Oregon Trail Barley Wine

Brewed by Oregon Trail Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Corvallis, Oregon USA

Found a bottle of this in Eugene. The bottle says its a 2005 and has a wax dipped cap. Pours clear copper with a small tan head. Rich sweetness up front in the nose, caramel and chocolate and a light hop note. Very smooth beer that seems to have settled well in its first year, no excess alcohol tastes present and not overhopped. Smooth and heavy on the palate with a nice finish.

Nice deep orange-ish red color with a nice clean head on it. The smell is fantastic! Very sweet with a slight hint of spice and maybe even a bit milky smelling. Taste is good, but not as good as the smell. Tastes like an amber ale, but a little deeper in malts. It hits the sides of the tongue with a bit of bitterness and spice. A hearty beer.

This was so young and green, I tasted it right out of the tank, so it was still really yeasty and not carbonated, but showing great signs of early structure. This is going to be really nice when it comes out. Rich and grainy, with a nice sublte hop aroma. Flavor is rich and complex, and has all the qualitites of a NW style barleywine. Almost reminiscent of Doggie Claws.

First attempt at a barley wine from OT, they said it was a recipe thrown togethor on a whim, and damn is this impressive. Balance is the key - slightly bitter sweet and almost creamy dark fruit and light nut and wood notes in the nose and flavor... texture is medium heaviness and lightly fizzy, optimal in my opinion. It was fresh (and refreshing) which is odd for a barley wine, yet it wasn’t thin, weak or heavy on the tongue. Can’t wait to have more of this sometime. Reminded me of Bigfoot without the insane hop levels.