Great Divide Old Ruffian

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Denver, Colorado USA

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.

This has been in my cellar for 2+ years, and decided to crack it open. Pours a nice amber brown with decent head to it. Good caramel on the nose. Flavor is sweet, rich with caramel malt a lot of fruit and finishes with a big hoppy bite. Really nice, was shocked that it didn’t show any signs of age. Really good mouthfeel and hid the alcohol rather well.

Bomber. Pours deep ruby and crimson with very little head. Hops dominate the aroma, but also present are caramel malt, vanilla, and sweet fruitiness. Makes the tip of my tongue tingle with the first sip, moving to the back of my tongue. Hoppy, bitter, full of floral and pine hops. Aggressive but smooth. I like this one. Also, the alcohol is well-hidden.