Old Ruffian Barley Wine - Great Divide Brewing Company

sjverla

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nose: Dark cherry and molasses. Deep, woodsy earthiness. Slightly solvent. Mild hints of vanilla. Overall I would have expected a it to be a little more pungent.

Appearance: Gorgeous ruby/mahogany. Vanilla skim of head grabs the glass.

Sweet and bitter. Hints of vanilla. Very woody - almost overpowering. No shortage on grains here.

Overall: Very good, but a little disappointing. It's complex, but doesn't seem to play well with itself. Some of the flavors just compete.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 00:49:18 | More by sjverla

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle served in a snifter glass.

pours a deep amber tone with ruby red highlights... yields a solid finger and a half of a khaki colored head; solid retention and beautiful walls of lacing. pretty damn impressive presentation.

nose is led by sweet malts, followed by notes of citrus and a bit of pine. flavor follows the nose to a T; even exceeds it. caramel, bready maltiness with a strong ensuing citrus/pine presence - huge hops showing, even for an american barleywine - carrying through to a hoppy bitterness in the finish... very well-hidden 10.2% ABV.

nice full-bodied mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. dangerously drinkable for such a big beer. while i prefer the english counterpart of the style, this is great rendition of the american version (which is growing on me).

originally reviewed: 01-09-2011

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 22:15:05 | More by BostonHops

Immortale25

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Florida Beer Co. tapered glass. Label says Bottled on: DEC 02 2011.

A- Pours a medium copper color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that does a good job retention-wise before slowly declining to an 1/8 inch head and leaving a full ring of lacing behind it.

S- Sweet malt nose upfront with notes of caramel. Hops linger in the back and are more herbal than grassy. Slight whiff of alcohol.

T- Intimidating bitterness along with powerful pangs of booze. Things mellow out in the finish but every sip is a plunge back into a not-so-pleasant intensity of flavor. The malt is still there but not as sweet and balanced as in the aroma. Sipping will definitely be the best approach. Once the palate finally reaches an equilibrium, things start to make sense. While the hops still are over-the-top, the alcohol burn subsides and the malt can begin to express itself adequately bringing with it a cereal graininess. Hints of oak and bourbon

M- Somewhat creamy with a full-ish body and medium carbonation.

O-Could be a bit better if the flavors didn't clash so much initially. Probably just needs more age.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 01:13:13 | More by Immortale25

superspak

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating(but presumed to be Dec 2009 bottling). Pours fairly hazy brick red color with a nice 1 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some pretty nice lacing on the glass. Aromas of huge caramel, raisin, biscuit, toast, molasses, honey, pine, grapefruit, earth, herbal, toffee, and light spiciness. Fantastic and well balanced aromas with big complexity. Taste of huge caramel, raisin, molasses, toast, biscuit, herbal, grapefruit, earth, and light pine resin spiciness. Minimal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, molasses, toast, raisin, biscuit, grapefruit, herbal, earth, and light spiciness on the finish for a while. Fantastic flavor balance and complexity; with no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a nice creamy, slick, and thick mouthfeel. Quite smooth to sip on; with only an moderate alcohol warming present after the finish. Overall this is an absolutely fantastic barely wine with the age on it. The hoppy flavors smoothed out into perfect balance; with great complexity. Magnificent.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:13:20 | More by superspak

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap @ Taste of Tops in Tempe, AZ.

A: Beautiful amber color with an off-white, fluffy head that fades quickly.

S: Sweet, toasted malt and faint hops. Some booze.

T: Boozy, hoppy, sugary, malty sweetness. Molasses and tasty American hops.

M: Smooth, sweet, delicious.

O: Fantastic American Barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 16:42:39 | More by Gatch

RickS95

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a reddish brown, looks like it should. Opaque, a thin brown head. Not a lot of retention, but leaves some sticky on the glass and a light colored ring around the perimeter.

Might be the best smelling barley wine I've hard. The resinous, piney, hoppy scent is there, but this time the fruit isn't citrus, but something much sweeter...some kind of berry.

