Great Divide Old Ruffian

A nice pour, minimal head when pouring, which turns into a nice cap after it settles for a few seconds. A nice copper/amber hue with minimal clarity. A floral smell. A nice balanced flavor which finishes hoppy and fresh. Overall a very nice balanced beer.

On tap at the Cockney Pub, Aarhus, DK. 060209. Deep amber with white head. Aroma of hay and citrus. Flavor is malty with grapefruit and a shade of alcohol.

Shared with the boys for Cellar Reduction #3. Dark amber with good light tan head. Dark caramel nose with muted alcohol ester Bitter hop finish that I don’t really care for. Very syrupy body. About average for a barlywine.

Bottle with Butters and sixfootsix at the 3rd Cellar Reduction. Lacing light tan head with lacing and some red-orange highlights in the head. Body is clear reddish color. Smells of ripe fruit, caramel, yeast and smooth hops. Tastes the same with a good balance and nice bitterness on the finish.

Great Balance to this galoot of a beer. It’s huge and hoppy, but is so balanced that it goes down really nice. I dig it.

Keg (Pikkulintu, Helsinki, American Weeks 2009)
Deep red, rocky head. Cascade biscuity aroma. I’m worried this might be just another cookie-cutter US hop bomb already. First taste was some flowery floor-cleaner, but that’s soon replaced by a really full roasty body, and sweet christmassy spicy hops. Big and bold, but falling thankfully short of over-the-top. Even the alcohol is reasonably subdued. Enjoyed to the bottom of the glass - they made that one work.

22oz bottle. Pours a hazy mahogany, woody brown body with a thick, inch width, beige head that dissipates slowly and remains heavily laced. Phenomenal looking beer out of a bottle. Aroma is a nice mixture of sweet malts and juicy citrus hops. The caramel malts are clearly present, but are overtaken by a nice grassy and piney, big citrus hoppiness. The flavor is really nice. Initially a bit of sweet candy, sugar caramel maltiness, but not too much so that its excessively sugary. Moves into an abundance of moderately, juicy, citrus hop bite before finishing slightly woody and a great balance of sweet sugars and intense grapefruit hops. Tastes surprisingly piney fresh. Finishes slightly minty as well. Lots of lingering, juicy hops. Palate is easy drinking and loaded with flavor. Very smooth and concentrated from beginning to end. Overall, this is one hell of a barley wine. Loaded with flavor. I think this may be my favorite barley wine to date. It has a great sugary sweetness and an abundance of juicy hops, but never becomes overly sugary or excessively bitter. This is fantastic.

Hops, hops, hops. Smells flowery and hoppy, tastes hoppy. Has a strong alcohol presence.