Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Bottle from City Beverage in Winston-Salem. Cloudy reddish-brown pour with a large lasting beige head. Aroma is lots of caramel, oak, dark fruits, and piney hops. Flavor is caramel malt, citrus, earth, dark fruits, and lots of piney hops that linger. Palate full and syrupy, but not too much so, with hop oils. This beer kills it, seriously, it owns.

This orange brown beer poured with a decent beige head and a fruity aroma. There is a sweet malt flavor with some plum and a little coffee. The hop bitterness quickly takes over and adds a citrus finish. This is a nice barleywine.

My first barleywine, and it was one that will make me look forward to reviewing more. Pours a murky brown with a thick eggshell crown of head. Great lacing throughout the drink, even on my second glass, which was a full 24 hours after the bottle was opened. Smells of malty goodness, reminds me of old viscosity. Toffee is the most prominent scent. A very balanced flavor in spite of the hop fowrward claim on the label. Now this is a big beer i could sink my teeth into; toffee and caramel over an earthy and nice hop background. Mouthfeel is thick bodied with medium carbonation. A very great drink, and I will absolutely seek it out again.

Bottled 11/08. Bomber bottle into a snifter. Pours a cloudy blood red with some light going through and a nice yellow-white head to boot. Even while just pouring you get the wonderful barley wine aromas popping through and the sniff into the glass makes the rich caramel malt, dark fruits, and plenty of fresh hops and hop bitterness come through. The flavor is a bit light on malt, sweetness, and dark fruits, though they’re present, because the American style of super-hopping dominates, but not in a bad way. The hops and bitterness are more than present, but the malt backing balances just enough so the hops aren’t overpowering. The body is thick but not too sticky, with enough carbonation to make it go down nice. Good stuff!

Sampled in a 22oz that I aged about 18 months. Really good. Super quality malts. A good use of hops and quality bitters. A really nice brew.

Slightly hazy reddish-brown pour with a nice two-finger eggshell white head, good retention and decent lacing. Aroma is citrus and spicy hops combined with a slight caramel and roasted malty sweetness. Flavor starts off with carbonation and malt sweetness that gradually gives way to spice and finishes with grapefruit bitterness that lingers. Medium body, moderate carbonation and just a touch of alcohol warmth at the tail end. A good example of the American Barley Wine style with hops dominating the malts.

Aroma is enticing, caramel, fruits, slight floral hops. The appearance is a beautiful red to chestnut brown, cream colored head. The flavor is an explosion of caramel, fruit, quickly followed up by piney and floral hops. As the beer heads toward the back of the mouth, you pick up on the alcohol, but it’s not overpowering. The finish is piney hops, astringent, and a nice alcohol burn. Awesome thick and oily mouthfeel. Excellent representation of the style, a style I truly appreciate.

Pours slightly hazed amber with glorious white foamy head that retains well and laces well. Nose is the traditional caramel with piney hops, without a flaw to mention. Palate is big and sweet, with the hops carrying through almost like a citrus cough drop that you’d enjoy for the taste alone, even if not suffering from any symptoms. Finishes chewy caramel sweet.