/2007, tasted 4/29/08, so there a nice amount of bottle aging as well. Tasted side-by-side against the un barrel aged. Clearly this is much better. The un-barrel aged I give the same rating of 3.9, that I rated when I tried it early. The barrel aged beast I give a 4.9. It is wonderful what a little barrel and bottle aging will do to a barleywine. Pours a thick dark amber color with more head than the un barrel aged. Why is that? Lots of buttery caramelized oak aromas. Sweet, soft, mellow texture. Bourbon barrel aged, but NO over the top bourbon burn, thank you, which reduces drinkability. The perfect aroma gets even better as the beer warms up. Very easy to drink, as I sample, and sample, and sample again. Yum. Would love to do a side-by-side with the Angel’s Shares and BA Old Numbskull. I think this would win in a blind test, even though it might score the same as Angel’s Share. Tried the other 2 version at the seaofloydster tasting: heavenhill: wow, sweet, mellow easy to drink. 4, 9.5,9.5,4.5,18: 4.7. fitzgerald: sweet and delicious, a bit hotter. Malty. Excellent: 4,9,4,8,18:4.3

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.

(2009 bottle by way of irishboy)brown body with no head.the aroma is a lovely blend of vanilla,bourbon,candy sugar,and brown sugar.the flavor does much of the same.honestly im just blown away at how well the barrel aging did for this beer.its perfectly balanced,alcohol is well hidden,and the palate is out of this world.

Poured a beautiful deep brown with a halo around my glass. The nose was huge with dried fruits, brown sugar, oak, coconut, vanilla and alcohol. The flavor was quite the same, and the heat made the finish a bit long. Tastes way stronger than 9%.

Bottle #16 from iowaherkeye. Damn what a beauty. Pours a nice cloudy brown with a small tan head. Aroma is pure sweet bourbon, caramel and oak. Flavor is so well rounded. Smooth and sweet with such wonderful bourbon notes. Vanilla flavors, brown sugar, oak, and more. Damn this was amazing. I wish I had more of this!!

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.