Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Excellent. My first sampling from Great Divide. Beautiful pour with a small head. Taste of sweet malt followed by a nice hop bitterbess. Big alcohol kick as it warms. Good stuff.

Bottle from kmweaver. Thanks Ken. Another >10% beer, and a tasty one at that. Bottle says 10.2%. My new goal is to drink one >10% beer for every 5 other beers. Pours cloudy amber. Aroma is malty and a bit of yeast, maybe autolysis, whatever it is I like it, even though I’ve heard of it as a flaw. Sweet, a bit hoppy. Some oxidized cardboard hops, but subtle and nice. My guess is this bottle has 9 months or so of age on it. Very nice.

22 oz bottle, aged about a year. Pours a dark ruby color with a small thin white head. Aroma is sweet caramel, malts, dried fruits. The flavor is caramel, dark fruits, moderate citrus, and a smooth alcohol taste. It’s a shame that I can’t find any more Great Divide beers here anymore. Come back soon, please!

Wow! The Aroma of this beer is amazing. Sweet caramel at first then it fades to a beautiful bouket of floral hops then that fades to toffee notes. It pours a deep, hazy brownish dark red ale. The tan head stays a little while and leaves in its trail lush lacing. The flavor has lots of caramel notes and a nice in your face bitterness that lingers well. Dark fuits like prunes and also notes of bitter oranges. It’s a very smooth ale for the alcohol content. Not sting at all. It’s hidden like a snake in its den. A quite lovely Barleywine indeed. Thanks again Great Divide. The Lord bless the hop harvest.

Clear dark carmel with creamy head. The aroma reminds me of the overall aroma of a 50 flavor ice cream shop, or maybe a gooseberry pie. Nice dark fruit flavor with some bright, green fruit overtones. Finishes both sweet and bitter. A bit of alcohol warmth, but does not get in the way.

RB US #900: From tap at Plan B. Pours clear and hazzlenut golden brown with a creamy light tan head. Solid hoppy and mild caramel malty aroma. Dense and towards liqourice spiced and hoppy finish. Sweet and dense caramel malty with a solid hops flavour and distinct bitterness into the finish. Dry and dense malty and fruity lingering into the far finish. Slight wooden too.

Pale beige head. Hazy pale brown colour. Some hints of grass and hops in the nose. Some hints of chocolate in the taste. Also some hints of prunes and sweetness in the taste. Nice hoppiness.

Pours a rich creamy maroon with big lasting dark beige head. Smell is smooth caramel and lightly fruity and subtle hops in the background. Taste is fruity, and caramelly with moderate hop flavor peaking in at the end with a nice balancing bitterness. Good creamy body and soft to medium carbonation. Overall, very smooth, and nicely flavorful with a smooth fruity caramel flavor and just enough hops to balance and provide a light lingering bitterness. Really good barley wine.