Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Milton, Delaware USA

Dark amber color. Aroma and flavor are strong and rich in candy like caramel. Nice mix of hops and malts. Strong alcohol flavor in a good way.

Bottle thanks to Dakine,This one pours golden to amber and cloudy with almost to head, aromas of caramel malts,and hops tase is sweet and hot with a big alcohol back bone at 15 abv. great barley wine

12oz bottle, bottled Oct 2007. Pours a murky caramel brown with a bright orange glow in the light. There’s a big creamy beige head that recedes slowly and leaves bits of lacing and tons of legs along the sides. The aroma is big and super sweet. Thick molasses and brown sugar sweetness with sugar-coated raisins and baked apples. There’s also no mistaking there is alcohol in this one with a burn in the nose. The taste is sugary sweet as well but has even more alcohol presence than the aroma. The heavy candied apple and caramel sweetness anchors this one with only a hint of citrus hops left. The alcohol burn is massive in the finish. The mouthfeel is full bodied, lightly carbonation and sticky. It sits really heavy on the tongue with a lingering sweetness and booze presence after each sip. This is a very good barleywine but the sweetness and alcohol are so overpowering that the drinkability is limited a bit. Good and definitely one to share.

My, oh my! Have had this one aging in the beer cellar for about 2 years. Super barleywine! Pours murky, muddy amber into the glass, with a diminished head that leaves trace lace. The nose is of fusel oils, tons of complex toffees and caramels, with some light fig/date notes to boot. The flavors are thick and lathering to the tongue. I get lots of caramel, burnt toffee, raisins, figs, dates, some hints at young melony citrus (interesting, but there to activate the palate). The alcohol has definitely mellowed over the past few years, as the fusel notes are just an accent to the finish. Nothing overdone, it has a thick, smooth texture (a bit like a Werther’s original), with ever-so-subtle carbonation and a nice full body. This is a perfect beer for a cold night, a fireside sipper that is greatly appreciated. I just have to go out and buy another one now to enjoy like this in several years. Aging really did this one well!

Too sweet for my taste. Great aroma and appearance but the taste was too sweet.

12 oz bottle..Slightly hazy ,deep golden pour, ring of thin white foam , spotty lacing . Sweet malt aroma with notes of dark fruits and alcohol . Very sweet fig / date / raisin flavor , sugary but is bitter and dry enough in the finish to not be too cloying . Full bodied , carbonation is soft , very smooth and warming . Alcohol is present but not overpowering , would age very well I think , excellent .

12 oz. bottle shared with friends in Boston from Downtown Liquors in Somerville. Probably a late 2009 or early 2010, so it was really new when we got it. Good lord, does it need some time to settle down. Pours a somewhat cloudy gold-amber with red tints and an inch-thick eggshell white head. Aroma of caramel malts, mixed fruits (cherries, dates, figs, raisins mostly), candi sugar, and alcohol. The flavor is extremely sweet, with tons of fruit, sugar, and caramel; also alcoholic. Medium-full bodied, with mild carbonation and a sticky, chewy mouthfeel. It’s fun to drink now, but let this one sit for a while and hopefully it settles down.

Bottle. Poured a hazy, orange\amber with a tiny white head. Nose is heavy on the alcohol, there are also some big notes of raisin, caramel, and brown sugar. Mostly full body with a smooth mouth feel. Flavor is sweet and syrupy with notes of dark fruit, caramel and sugar. Finishes sticky and sugary.