Great Divide Old Ruffian

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

Muddy brown with a light brown head. Chicks eating nachos in my room trying to ruin the aroma. AR: thick and malty, caramel, slight chocolate...basically pure sweet malt...damn dominant! Flavor is thick and chewy... chocolate slight? some caramel, creamy, some citrus, so complex! Quite fine all around. I wish I Had more descriptives for this beast. A fine brew indeed. Raisin. Hoppy.... good amount of hops. Yeah this owns!

Holy Cow! This is one fine barley-wine! Pours with a head that hides until it’s good and ready to form- watch out when you pour, as the head will form after about a 3/4 pour into the glass. The taste is sweet-- almost strawberry-like-- and the malt is almost a nice afterthought. Very enjoyable; another fine effort from a great brewer.

The bottle poured a fairly hazy deep redish-brown beverage with a one-inch creamy thick off white head that, despite the high alcohol content, lasted throughout and left beautiful lacing on the glass. The aroma was strong, dominated by pine, grapefruit, plum and dried fruit. The body was huge with soft carbonation and a soft, creamy mouth feel. There was an immediate alcohol warmth leaving no doubt that this is a high-alcohol beverage. The finish was long and the alcohol warmth persisted the entire time. The flavor starts off quite sweet tasting of caramel cream and milk chocolate. As the flavor matures on the palate, some the sweetness gives way to the hop bitterness, but it is well balanced with the remaining sweetness all the way to the end.

Bottled at DBF 2005. Cloudy brown coloured with a lasting off white head. Sweet aroma with lots of malts, hops and dried fruits. Flavour of hops with lots of sweetness and dried fruits. Nice.

Pours a deep mahogany brown/red which blocks all light from going through it. Extremely thick, creamy, lasting, tan head. It has that Guniess effect in its pour. When you pour this beer you can acually see the surupiness. Aroma of carmel sweetness, bitter hops, and a plum pear citrus fruitiness. Wow this beer has flavor. First comes bitter hops, followed by a dark roasted malt, followed by a raisin, citrus sweetness. As I sususpect from the pour, this beer has a mighty think surupy mouthfeel. The last flavor that lingers in your mouth and chest is the alcohol. A nice warmness fills your body. The flavor definitly hide the high alcohol content. A big freekin beer but if thats what you are looking for.........you not only found it, but your about to get your butt kicked.

Big, chewy, complex, woodsy, nutty, over the top Barleywine just the way I like it. More please?

Bottle from Riley’s. Pours a dark caramel amber. I was suprised by the aroma of this beer, it really smells more like an IPA than a barley wine. First taste was glorious. A nice malty base backed up by a big boquet of hop flavors, everything from citrus to floral. Great mouthfeel as well, malty and slightly higher carbonation than most barley-wines that doesn’t coat your mouth and make it feel too sticky.

25 oz bottle thanks to Duane. Brown pour with not much head. Aromas were amazing. Raisin, Molassas, caramel, Prune. More dark fruits. Lots of alcohol warming on the tounge. Then more dark fruits and lots of caramel. Good Good stuff. Yummy