On tap at the brewpub. Murky reddish brown. Smells of raisins, booze, dark fruits, and brown sugar. Tastes much the same. The menu says this is barrel aged and I can see how that could be true, but at this ABV, it’s tough to discern. Very strong dark fruit, raisins, brown sugar sweetness. Alcohol all over. Never cut by any bitterness or oak. Sweet boozy finish. Heavy. Only served in a 5 oz. glass, which is as much as I could ever drink. My wife asked, Is it good for what it is? Yes, though the category of beer in which it falls doesn’t really need to exist at all.

Draught. Pours opaque dark brown with a small, frothy beige head, short retention. Aroma is moderate caramel and bready malt with complex Brandy, Port and Sherry notes, dark fruits. Flavor is moderate dark fruits, Sherry, Port, Brandy and bready, caramel malt with a sweet finish. Full body and medium carbonation.

Minnesota Trip Beer #150. Keg at the brewpub, 5/11/16. Jackl and I waited around for them to tap this and it was worth it! Clear dark red, large creamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of soy, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, molasses, strawberry, raisin. The taste is chocolate, toffee, raisin, vanilla, caramel, molasses. Full bodied, low carbonation, alcohol well hidden.

Keg @ Barley John’s. Deep reddish Amber pour with a fairly effervescent head. Nose is is pretty rich. Caramelized prune. Toasted grain and dark chocolate. Candy sugar. Chocolate. Flavor is rich and chewy. Nice fruity accents. Prune, raisin, plum. Earthy grain. Singed grass. Mild glowing heat on the finish. Delicate and nuanced. Great stuff.

On tap at GTMW 2014, pours a clear dark amber brown with a thin off white head, the aroma has a ton of stuff going on, vanilla, toffee, caramel mixed in with some sweet berries, what the heck, the flavor is sweet on the front end but has a fruity touch to it with lots of caramel and dark fruit flavors coming through, honestly couldn’t tell this was even over 10%, wow.

Sample at Great Taste of the Midwest on 08/09/2014: Murky reddish-brown color with a medium tan head that diminishes gradually to a film. Patchy lacing. Aroma of berries, caramel malt and yeast. Full-bodied and syrupy with flavors of dark fruit, molasses, earthy yeast and caramel. The finish is sweet with a rich malt and fruit aftertaste. Really good all around.

Pours a cloudy amber-brown with an oily light tan head. Aroma is sweet with caramel and dark fruits. Flavor is caramel, toffee, malt, vanilla, cranberry, raisin, and plum with woody notes and alcohol present but relatively masked. Medium/heavy mouthfeel with soft carbonation. Very good brew.

5 oz. pour, on tap at the brewpub. Consumed on 6-10-14. Listed as "Rosies Old Ale" but with the same ABV as "Rosies Ale" here. Pours a medium to dark brown, even maroonish color with a small amount of beige head. Opaque liquid. Strong aroma of raspberry, plum, and liqueur. Super sweet flavor features coffee, mocha, molasses, and raisin elements. It is so sweet that it is btter, if that makes any sense. Dry and tangy at the same time. Full, heavy body yet soft and surprisingly lively in the palate. Could it be a bit too sweet? Regardless, it is a wonderful beer that drinks more like a great port, ice wine, or cordial. I do prefer the barrel aged version that I had a few years ago, but that statement is a tribute to the overwhelming greatness of the barrel aged version rather than a criticism of the standard. It’s a great sipper. Normally I am put off by excessive sweetness and imbalance in favor of maltiness in my beers, but this beer goes so far into sweet maltiness that I come around full circle to loving it, and I should emphasize that it does indeed have prominent dry, bitter, and tangy (i.e., non-sweet) notes. I wish I had taken more notes, because this is certainly a beer for contemplation and the written words that emerge from that process, but , alas, I was distracted by enjoying the moment of good conversation and great beer. Kudos to Barley John’s for years brewing this world class, very strong, unquestionably outstanding beer and its variants.

Pours a dark brown-red color. Tastes like prunes, cherries, brown sugar, and port wine. Very much like port wine. Best barleywine I’ve ever had.

Tap - small foamy head, very dark amber/almost black color, complex malty alcohol aroma and flavor, not as strong alcohol as you would expect from 18%, very good overall ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone