Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine

GABF 2005 Dark brown pour w/ a nice well laced tan head. Smells of raisens plums, toffee, and carmel. Palate is nicely full and creamy. Flavor is a sweet carmel hints of syrup and a light citrus bitter finish. Good but there are better barley wines out there. Time for a verticle thanks to matt: 98: no real carb, very big malt w/ alcohol clearly showing through, palate is lightly oily light flavor w/ the hop mostly showing through in the finish, beer is showling signs of being on its way down, but still very servicable. 99: some signs of carbonation showing. Aroma has more of a citrus hop presence than the 98. 00: still not no real carbonation, aroma is a bit hotter aroma and flavor, less citrus. alcochol is more prevelant. 01: first yea rw/ a nice head, so carb is still present (may not have broken down yet) less acidic aroma raisen & plum notes starting to come through, flavor followed suit, very hoppy now, this is the peak year. 02: visually the same, aroma same, flavor a bit hotter hop a little more spice & alcohol starting to become more alcoholic. 03/04: alcohol just becomes a bit more prevelant hop becomes a touch hotter.

2004 750ml Ceramic bottle. Poured a deep brown with a thin tan head. There are a lot of different aromas in here, including raisins, molasses, plum, etc. The flavor is intense, with quite a bit of hops for a barleywine, but also a nice malty finish, with a light alcohol twinge. Medium body that clings to the palate. This is an excellent barleywine, but not for the faint hearted.

2003 bottle. Pours a chestnut brown with a thin coating of tan foam. Aroma is very woodsy and earthy, with a definite sweetness and alcohol presence. Sweet and malty upfront, but this gives over to an intence spruce bitterness. The hops are over done in this one, and overshadow what could be an outstanding brew. Thick, syrupy body. Finish has some roasty notes. Alcohol had mellowed in this, but unfortunately the astringent hops have not. Seriously, why all the hops? Stone did the same thing with thier BW. It really overpowers everything that I love about Barley Wine.

Perhaps I did not properly age this one or poured too much at a time, but by the 3rd sip it was overpowering and the bitterness swept over my tongue, assaulting me. Ick. 2 other friends joined me in my distaste... Nice bottle though, got comments from even the Whole Foods staff.

2004 bottle. Pours brown and murky with frothy tan head. Aroma is molasses and alcohol fusels, slightly vinous note. Taste is like sweet bread soaked in alcohol. Body is heavy with medium carbonation. Finshes with caramelized bitterness,heavy roast, and a slight alcohol burn. Enjoyable.

Deep reddish brown color. So much flavor! So many aromas. Got this in a resealable bottle, to savor a little bit at a time. I want to say there were some cherry fruits in there. The alcohol was nice on the palate, not overpowering. Earthy, coffee hops stick around in your mouth for a while. This beer would be an amazing complement to a beef filet or a nice rare tuna steak! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Bottled in 2002

Thick, particle-heavy septic-brown with red highlights and a slight & fizzy ecru head. A cacaphony of aromas: musty & mineral, grape, raisin, dates, soy sauce and brandy with light hits of milk chocolate and wood smoke. Plenty of dark fruits in the flavor which started thickly sweet ending with earthen bitterness in a long finish. Very warming on the gullet & it ended my session early ;)

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=1477>Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

2002 vintage. Upfront malt aroma (both dry-toasty and sweet), floral and pungent bitter hop aroma. Thin off-white head can be coaxed from a raucous pour, then promptly vanishes. The malt sweetness promised by the aroma fails to materialize, presumably hidden behind the charcoal notes and the unpleasantly astringent hops. Has the characteristic bitter bite of Pacific Northwest hops without the floral/fruity accents. No thanks -- highly inappropriate for the style. This bottle was difficult to finish. In my opinion one of the most overrated craft beers extant.