Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

bottle - Pours medium amber with a moderately sized head. The two finger head lasts for ages and leaves heavy lacing. The aroma is fairly light with alcohol, malt, and some hops coming through. The flavor is quite hoppy for the style and is supported by a caramel malt backbone. Full bodied with some light alcohol noticeable, it all leads into a hopped up finish.

Pours a nice dark auburn brown color, with lots of ruby red when you hold it to the light. Thick soft tan foam tops it off, and as the head dies down to a cap and a thick ring, I look at the sides of the glass and see that it is already leaving behind this fantastic lacing. Great, count-the-rings lacing throughout the glass. Nice aroma of caramel, fruit, and delicious hops. Whew - this is one hoppy barley wine, full of thick sappy pine hops. Behind that there is dark caramel, oak, vanilla, and strong licorice in the malt. The finish is full of hops and hot alcohol, with a touch of ash. Almost full bodied and softly carbonated, but carbonated enough to give that hop-carbonation bite that I like so much.

Poured a nice deep amber with a thin smooth tan head. The aroma is upfront, sweet, and delicious. Hints of candy, caramel, citrus hop, and some hints of dry hop. I may smell some alcohol but not much. Lets hope the flavor holds strong. Wow, talk about bitter. Smooth mouthfeel. Full and velvety. The taste is initially sweet, but that all gives way quickly to a strong dry/bitter hop. The effect is immediate. The alcohol paired with the intense hopping makes for a ruinous effect on your palate and a lasting wam impression on the back of your throat and mouth. I compared the Duck Rabbit Barleywine to an Imp. IPA and this is similar, although it defines itself as a Barley Wine with its definite alcohol and initial fruity sweetness that the DR Barley WIne lacks. Overall, I’d have to say that I prefer the aroma to the tase, but I’m not a bitter man. Still one of my favorite barley wines.

The color was a bright cherry/orange color. The body in general looked rich. The head was thin, white, and fizzy. The aroma was amazing. There was a very sweet candy/like smell mixed with alcohol, an aged smell, citris, and sour. The flavor was bittering hops, waxy, alcohol, citris, and mature. The palate was full and smooth. The finish is a combination warming sensation on the back of your throat combined with the distastefully dry hop.

Pours a clear, dark brown color with a medium head and lots of sticky lacing. Aroma is malty and nutty with slightly sweet hints at the end. Flavor is syrupy and malty with a slightly burned note to the mouth. Not sure how much i liked this beer but the rating is so old that i’d really like to re-rate after having taken the BJCP class!

(Bottled) Very hazy dark red-amber with a small, lasting head. Aroma of grainy malt, strawberry. Grainy-malty flavor with some burning alcohol. Almost full-bodied with soft carbonation. Nice, but not as nice as it could be. (Bottled, was 8-4-8-4-15=3.9) Quite clear, very reddish dark amber color with a small head. Grape-fruity, aromatic-hoppy aroma. Fruity, slightly alcoholic flavor with sweetish toffee. Medium-bodied, smooth-carbonated palate. A nice and pleasant brew.

Aroma of dark fruits,sweet malt and hops.Pours brown with a big head.Sweet malt and hops stand out in the flavor.Medium mouthfeel with a big hop finish.

(1 Pint 6 oz Bottle) Poured into a tulip. poured a cloudy dark amber color with a full frothy head that was slow to dissipate. Had a sweet fruity smell. With all barlywines strength and bitterness is to be expected. this had an extremely bitter aftertaste that just got stronger the more you drank. after a while I could not get past its bitterness. One of the most bitter beers I have had. Worth a try, but I was dissapointed.