Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine

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

Aroma is the best part, its just like caramel apple. A little sweet. Palate is great, light and creamy, foams up on tongue. Taste is complex, a lot going on- banana, coffee, caramel, alcohol, licorice. Would be nice if I could taste the alcohol a bit less. (This was bottled in 2003, drinking it 2006)

This pours a very dark brown with hints of red when held up to the light, a vigorous pour left me with a ring of tan head hanging around the side of the goblet I poured it into. The aroma is of dark fruits, sugar, and a touch of spice. The flavor has hints of primarily of oak and smoke, with a touch of sweetness lurking in there, and a very long bitter/smoky finish. If you’re a fan of scotch and whiskey, I would strongly recommend picking up some of this to try. I would love to snag a bottle or two of this to cellar.

Wow so much to say about this beer. The aroma is excellent, full of hops and melded spices. The appearance starts with a ceramic bottle, which is just sweet. The pour is dark dark brown with a thick head. I kind of miss poured so the head was huge. Mouthfell is sweet but smooth. The flavor is tremendous. Very similar to Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, but much more cloudy and thick. A great brew. Very expensive though.

on tap at Summits in Cumming, GA. This is an excellent American BW.... one of my new favorites... I’m glad I have a ceramic bottle of this stuff in my cellar. Full of hops! A very dark reddish color... huge thick body, quite chewy.... excellent over the tongue... really strong and lasting bitter finish.

2006 Poured from a 750ml ceramic into a pint glass. A good inch of thick, tan head that just would not quit--half way through and I still have a small layer of foam. Winter has robbed me of all my olfactory skills, but the rich aromas of citrus and caramel comes through. Taste is just stunning; by far my favorite BW. Lots of hops and the associated bitterness balance perfectly a tremendously malty beer that clings to the palate with a viscosity that is out of this world. This beer has a definite beginning, middle, and end: bitter spruce , creamy caramel with some grapefruit, and then a final, lingering, but oh-so-satisfying warm burn. Not for the tame of heart, but I must say after drinking many draft glasses of the 2007 Crusty, the recommended year yields a much smoother beer.

It was dark out so it was really hard to see the pour. It was dark though. Yeah, brilliant, I know. Very little head and substantial lacing. Flavor was out of this world, I normally prefer a hoppy barleywine, but this is what I imagine an american barleywine is supposed to taste like. Rich with molasses, lighly roasted malt and grain, some faint flavors of rich fruit.

Smells of a very complex and sweet flower. Appears almost like a ruby cup of coffee...a little on the thin side. At first I was going to let this age for a while after reading some reviews that it was not to palatable...but decided to open it and am so glad I did. Really nice flavor of hoppy grains. Not to sweet well balanced maltiness...very subtle in the fruit regard. I taste more spice than sugar. A really nice one in my humble opinion.

2002. pours dark amber with a small off white head. Aroma and taste is very hoppy, fruity and with notes of roasted malt. Also lots of alcohol. Loooong after-taste. Delicious