Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Barley Wine
Newport, Oregon USA

A good, solid (pricey) BW, that won’t blow you away. Nose is slitly stiffled, perhaps due to the serving temp. Tastes of bubblegum, tropical fuit and hops, though the finish is a bit short. A little bit lacking for a beer of this size. Still a good intro to the style, but may leave the more experienced wanting more.

Drank at the Saint Bock (Montreal), October 10, 2009, on tap (12 oz oak aged) at their third birthday. Misty honey blonde, thin head. Aroma of malted barley very sweet, lots of wild herbs. Taste of dry hops, lots of herbes, very aggressive, bitterness tolerable. It’s okay but at $ 10 a glass, whew!

Draught sample at the Portland House. Probably my second favorite that I tried that day (Imp Stout first). Very balanced barley wine that did not overpower me with hops (odd based on some other opinions) as can happen in the American veins.

28/08/2009. 750ml Hashigo Zake. Big luscious dark red beer with some perfume-like spice, vinous fruit, and rich dark malt. Hoppy and bitter in the mouth but the yeast is all over the show and gets in the way of malt and hop. Still a very good sipper but, to be perfectly honest, it is a little disappointing when compared to the quality of its big ceramic-bottled Rogue stablemates (e.g. Imperial versions of the Porter, Stout and IPA).

One of the best barley wines in the world. Keeps well. Complicated and tasty, with loads of character. Well made, a masterpiece.

750ml Ceramic Bottle 񢉘). Pours dark, hazy brownish copper colour with a tan head that dissipates slowly. Aroma has strong notes of toffee, malt, molasses, dark fruits and milk chocolate. Flavour is pretty similar with toffee and malt being the standouts, less chocolate, a more noticeable hop presence and a bit of alcohol, which is well integrated. This is a great barley wine, extremely easy to drink considering the abv. One of the best of Rogue’s premium range.

FOrgot to add this one, Hazy orange pour smelled a little expired. But a bready stale hop aroma. Sweet malt and bitter taste. It was good but a little ehh.

Pours a hazy, very dark amber-brown with a 1 finger rocky beige head that has fantastic retention and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is caramel, floral hops, old, dusty wood, sweet nutty toffee, light fruity notes, sweet grain, dark fruit, a little licorice, lots of ethanol comes out as it warms, but not to a point where it overwhelms the aroma. Flavor is woody hops, lots of caramel, roast, bitter dark chocolate, earth, dandelion greens (normally that is a very off putting flavor to me, but it fits this beer), toasty wood, toffee and lingering chocolate notes turn to cocoa powder near the finish. Finish is bitter hops, grapefruit, cocoa, charred wood and earth. There is a strong, bitter hops, dark chocolate and burnt caramel fade that is really nice. Palate is medium bodied with a creamy entry that get progressively more thin and dry until the dry and slightly slick finish. This is a much more formidable brew than I remember it being, quite delicious though.