Schooners Old Diablo

(Draught, 2007 vintage) Pours a cloudy burgundy body with a small beige head. Aroma of caramel, cherry, brandy, and vanilla. Flavor of toffee, caramel malt, cherry, wood, and raisins.

On tap. Pours an almost clear orangey brown with a small, beige head. sweet nose of chocolate and licorice. Quite full-bodied, wood and overripe fruit, sweet brown licorice allsorts. Warming alcoholic finish, but not much hops to be found. 100709

From a pitcher at the RBSG dinner. Pours hazy dark brown with a small a light golden orangehead. Vanilla, hard roasted and solid caramelish. Wooden vanilla and heavy caramelish. Smooth and solid caramelish and wooden flavoured finish.

Served at the RBSG Beer Dinner. Said it was Old Diablo 2007! Nose of prunes, toffee, and oaky vanilla. Clear cherry brown with a medium beige head. Flavor of molasses, medium sweetness, and very light alcohol.

Served at the RBSG 2009 beer dinner, this dark brown pour was a bit boozy with some fruit flavor.

Clear auburn with a 1/2 finger beige head. Brown sugar, almonds, figs, milk chocolate and brown sugar in the nose. Flavor is a bit more alcoholic, becoming a bit brash, even, with with nose following suit. Semi-dry, bitterness 3. Full body with light carb. Pretty good.

On tap at the brewery. The brewer has no name for this beer. They just call it "the barleywine". On their website, though, its called Old Diablo. This is a really good beer, different than a lot of the other American style barleywines I’ve tried. Its more English, I guess. Very dark ruby amber color with a very small dissapearing head. Aroma is sweet and a little alchoholic. The taste is all caramel, toffee, and a touch of dark fruit. Very sweet and complex, but the sweetness is never cloying. Almost no bitterness. This was the standout from my sample tray of seven beers that they had on tap. Very good.

Pours dark amber, sweet, creamy, caramel, dark fruits, malty, little hops, little alcohol.