The malt backbone is there, as it the overwhelming hoppy flavor, but surprisingly, it all starts with a sweet, fruitness.

It's sweet for a split second and then the bomb explodes bringing bitter and alcohol to the equation. It's tolerable for a barley wine, and quite pleasant.

While hard to drink in general, it's a gentle barley wine. The sweetness from the red fruit and the malt tempers the bitterness. Still hard to chug, but relatively easy to drink for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 04:02:36 | More by RickS95

WillCarrera

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber, bottled in December 2011, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours a hazy amber color, produces a finger of off-white head, decent retention, leaves some spotty lacing.

S- Powerful hop aroma, loads of citrus and orange, has a sweet caramelly aroma behind it, considerable booziness.

T- Extremely aggressive hoppiness, even five months out from bottling they don't seem to have faded much. Also sweet caramel malt, lots of booze, has a slightly hot finish with lots of hop bitterness.

M- Full-bodied, has a slick, oily feel, dry bitter finish with alcohol warmth.

O- I'm just not crazy about this one, the hops are pretty aggressive for the malt on this beer (don't get me wrong I love hops), and the booziness seems a bit harsh. Maybe it's just at an awkward age, but it seems unbalanced right now, I'll have to try a bottle a few years out.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 09:05:44 | More by WillCarrera

Arborescence

Finland

4.15/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Amber/ruby. Pours a massive, dense white head, with a slight hint of amber. Beautiful and persistent head, the beer behaves very nicely!

Aroma: Deep malt, nutty. Alcohol is present but not overwhelming. Yeast, dried fruit, a little bit of honey perhaps. Very delicate and complex.

Taste: Hoppier than the aroma would suggest, even bitter. The sweetness of the aroma is gone, but there is certainly heavy malt and some dried apricot. Alcohol quite strong in the aftertaste, warming. A tiny disappointment given the delicious appearance and aroma, but tasty enough.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, lingers at the back of the throat; hop attack in the cheeks!

Overall: I feel that the beer is a bit too strong for its own good, but it's a good barley wine. Very rich on the hops. I would've preferred if the tender malt and sweetness that I got from the aroma would've been more present, but they're now overwhelmed by the strong hops. A good beer though, no doubt about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 23:33:23 | More by Arborescence

dogfishandi

New York

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 Vintage. 22oz foiled and capped bottle poured into a pint glass, fridge temp. bottled 12 5 11.

pours a dark reddish orange color, bordering on copper. the slightest bit of haze. a thick light tan colored head with some great retention and really nice looking sticky lace.

initially in the aroma i get lots of big resiny hops. perfumey, pine resin, slightly woody with a bit of alcohol heat as well. a light candied caramel as it warms, but this smells more hop forward.

similar to the aroma. resiny, piney, woody hops, some deep candied caramel malt (more than the aroma suggested), a slight prune like dark fruit, slight booze. finishes with a big resiny bitterness. almost like a really malt forward DIPA.

big sticky body, but really not that big for a barleywine. carbonation feels spot on.

overall, this is a really solid american barleywine. exactly what it claims on the bottle "hefty and hoppy". similar to say bigfoot, but not quite as complex as doggie claws. this would be a nice one to age, exspecially because its so readily available.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 04:35:42 | More by dogfishandi

lnashsig

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

#BOTG number 20!

2009 Vintage, thanks to MDaschaf (Matt)! Thanks dude!

Poured from bottle into CBS snifter. Looks like dark brown rain water. Some decent head, still some carbonation present. Appearance of an English Barleywine. Smell- sweet molasses and caramel. Toffee, faint plastic in the background- but it doesn't detract too much. A great smelling beer, I am guessing that I am probably sniffing the remnants of the hops. Vanilla is also present. Taste- whoa. cocoa, roasted caramel/toffee, vanilla. This is mellow and delicous, and I am amazed at the surprising chocolate and creme brule taste profile. The hops have mellowed and the malt has developed a very nice complex profile. For the ABV, I get no booze at all. In fact, its scary how quick this can go down. I've had this beer fresh, and its abrasive and super hoppy. In fact, I didn't like it fresh. This is great though, I was glad to try it. Thanks again Matt!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 23:37:01 | More by lnashsig

