Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine

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

A good experience for me. Only my second Barleywine, and the other (Moylan’s) was much sweeter and one sided. This baby has character! The pour was dark brown with a slight head that dissipated really fast. The aroma was of hops, and more hops. The taste was nice. The flavors of malts balanced with hops in the back end. A perfect blend in my opinion.

reddish brown, tiny tan bubbles for a head, trace of lace. belgian yeast in the nose. fruity flavor, tart, sour and bitter on the back end. a big (welcome) medicinal alcohol hit. medium body, sour finish. i enjoy the alcoholic hit. who wouldn’t? on tap @ maple tree inn.

(750 ml ceramic swing-top bottle (2008) from Belfast Co-op, cellared for 11 mos. after purchase) Pours dark, hazy reddish-amber. 1/4" or so of light amber-biscuit head. Big aroma of candy-malt, maybe a hint of chocolate, light hint of pine. Mouthfeel big, smooth and sticky. Light, droopy rings of lacing melt away quickly along with a syrupy film. Flavor of big rock sugar candy-malt, with a light bit of chocolate emerging toward finish as it warms. Medium-light bitter hit finishes it off. A little hot but overall the ABV is pretty well-hidden. A smooth, malty, pretty refined barleywine.

July 2006 - Well, split the bomber with my dad. His half had a beautiful head, mine had none. His had lacing, mine had none. He got the "top" half. Anyway, aroma and flavor was caramel sweetness with piney hops. Really, really hoppy, but lots of malt to balance it out. A "big" beer in every sense of the word. A little too bitter for my liking, but a solid, solid beer, nonetheless.

Beerbistro Winterfest and Vintage Tasting. 1997 - Amber red colour with a thin frothy tan head. Toffee, caramel, and dark fruit aroma. Toffee, light chocolate, dark fruity, nutty, grapefruit, and pine bitter finish. Full bodied, smooth, light dryness. Very good.

2003 (also at Beerbistro Winterfest) - Cloudy red amber colour with a frothy and creamy tan coloured head. A touch lighter in aroma to the 1997, with toffee, caramel, dark fruit, and brown sugar. Malts don’t seem as well developed, with flavours dominated by dark fruity hop bitterness plus notes of caramel and yeast. Full bodied, a bit sharper than the 1997. (7,4,7,4,15)

2003, sampled November 24, 2005. Bright cherry red with amber highlights and a fully lasting frothy and creamy tan head. Big and beautiful caramel and toffee aroma with pine and grapefruit notes and a touch of alcohol. Lots of grapefruit bitterness still dominates, but the caramel and toffee is catching up. Full bodied, still a bit sharp mouthfeel. (9,4,7,4,17)

2001 bottle. A reddish color with a small off-white head. Aroma of English hops, port wine, and a slight amine. Not a good sign. The hop bitterness is at the front with some sweet malt in the background to give it a chewy feeling, but the more I drink this the more an amine flavor comes out. I think this is still green and I do not think it will change with age as the unpleasant taste will always be there.

Bottle (2008 Vintage). Pours copper with a lasting creamy beige head. Almost perfect lacing around the inside of the glass. Plenty of caramel, toffee, apricot and spice in the aroma and flavour. The mouthfeel I found to be a letdown. A short, harsh bitter finish. Almost tough to finish. The condition of the bottle may be due to storage problems. Disappointing considering some of the rave reviews on here. Mmm I’m keen to try this one again some day...

Well this is a first for me; My first rating before lunch. It’s 11:50am on Sunday, shouldn’t I be at church, Nope! Old Crustacean?? That Chinook hops is overpowering; making this beer BITTER and DRY as all hell! The aroma is pleasant, nutty, floral sweet, caramel, toffeeish, but the flavor is a different story. I prefer my barley wines to be sweet and malty rather than hoppy and dry, this beer is giving me cottonmouth and and giant goobers; What a great combination! This is not a bad brew by any standards; it’s just not my type of drink. I want to know the IBU’s? Oh, it's F-ing 120!!