Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine

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

2006 vintage bomber. Slightly hazy dark garnet with smallish head that sort of lasts. Nose is rusty malt with some dark fruits. Taste is peppery malt with some alcohol. Palate is thick and smooth-tingly. This bottle says 11.5% abv. A bit rough, and way overpriced; possibly some more aging would do it well.

Myddy ruby with a lasting off-white head, really good looking for a barley wine. Dried fruits, molasses and some port in the aroma. Big flavour, sweetish, but with a hefty bitterness, hop flavour and some warming alcohol. It may be meant for storing, but the hops were wonderful this way.

It’s very beautiful, dark red mahogany with a huge, golden, creamy head. The aroma has notes of malt, caramel, spicy resin and figs. The flavour has light sweetness, notes of malt, dark fruit (like figs), citrus (mostly grapefruit) and resin. The bitterness is quite pronounced, more so that in most BW’s. 2030

bottle. amber color. small head. sweet barly aroma. very carpy. quite alcohollic. sweet and taste of barly. ok beer.

Oddly light, sweet smell. Black as the deep night with an eerie red outline. Big bubble-bath tan head. Some hops, relatively smooth. About the only beer I have EVER detected an "alcohol burn" from. Not the best barleywine taste I’ve had but it tastes good. Very full feel, soft carbonation. Bitter aftertaste. The only barley I have rated under 4....

Bottle. 2003 vintage. Pours murky brown with minimal head. Nice aroma of raisins, caramel, butterscotch, a bit of hops. Quite vibrant on the tongue... not as oily as I had expected. Bitter chocolate on the palate with a hint of malt and hops. Finishes dry and hoppy.

9 year vertical tasting, starting with 1997, skipping 2001, ending with 2006.

1997. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and alcohol. Pours hazy brownish orange. Looks still. Flavor is alcoholic with hints of honey and earthy hops. Oily on the palate with almost no carbonation. Finishes with a lot of metallic dryness. 5/3/4/3 - 2.8

1998. Aroma or caramel malt and soapy hops. Pours amber/brown with copper highlights. Simple flavor. Sweet malt, earthy hops and copper. Medium bodied. Finishes with a copper metallicness. 6/3/5/3 - 3.1

1999. Aroma of rich, sweet and fruity malt. Pours rich, full orange with brown highlights. Grassy hops with a nice amount of malty sweetness on the tongue. Medium to full bodied. Good carbonation. Still finishes with a hint of metal. 6/3/5/3 - 3.2

2000. Dried fruit and caramel aroma. Pours hazy brown/orange. Interesting flavor: tobacco, leather and some sweet malt. More complex than other vintages. Medium bodied. Finishes hoppy with (still) a hint of metal. 5/3/5/3 - 3.1

2002. Aroma initially of sweet caramel malt then turns quite grassy. Pours hazy brown/orange. Decent balance on the palate of grassy hops (with some citrus) and sweet malt. Medium bodied. Finishes dry and grassy. 6/3/6/3 - 3.4

2003. Interesting aroma. Orange and pear must with caramel and toffee. Pours copper/amber. Nice amount of citrus and grassy hops with some toffee malt. Medium bodied. Finishes hoppy and (still!!) metallic. 6/4/5/3 - 3.4

2004. Aroma of caramel, orange zest, pineapple, alcohol and hops. Pours amber/orange. Looks still. Flavor has lots of dry, acidic hops, cardboard, malt and alcohol. Medium bodied, good carbonation. Finishes with dry, citrus hops and alcohol. 6/3/6/3 - 3.4

2005. Aroma of caramel, alcohol. tobacco, leather and a hint of citrus hops. Pours murky copper with amber highlights. Flavor is starting to balance out (no copper!). Caramel, grapefruit and pine hops. Medium to full bodied. Good carbonation. Finishes with a burst of dry, grassy hoppiness. 7/3/7/3 - 3.6

2006. Disappointing aroma of hot alcohol. Some malt and hops, but heavy on the alcohol. Pours bright, full copper with a nice rocky head and sticky lacing. Finally! A good balance of dry, citrus hops and sweet, sticky malt. Grassy, dry hops, sweet malt with a pleasant alcohol warmth. Rich and creamy. Medium to full bodied. Finishes with some dry and grassy hops. 5/4/7/4 - 3.6

2007... yet to rate,,,

Pours a brown color with a light brown head. Aroma is slightly malty with some hoppiness to it. Flavor is malty caramel with a slight bitter hoppiness to it.

Bottled. Hazy reddish brown collured with a small off-white head. Malty and somewhat sweet with notes of alcohol, yeast, pines, hops, citrus and toffee.