Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Hood River, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle pours reddish copper color with small but persistent white head. Aroma mainly hops. Taste varies tremendously as it warms. At first caramel malts dominated by hops, over time hops diminish and more typical barleywine flavor appears with sweet caramel malts. Finish moderately long with alcohol burn and dull hops. Palate fairly thick and slightly syrupy.

This is an "American" barleywine meaning pretty hoppy. I enjoyed it but will not seek out again.

The ’95 keg at the 2011 OBF - Thick vinous sherry aroma. A little sugary but balanced out with a figgy/date depth. Very good, a rich lung burn from the booze.

Amber brown color, nice head. Malty aroma. Caramel malt base with some toast and nut. Not very sweet at all, which was good. Finishes pretty dry for a barleywine, fairly bitter. I liked it.

Bottle from Magnum Cigar, Phoenix; vintage 2008, 3 years old
Beautiful red-amber color; medium sized creamy head. Mild aroma of caramel, nuts, light malt. The body is medium structured, less than expected for a Barley Wine; there is a strong nutty caramel flavor, not much malt, not much sweetness; strong bitterness, even a bit too much in the end.
Unbalanced and off target.

Another very well made beer from another impressive Oregon microbrewery. I could get used to this.

Bottle with Carla. Pours reddish brown with tan foam. Smells of caramel with light bitterness and hints of plant matter. Tastes bitter of alcohol, hops and plenty of hops flavor and texture.

Poured a clear, deep copper with a smallish head, great lace though. The aroma had some burnt caramel with a touch of brown sugar, raisin, a slight boozy wood note. Flavor was nice but a tad cloying. Sweet caramel drenched notes of orange citrus, plums and raisins, warming boozy notes, with a slight floral hop delight somewhere in the middle. Typical barleywine flavor, just not as harsh (good thing). It was actually quite smooth. But it was just a little too sweet.

Bomber 2010 reserve. Pours a dark murky amber brown with dense tan head. Nose is somewhat fruity, but the flavor is definitely showing the alcohol. Bitter finish. Hoppy american version for sure. Not the best i’ve had...

THOUGHTS: A little harsh. The alcohol was very much present. The warmer it got the more smooth it became, but it still leaned to being harsh. It actually got a little cloying by the end. It would probably age very well. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, very dark brownish amber with a small to average, tan head that mostly diminished and left excellent lacing. The aroma had moderate to heavy molasses and caramel; moderate to heavy pine and citrus hops; raisin; apple; cherry; brown sugar; maple syrup; that barley wine smell; a little smoke and wood; but predominately alcohol. The initial flavor was moderate to heavily sweet and moderately bitter; while the finish was heavily to harshly sweet and rather bitter with a long duration. There was caramel, molasses, apple, cherry, raisin, alcohol, citrus rind, maple syrup, that barley wine taste, brown sugar, pine and citrus hops, burnt caramel, and a little wood. The medium to full body was oily and a little sticky on the lips and then dry with soft yet tingly carbonation and a lightly metallic, dry and moderately alcoholic finish.

Pours amber with a very thick head. Great aroma it sure smells like barley. Tastes very nice great malt profile bold hops. A little thin in mouth feel but its a very nice brew. I like it.