Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Pours out a deep crimson, though clear, coloration, and has an enormous head, huge, cocoa-colored, long-standing, lovely...and, would you believe, the bottleneck bubbled over, with bubbles after the pour! Tres amusant! Leaves considerable, and attractive, lacing, as it diminishes, as well...very much appreciated! Aroma: huge, rich, full of flavor, a jar full of toffee with butterscotch dipped in for fun, with chocolate cherries on the side, and a snit of brandy waiting in the rafters... Taste: big, bad, and booze-tastic! Huge, rich, and full, utterly dripping in dark fruits, caramel, toffee, and so much character that pretenders tremble in it’s wake ...seriously, this is a true contender amongst the ranks of fine American barleywines...not too huge in Abv, an overwhelming fruity/hoppy characteristic. Damnably tasty...I must take another sip...dastardly delicious...yet nearly thick with flavor, ...yum, the intensity of flavor does not detract from the overall deliciousness...big, rich, and mighty...a damned good barleywine! I’ve got to stick some away for a rainy day, that’s for sure!

This was really good. Slightly hazy ruby brown, bordering into mahogany, with a thick creamy head that slowly faded, leaving lacing and a fine ring even after quite some time had passe, unusual in such a thick beer. Massive caramel, spruce, and grapefruit aromas. Tasty, almost chewy caramel and toffee malts greet the tongue, which is then sandblasted by bitter hops, with loads of resiny pine and citrus. There are also some dark fruit underpinnings throughout. Great fresh, I suspect this would age nicely as well. Good stuff.

03.29.05 bomber thanks to Matta. Lovely red pour, ample tan head and sheets of sticky lace. Great aromas of grapefruit, pine, resinous. This is how I love barley wines to be--strong, fresh, hoppy. Lingering pith and biscuit. Great balance (hop heavy). I’ve had it a few times and I love this beer more each time. Reminds of Victory Old Horizontal in many ways, only less body.

22 oz. bottle, coppery nose with nice caramel colored head, amber orange color, starts off smooth barley wine and then hits you with the hops and alcohol, would have liked a little smoother finish

Bomber. Big, fresh hoppy nose, floral and strongly citric with a touch of grass and pine. Very nice! Sticky caramel, slight wood and alcohol. Tons and tons of hops - but with balance! One of my favorite BW noses. Murky amber-copper pour with a creamy, densely rocky tan-beige head. Taste is extremely bitter with a good punch of alcohol knocking its way through, followed by waves of hops in the long, dry aftertaste. Caramel and wood, earth and toffee, not to forget the contributions of the enormous, fat malt base and strong backend grapefruit. Lovely rounding pine and faint spice. Big body and boozy, with just a splash of sweetness in the beginning to compel another dive into the snifter. Alcohol makes this a sipper, which is good, otherwise it’d be gone too quickly!

Tight, creamy light tan head on a tawny, amber body with light carbonation and some visible viscosity. Sweet aroma of malt, toffee, alcohol, floral and citrusy hops, and a unique raspberry note. Quite hot, but balanced by sweet and rich caramel and fruity malt flavor. Hop kick also lends some additional balance. This beer is sticky sweet and mega-hoppy with a long, lingering bitter flavor. This is an intense barley wine, sort of like a huge IIPA that hasn’t fully attenuated. Has some light oxidative notes. It will be interesting to see if this ages well.

Aroma:Hoppy caramel,wood and alcohol... Appearance:Brown red,good tan head... Flavor:alcohol,good bitterness,caramel,wood....

Nice clearish red-orange body, medium/thick tan head. Pine and grapefruit hops were abundant in the aroma, which also contained caramels. Plenty of caramels and dark sweet fruit in the body complemented the big piney, grapefruity hops nicely. Sweet and a bit rough on the palate, finishing with alcohol notes. Would be a nice beer to age, but I liked it as it was. From the vast cellar of John (JCW).