4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a dark red/brown with a light tan head. Very sweet up front but a big hoppy finish balances this out well. Caramel and toffee flavors up front, nice earthy rum flavor to the malts. With all the hops this will age well. Very full bodied and smooth.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
[Vintage 2007] Tap @ Barleywine and Big Beer Fest... Poured a dark burgundy with a thin white head. Aroma of yeast and diary-like, candy sugars. Mildly carbonated palate. A lot of cocoa flavors and rich malt characters and some ash or chalky flavors. It had gotten a little dry towards the finish.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Draught at Belmont Station. Musty aroma and taste. Some brass. Not exactly an old ale but more like an English IPA to me. Decent and tasty.
4.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
I was compelled to return for the second day of the tastival because of this beer. Brewer Tonya Cornett is renowned for her killer brews and this 2006 orange-copper old ale was no exception. Small nose, medium white head, dark bodied and quite malty was this scrumptious brew.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Ruby with a thick, off white head and good lacing. Nice blend of hops and spice. All spice perhaps, but that doesn’t seem right. Sweet underlying caramel as well. Spices again in the flavors. I started out thinking anise, but realized it was more like tarragon. Slightly sweet licorice. Lots of malts in here. Caramel and some roast. Thick and sticky with a finish of spice and sweet caramel.
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Growler from brewpub
Thanks to Jeff for bringing this back from his trip to the West Coast. Bend Brewing shines once again with a stunning old ale. I don’t know that I could drink a whole growler alone but bring a couple of friends and you could knock this off without any problems. Should I ever find myself in the area Bend Brewing is at the top of the list of places to visit.
Aroma / Appearance - The semi-transparent body sparkles with a reddish maroon tone. A fuzzy white head like the color of soap scum sits on top. Caramel, cherry pie filling, and sweet chocolate like Hershey’s chips balance the malt out. This is a great example of the style done right.
Flavor / Palate - Caramel and chocolate wash across the palate. The mouthfeel is thick and borderline cloying but still very drinkable. Creamy and oak it carries a series of nice flavors. The warm finish is like an aged barleywine that has lost its hoppy bite. Overall this is a nice example of an old ale that does everything right and very little wrong.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft @ brewpub; creamy tan head and dark brown; clear reddish along the edges; sweet malt, brown sugar and dates; mild peaty-ness too; smooth, fruity and dangerously easy to drink; malty, sweet and sugary; damn good
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Ruby colour with lasting head. Sweet malt aroma. Full flavour with a lasting finish that pleases. Much alcohol warmth.
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