Great Divide Old Ruffian

(Re-rate, draught at Pikkulintu, Helsinki, on 2009-01-27) Dark brown and hazy. Lightly tan coloured medium sized long lastin head. Strong grassy and hoppy aroma. Full bodied and dry palate with medium carbonation and warming alcohol. Hops, grass, bitterness, malts and light sweetnes in taste. Bitter aftertaste. Old rating: 8-4-8-4-15

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barleywine Style Ale ABV: 10.2% RateBeer rating: 98 Calories: estimated at 400C Volume: 22 fl oz Glass: snifter Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ Price: 4.99 on special who knows why. Consumed at: home First Impression: Impressive in presence and aroma. Aroma is raisins, prunes, and cherries. Sour is the leading scent. Visuals are mostly deep red and ruby body with a thin tan head. Taste is amazing. Active all over the mouth. Sweet, sour, bitter, hoppy, fruity, toasted. Grapefruit, nuts, cherries, and alcohol dominate. Palate is crisp with a dry long, very enjoyable finish. Second Impression - really takes a hold of you and does not let go. A deep and hoppy experience. Delicious, and very good. This is only my second Great divide brew, but they are very clearly my favorite brewer. Aroma: 9 out of 10 Visuals: 5 out of 5 Taste: 10 out of 10 Palate: 4 out of 5 Overall: 19 out of 20

Pours golden-red, maybe a little more brown than Horizontal or Behemoth. Small off-white head. Scents are dominated by lemon, bread, caramel, slight roasts and even mint. Flavor retains bitterness but has more sweetness to it than Behemoth, with caramel, citrus, roasts, and hints of alcohol. Another great barley wine.

Botlte (22 oz.) @ home. Pours in clear and amber producing a tan two fingered head. Aroma was sweet, hoppy with some roasted malt notes. The flavor is big and hoppy with notes of citrus (grapefruit) and resin, with caramel and roasted malt backbone. Fruity with some vnuous fruit flavors. The finish is bitter (90 IBUs), with a medium mouthfeel. A nice complex very tasty American style barley wine.

22 oz bomber from a trade with degarth. pours reddish/brown with a mid tan head. good got thats a huge nose. complex malt hop swirls from my snifter. its almost like the malts and hops are battling to see who can be bigger. the flavours ar awesome with a big bold malt structure supporting a smattering of hop bittereness. the bitterness overwhelms the palate in the finish which prevents this brew from being even more enjoyable. very good but i wish id let it cellar for a while.

22 oz bomber purchased at Spirits RB. Pours a hazy orange amber with a large frothy yellowish beige head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, honey and as it warms pineapple and some waxy notes as well. Palate on this one is motsly smooth and creamy but finsihes dry with some alcohol warming. Very malty flavor, duh, with lots of caramel, toffee, slight fruit and alcohol. Good stuff.

Pours reddish amber with a thick off white head. Aroma of hops and caramel. Flavor is malty with piney hops and caramel. Strikes me as a little more DIPA than barley wine. A ton of stuff going on though.

22 oz bottle pours burnt orange red amber with a large and sustaining head that seems to also contain the color of the beer below. It looks great. The aroma is grapefruit, caramel, white pepper, and peach. The flavor is seriously hoppy, with lots of caramel, into a long and lingering fruit, hop, and pepper finish. The pepper flavor does not come off as overly obvious alcohol, but rather like a spice addition. The palate is rich and chewy. Overall this is one fine Barley Wine.