Barley Johns Rosies Raspberry Aged Old Ale

Formerly brewed at Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Fruit Beer
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

Serve in Flute

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Great Taste of the Midwest 2008

My only visit to Barley John’s led to a pour of this wonderful beer. I am probably underselling it a bit after a few other bourbon barrel aged beers but for some reason it didn’t set itself apart. On the other hand all that means is that it falls into the "great" category rather than the "world class" one. Hopefully it makes future appearances so others can enjoy it as well.

Aroma / Appearance - The cloudy reddish brown body revealed the blend of raspberries which were also evident in the nose in the form of puree. Very thick and creamy it also released a strong maltiness that mixed well with the bourbon and vanilla aspects.

Flavor / Palate - The thicky chewy mouthfeel was a little too boozy after a few other more balanced attempts which was the main flaw in my opinion. I don’t mind huge beers as long as they aren’t aggressive and over the top. This one straddles that line and almost falls over. Warm on the throat it would be a great dessert beer nonetheless. I could imagine sipping a pint on a cold winter Midwestern day while the snow falls.

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Pours a mostly still oily dark copper with a thin, wispy off-white head. Aroma of rich complex brown sugar and sweet dark fruits with some raspberry. Body starts rich, sweet, thick and complex with a touch of tart fruity balance. Quite interesting and enjoyable.

Tap at GTMW 2008 Aroma is sweet. cloying red fruit, higher alcohols, acetone, and more sweetness. Taste is very rich and full, almost creamy and dense in its richness. Lots of red fruit and bourbon. Finish is sweet and alcoholic, but it works.

(Draught) Pours a murky reddish brown body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of oak, raspberries, toffee, chocolate, and caramel. Flavor of sweet caramel malt, toffee, raspberries, and chocolate. Tasty!

GTMW 2008 (thanks to Blake for getting me some before it was gone):

Deep brown with a very oily appearance. WOW what a nose, raspberry, marzipan, viscous syrupy old bourbon, heavy roasted malt and even some chocolate. The taste is big and fruity at first with lots of malts in the profile. The middle is a tad papery and oxidized but seems to actually work. The mouth feel is oily and lush with a VERY WARMING FINISH! Very good a quite different, MIKEY LIKEY!

Draft. Great Taste 2008. Aroma of heavy raspberry sweetness. Port-like grape tannin. Vanilla. Caramelized brown sugar with a very noticeable alcohol hotness. Pours a murky brown with sun kissed copper around the edges. Flavor consists of heavy wood tannin. Alcohol. Raspberry liqueur. Honey, ginger. Syrupy sugar with a huge barrel presence... too much barrel. Cloying and sticky sweet but rather thin for the amount of alcohol. Finishes dry and tannic.

Date: 08/09/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Great Taste

Appearance: muddy brown, wipsy beige head,
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma with lots of rapsberry character,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, raspberry is in good balance with the chocolate, rich fruit character without being too sweet or tart,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours dirty brown with no head. the fresh raspberries just clash with such an old beer that is malty and slightly boozy. bourbon and aged doughy malts, tobacco. the alcohol is very well hidden in the aroma and flavor. i doubt this is almost 15%abv. pretty drinkable though, i’m just not convinced the introduction of raspberries is such a great idea.

gtme 08.... caramel toffee brown pour with no head.... aroma was very bourbony with a small degree of raspberries coming through... flavor was a little too sweet and cloying for my liking. lots of residual sugars and the raspberries put it over the top. boozy....really want to try the non-fruited version of this beer some day.

My first rating from GTMW ’08, and for a reason. Ruddish brown color with a reddish tint, and no head to speak of. Aroma is beautiful...incredibly light and sweet for a beer of this intensity...notes of chocolate, raspberry, malty/syrupy, alcohol, and a bit of funk mixed in there. Flavor is ridiculously good, this beer set itself apart from the other big beers due to the multi-dimensionality. Up front you get a nice mixture of sweet malt, vanilla, some caramel malts, and a good dose of tart flavor to keep everything mixed nicely, and then the raspberry kicks in. The beautiful thing is that the raspberry didn’t overwhelm, but just becomes part of the beer. Palate is incredibly smooth...only word to describe it is ’silk’. Oh yeah, I’m also wondering where is that 15%...I sure can’t find it! What finally set it apart was the bourbon barrel aging...it does not dominate in any means, but rather adds an incredible third dimension of soft wood and bourbon flavors. Knowing this beer is gone for the time being makes me very, very sad...please brew this again!!!

On tap at GTMW. Poured deep, murky brown with no head sticking around. The aroma picked up raspberry syrup liqueur first and foremost.. thick and sweet with definite power behind (somehow no overt alcohol though!).. a hair too sweet for my liking, but quite nice. Crisp raspberry seeds provided tartness on the tip of the tongue with thicker, syrupy raspberry puree over a sufficient (but almost hidden) caramel base.. spicy, warm finish with some artificial sweetener, but again well-masked alcohol. Thick-bodied and syrupy on the palate with a bit too much sweetness, but that sweetness hid the fact that this was a monster brew.