Great Divide Old Ruffian

Bomber, pours a ruby color with thin head. Aroma of malt, alcohol, and hops. Taste is bitter, with off-setting sweetness, and alcohol burn finish. A solid barley wine.

Pours a deep rich copper with thin white head. Aroma is of rich caramel, alcohol and floral hops. Taste is rich caramel, sweet malt, light note of citrus hops. Mild carbonation and semi-dry finish. Good stuff.

Pours a rich ruby color with a thin off-white head, and a few streams of lacing. Aroma is hoppy, fruity, some peat, wood, and sugary-sweet. Taste is sweet, wood, some citrus, and bitter hoppiness.

Clear purple-ruby body with a thin finger of off white head with a long retention and light sweet malt and a light spicy hoppiness, vanilla, cherries. Taste is sweet maple syrup, sweet malt, woody vanilla oak, creamy body, light hop bitterness.

Bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a dark hazy orangish brown with a decent tan head that dissipates quickly to a ring leaving a little bit of lacing. The aroma is a very well balanced combination of citrus hops, caramel malts and a little bit of booze. It all melds together well and leaves a slight alcohol burn in the nose. The taste starts with a quick onslaught of citrus hops that gives way to the big caramel malt base. There is a sweeter molasses presence in the taste as well as the alcohol burn which lasts through the finish with some floral hoppy bitterness added into the mix. The mouthfeel is smooth and a little sticky with modest carbonation. This is one of the better examples of an American BW I’ve had and very drinkable for the style. Highly recommended.

Bomber from College Liquors. Pours a rich amber/reddish-brown color with a large tan head. The aroma is quite powerful; loads of sweet malts, fruits and sweeter candies. The taste is also quite good; some initial warmth and noticeable alcohol, sweet caramel malts, candies, light hops in the finish combine with alcohol to produce a nice bitter and warm finish. A nice BW for sure.

(bomber around 2 or 3 yrs. old I think) Pours a dark ruby with a thin off-white head that leaves a ring around the glass, and a thin film on top. The aroma is just near perfect for an aged barleywine. There’s slight oxidation, still present citric hops (grapefruit peel predominately), cotton candy, strawberry jam, salted roasted peanuts, a huge dose of caramel, cherry hard candy, and a light almost toasty character. Wow, just amazing. The taste is very malty, with a lot of caramel, toffee, and cherry hard candy. Nearing the finish the hops begin to make their presence felt, which lends a grapefruit peel bitterness that carries on for quite some time. The light toastiness that was present in the aroma is also displayed in the finish as well. Full, smooth, almost viscous mouthfeel with minimal carbonation. This just confirms my belief that barleywines are far more superior with some age.

Pours amber/brown with almost no head. Aroma is big, sweet and malty. Taste is very malty as well with a bunch of caramel and a little bit of chocolate coming through, rounded off by a nice bitter finish. Pretty good sipper.