Olde Curmudgeon Barleywine Ale--2000 12 oz. Bottle. 10.50% ABV. (3.5 / 5.0) Cloudy hazy red brown color. Big rich malt fruit front. Thick sweet malt fruit body. Surprisingly UnHoppy. Hot toasted notes. Hot alcohol finish. Too Big and Sweet For Me. Unbalanced for a LaConner Brew. Sampled 9/27/2000.

On tap t the brewpub. Unlike any barley wine I have had. I would normally expect a dark brew but this one poured red-amber. Red licorice and cotton-candy dominate the flavor, with darker fruit, vinous hops, light coco and caramel apple complementing. Flavor is like Christmas cake and warm apple-berry cider. Body is viscous with soft bubbles and a warming alcohol that is delayed in its appearance. Deadly drinkable, well-crafted and unique.

Bottle. [thank you, after4ever]
[vintage 2001]
Pours deep brown with a slight red hue. Almost no head, just a bit of fizzy bubbles. Aroma has cellar, fat caramel, sugar, vinious, prunes, oak, port. Low carbonation, lovely fat oily mouthfeel. Flavour is wonderful. Fat chocolate, oak, vinious, port, apples, dried fruit. Long, lingering coffee and cocoa finish. Wonderfully warming. Very nice and balanced BW.

Bought at Bottleworks out of Seattle. 01 bottle poured a deep mahogany with light head and lacing. Smelled of sweet rich malts with hints of honey and brown sugar. Tasted of much the same with quite a bit of sugared apple fruitiness. Fantastic beer even after 8 years.

12oz bottle (2001 vintage). huge thanks to tom for this rare treat..... pours a dark brown with an almost porter-like appearance with a thin soapy light beige head. very nice lacing....rich sweet aroma of toffee and caramel, somewhat oxidized but still pretty enticing..... flavors are smooth and rich centralized around caramel and dark fruits. some bitterness in the finish which cuts into its overall sweetness. still a little lingering degree of alcohol. very light carbonation that keeps the flavors in focus. this one has really held up nicely.

12 oz. bottle - 2001 vintage purchased in March 2008 at Bottleworks; flat, ruby brown; very dark, but mostly clear against the light with slight haze; all sugar and alcohol with mild oxidation; very thin, syrupy body; packs a punch and drinks very sweet and malty; raisins and dank flavors; relatively smooth drinking despite the obvious alcohol; very nice and perhaps just a touch too sweet

Thank you so much After4ever/Tom for this fantastic beer. It’s a vintage 2001 and I had it January 2008. It’s very dark brown with a red hue. It has no head, just a little rim on the sides of the glass. The aroma has sweetness and notes of roasted malt, raisin, dark fruits, candy sugar, soft and sweet licorice and hints of chocolate - very complex! The mouthfeel is oily! The flavour has sweetness and is very complex. I find notes of roasted malt, dark fruit, plum, caramel, candy sugar, sweet licorice, hints of alcohol and chocolate. It’s incredibly nice - a beer to enjoy!

Bottle, courtesy after4ever. Pours cloudy dark brown, surmounted by a tan ring of foam. Big aroma of figs, dark fruit. Creamy full body, almost still. Big taste to match the nose. Nuts, citrus and toffee. This is tasty.

UPDATED: JAN 23, 2008 12-oz., 2001 bottle, sampled November 07. Deep mahogany with ruby and golden brown highlights. Still, headless, laceless. Enormous forward sherry and soy nose. Thick, sticky body. Wildly complex mid-palate: soy, sherry, roast, char, nuts, caramel, and a fair amount of toffee. Nice layered roasty finish. Wonderful stuff that stood up beautifully to the bottle years. Arlen knocked this one out of the park.

Pacific Northwest Vacation 2007...

8/18/2007: LaConner Olde Curmedgeon was by far the best of the LaConner beers that I sampled. Its appearance is murky golden amber in color with a creamy beige head and lasting crown. The aroma has a strong fruity quality with notes of fermenting apples and a bit of a dry wood-quality. The flavor is rich and malty with a nice fruity complexity. It is slightly sweet due to the presence of sugary caramel malt. There is a bit of alcohol noticeable through the nostrils, but it is pretty well hidden in the flavor. This beer is smooth and creamy with a milky texture and a medium-full to full body. Very, very tasty!

Draught (9% ABV) at LaConner Brewing Company in LaConner, Washington. Rating #22 for this beer...