Olde School Barleywine - Dogfish Head Brewery

sweemzander

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter. No date, just says that it was bottled in 2009.

(A)- Pours a clear orange/red color that produced a 1-finger white head that dissipated after a minute or so. The bubbles sure are clinging to the sides of the glass.

(S)- Big floral citrus! There is alot going on here. Plenty of floral elements with an endless array of fruits: Peach, apple, grapefruit, pineapple, orange, cranberry, lime, lemon, mango, and pear. What a great aroma! Just a bit of boozy warmth underneath it all.

(T)- Many of those great fruits from the smell come through with peach, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, & lime being the most predominate. Sweet, but in a fruity way; not sugary. Finishes dry.

(M)- I am surprised how smooth & mellow this is considering its massive 15.04%abv! Granted, there is an obvious boozy bite as it goes down, but nowhere near what 15% would feel like. A good carbonation level. Rather thick, but fitting for what I was expecting in this.

(D)- A very very very deceiving beer. Goes down smoother than I was expecting, but it kicks you in the face 3/4 of the way through it. A rather more floral & fruity barleywine than what is the norm, but DFH doesnt usually follow the norm, so I applaud them for this one. A solid barleywine that actually fits well for the summertime with all of those floral & fruity smells & flavors. Its seriously almost crisp if it werent so thick feeling. Certainly unique for the style. Very excited to see what a year of age does to this.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 21:24:30 | More by sweemzander

kojevergas

California

3.39/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Truncated review since I had to do this on my phone at a crowded bar. 2011 vintage served on-draught at the Blue Palms Brewhouse earlier this month. Expectations were above average. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour of nice cream, thickness, and retention.

Sm: Dates, fruit, caramel. A mild strength aroma.

T/Dr: Hides ABV well. Fruit-forward, with dates and vague dark fruit character. Quite malty and well layered. Very drinkable for the high ABV. I like it.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Good carbonation. Good presence on the palate. Suits the flavour profile well.

B-

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 20:26:26 | More by kojevergas

cnewton

Illinois

2/5  rDev -49.4%

05-23-2013 18:57:57 | More by cnewton

IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-23-2013 03:07:01 | More by IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-22-2013 01:22:21 | More by mikeincharleston

tazzman

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-20-2013 22:21:06 | More by tazzman

2dogbrew

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-20-2013 00:36:31 | More by 2dogbrew

stanowsf

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-19-2013 20:11:27 | More by stanowsf

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-19-2013 16:40:00 | More by HinghamRick

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-19-2013 16:32:07 | More by Photekut

nick_asian

Nevada

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-19-2013 07:18:40 | More by nick_asian

jakeox

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-18-2013 23:55:09 | More by jakeox

megamass

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-18-2013 04:10:23 | More by megamass

mverity

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-16-2013 21:27:12 | More by mverity

smithj4

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-16-2013 01:56:13 | More by smithj4

e30todamax

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-15-2013 22:01:13 | More by e30todamax

maxcoinage

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

05-15-2013 19:43:02 | More by maxcoinage

jlwelsh

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-14-2013 01:16:56 | More by jlwelsh

aLenwell

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

05-13-2013 23:21:40 | More by aLenwell

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +20.3%

05-13-2013 05:13:20 | More by Bonko_the_sane

jokulhaps

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-13-2013 02:37:49 | More by jokulhaps

Tom-Peters

California

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-12-2013 19:07:22 | More by Tom-Peters

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

05-12-2013 16:13:53 | More by ipas-for-life

Scott1970

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

05-11-2013 00:51:13 | More by Scott1970

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-10-2013 17:46:18 | More by twenty5