Lake Superior Old Man Winter Warmer

Brewed by Lake Superior Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Duluth, Minnesota USA

Pours a very dark chestnut brown color with amber edges when held to a light source and a very thin off-white head that immediately disappears, leaving not trace of lacing. Earthy leathery malt aroma with hints of chocolate, dirt(earth), alcohol and dark fruits, namely prune and raisin. Slightly watered down with some earthy malt flavor, subtle alcohol and earthy hops. Similar to an English style barleywine, but not a good one. Leathery malts, dark fruits, again mostly prune and raisin. Sweet alcohol with some soft carbonation up front making it pretty drinkable for the ABV. Dry finish with bitter hop notes. I wasn’t a fan of this one at all.

Bottle at woodshop quad. Pour is reddish brown with a tan ring. Nose is sweet, taste is sweet and rich not bad.

(12oz bottle, thanks OSLO) Small off-white head atop clear dark brown body. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, brown sugar, some raisin, light orange, tea. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, tea, earthy/orange, raisin. Medium-full body, some stickiness, light resin.

12oz bottle courtesy of OSLO. Dark brown with a small head. Malty caramel, and fruity accented aroma. Sweet flavor with carmel, brown sugar, light hops and light tea. Medium-thick with smooth texture.

12oz bottle courtesy of Buebie poured into a snifter. Pours a dark, dark copper with a small creamy off-white head that recedes fairly quickly to a ring and a swirl of bubbles in the middle. There was spotty lacing. The aroma had lots of caramel malt sweetness with lots of dark fruits as well - figs, plums, raisins. There was also a noticeable citrus hop kick with oranges and grapefruit mainly. The taste was similar to the aroma with the abundant caramel malts and dark fruits. The citrus is present up front but not as prevalent as the aroma. The finish had some alcohol burn that lasted quite a while. The mouthfeel is slightly slick but definitely not as sugary sweet as a barleywine. Good carbonation with a slight bitterness from the hops. This a very good winter warmer that borders on a barleywine but doesn’t quite get there. Either way, a complex beer that might actually taste better in a few months.

Pours a dark crimson to violet color with a small, fleeting, dirty beige head. Minimal micro-spot lacing marks the glass. The aroma is sweet and slightly medicinal, notes of burnt brown sugar, caramel, rum soaked figs, and fusel alcohol forming a not-so-nice, messy sort of blend. Flavors are slightly more appealing, some oaky wood notes imparting a bit of vanilla, and fruity plums taking a bit of the edge off f the scorched caramel and alcohol. Still, it tastes a bit to medicinal for my liking. Big and syrupy on the palate, the finish is hot and acrid. This one might very well be too young, but I have no way of knowing it’s true age. Harsh brew.

Pours a dark reddish brown with a small tan head. Fairly good lacing. Excellent aroma. Brown sugar, chocolate malts and a little alcohol. Taste begins with malty chocolate and has a fairly dry bitter finsh. Overall the alcohol is hidden faiirly well.

bottle. Pours dark brown with an off white head that settles to a thin film. The aroma is very sweet and vinous, with hints of port, raisins, caramel, lightly tannic, and chocolate. This is just an excellent aroma. The taste is also very sweet, with raisins, prunes, caramel, and lightly peppery, which may be due to the high ABV. The hops really do not appear until the finish, which imparts just a subtle bitterness. I enjoy the fact that the malts are the prominent feature here, and it is not drowned out by an obnoxious hop profile. The only real problem I have with this beer is that the mouthfeel is a little too spritzy and overcarbonated, which detracted a bit from the experience. This is a really good beer, and a bit underrated.