LaConner Olde Curmudgeon

Thank you so much After4ever/Tom for this fantastic beer. It’s a vintage 2001 and I had it January 2008. It’s very dark brown with a red hue. It has no head, just a little rim on the sides of the glass. The aroma has sweetness and notes of roasted malt, raisin, dark fruits, candy sugar, soft and sweet licorice and hints of chocolate - very complex! The mouthfeel is oily! The flavour has sweetness and is very complex. I find notes of roasted malt, dark fruit, plum, caramel, candy sugar, sweet licorice, hints of alcohol and chocolate. It’s incredibly nice - a beer to enjoy!

Bottle, courtesy after4ever. Pours cloudy dark brown, surmounted by a tan ring of foam. Big aroma of figs, dark fruit. Creamy full body, almost still. Big taste to match the nose. Nuts, citrus and toffee. This is tasty.

12-oz., 2001 bottle, sampled November 07. Deep mahogany with ruby and golden brown highlights. Still, headless, laceless. Enormous forward sherry and soy nose. Thick, sticky body. Wildly complex mid-palate: soy, sherry, roast, char, nuts, caramel, and a fair amount of toffee. Nice layered roasty finish. Wonderful stuff that stood up beautifully to the bottle years. Arlen knocked this one out of the park.

Pacific Northwest Vacation 2007...

8/18/2007: LaConner Olde Curmedgeon was by far the best of the LaConner beers that I sampled. Its appearance is murky golden amber in color with a creamy beige head and lasting crown. The aroma has a strong fruity quality with notes of fermenting apples and a bit of a dry wood-quality. The flavor is rich and malty with a nice fruity complexity. It is slightly sweet due to the presence of sugary caramel malt. There is a bit of alcohol noticeable through the nostrils, but it is pretty well hidden in the flavor. This beer is smooth and creamy with a milky texture and a medium-full to full body. Very, very tasty!

Draught (9% ABV) at LaConner Brewing Company in LaConner, Washington. Rating #22 for this beer...

Bottle: Thick brownish color, small dishwater like head, no lacing.   Almost seems still.   I suppose that is to be expected for a beer thats I believe to be at least 5 years old.   Heavy malt aroma, figs, dates, some molasses.   Rich caramel malt flavor, loads of figs and molasses.   Seems like a well aged English Barleywine.   Fairly big in body, moderate mouthfeel.   Thick, almost syrupy finish.   Warming, but the ABV is well hidden.   No real hop presense, unlike when this stuff was fresh.   Still quite good after all these years.   Thanks mattbob for sharing this gem!