Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Bend, Oregon USA

Always excited to try new Deschutes stuff. Pours reddish brown with a smallish beige head. Aroma of toffee, grapes, chocolate covered cherries, traces of bourbon, buttered toast, and caramel. Taste begins with a big sweet start of caramel, brown sugar and pear, adding some toffee, wood, leaves, cherry, grape, buttered toast, and leafy hops as the flavor develops. Finishes with wood, toast, leaves and earth and the aftertaste remains true to the earthy finish. There’s some heat there, but it’s stronger in the aroma than flavor to me. Otherwise it’s pretty heavy, somewhat creamy, somewhat sticky-sweet (without approaching syrupy) with the high alcohol lightening the mouthfeel slightly. Aroma is too fruit heavy for me, but it’s really well put together as Deschutes beers always are (to me). Very good, though the envelope remains unpushed.

Extreme fruit tones. In my opinion a tad overdone on the fruit tones. A nice compliment to meat dishes. Makes a good desert as well. Darker caramel visual with slight haze in color. Nice syrupy body.

On tap at the Deschutes Portland location. Colour... cloudy garnet-amber. Nose... sweet, malty, dried stone fruits, toffee. Palate... mildly frothy, nice blend of dark fruits and bourbon with plenty of almendrado, too. Sweet but not cloying; definetly coating. Dates, Christmas cake, zante currants, pannetone, treacle, English toffee and a very long finish. Damn nice!

22 oz bottle. Poured amber/orange with small amount of head and light carbonation. The nose was citrus fruits, pine, caramel, and sweet malt. Taste is floral hops, toffee, malt, light fruitiness, and marshmallow. The alcohol was hidden well. Very delicious!

Bottle shared by sloth. The pour was amber/pale orange with a decent little head, light carbonated bubbles. The aroma was lighter fruits with some caramel, citrus, a touch of wood. The flavor followed, barrel elements very subtle, and I probably would have missed them if not paying attention. Light fruits the dominant feature, some floral hop notes came about with warmer temperatures, the finish is a tad astringent/acidic. Mouthfeel was quite light-moderate for a BWine, pretty drinkable.

Nose of fruit preserves and vinegar. Powerful and fruity on the palate with raisins and dates and a long finish.

Aroma is toasted biscuits, booze, caramel, and citrus hops. Taste is sweet caramel, citrus, alcohol and fruity-juicy mint. Finish is cloying, sweet, and a bit hoppy. Good.

22 oz bottle from bvc - 2009 Reserve. Best after 04/20/10 stamped on label. Pour is hazy, murky rust orange, copper with a nice one inch light tan head. Head falls quick with smallish lacing. Nice looking beer. Aroma of very full caramel sweet malt with a resiny orange pine to the back of it. Also some light straw and honey. Nicely soft and integrated nose - really engaging. Taste is caramel hazelnut malt, with pine and orange fruit citrus hops - in that order. A nice honey spice taste appears as it hits room temperature. Palate is medium to full, coats the mouth nicely. Really no alcohol heat present until the very end of the after taste. Finish is dry and a touch bitter. I had the 2008 of this at Logan’s tasting a month ago and these were both excellent. Thanks for sending this to me Brandon.