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.58/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 20 Duvel tulip glass, bottled 12/02/2011. Pours a ruby red, with a two inch off white head that leaves an amazing coting of lace. Smell is big carmel, brown sugar, pine hops, and some dark fruit. Taste is all of that, but larger with more pine and grapefruit hops then the nose would have you expect. Body is large, wonderful amount of carbonation, more lush than dry, and very drinkable for its large body and ABV. This is my new favorite non barrel aged Barleywine, wow is this is special.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 01:57:19 | More by SawDog505

claspada

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle dated Jan 07 2010.

Pours a hazy tawny, rustic mahogany with a substantial creamy, fluffy off-white head that leaves some nice sticky/soapy lacing on the sides of the chalice.

Aromas begin quite heavy on the caramel and dark fruity malts, as you might anticipate from being aged for 2 years plus. Second pass I get a light citrus and pine hop presence which still remains, which makes me think this was a hop bomb fresh. As it warms I get more complex maltiness highlighted by brown sugar, toffee and figs/dates. A decent amount of toasted breadiness is present throughout with no real booze or heat to speak of.

The tastes directly follow the nose with big toffee, dark caramel and brown sugar maltiness. You then get a light but substantial enough bitterness on the back end, enough that I can pick out the pine and light blood orange hop flavors. Toasted bready and the dark fruit flavors are once again present, no alcohol whatsoever. More bitter than I expected still but not too much so for the style. Fresh this may have been too bitter for the style, but aged here it is at a perfect level.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a surprisingly medium level of carbonation. The slight extra bit of carbonation helps this from being too sweet, which is important because barleywines can become too sweet with this much age on them. Finish is lightly sweet but more so lightly bitter.

Overall this is one of the best American Barleywines out there. Not quite up to the level of the Alaskan Barleywine which I consider the top, but really close. Really nice flavor profile, pine/citrus bitterness to complement the sweet caramel/toffee maltiness. Just a great showing overall. (This beer once again helps to prove my theory that American Barleywines peak at 2 years of age, so I will continue to follow that practice of waiting until that maturity date to sample going forward and recommend all to do the same for maximum enjoyment.) Definitely a must try for fans of the style and another high quality brew from Great Divide.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 23:28:42 | More by claspada

Jaycase

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: light mahogany. one finger head, thick lacing

s: caramel, fruity, hops.

t: hops with a booziness aspect. strong alcohol presence.

m: medium body, low carbonation. tad thin

o: alcohol is quite strong, a tad too much in my opinion. I prefer bigfoot over this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 21:00:54 | More by Jaycase

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

an off-beat barleywine thats pretty good, but in my opinion overrated on BA. pours a mostly clear amber color with a good fluffy white head. smells like fruity wood, maybe cherry or apple wood. plenty of hops in the nose as well, more than the style usually presents. there is also the smell of red/amber malts in this one, caramel and toffee sweetness. flavor is a compliment to the nose, very similar profile. long long bitter finish here, and a shocking alcohol burn. the feel is good, if a bit too boozed up, but theres good carbonation and a medium body on it. overall, its complexity and strength make it a nice barleywine, but im not as blown away as some other reviewers.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 18:32:39 | More by StonedTrippin

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber poured into a 12 oz. snifter. Bottling date 5.12.11.

Look- Rosy amber-brown with three fingers of crackly-looking off-white head that settles slowly and leaves the glass coated with a dense layer of lace.

Smell- Bubblegum, green apple, and cedar are the first things to mind. The second take reveals hints of pineapple, tangerine, cinnamon raisin bread, and a bit of booze. Promising.

Taste- Resiny, fruity, and bready throughout. Quite tasty. Starts with a crisp citrusy bite that is quickly followed by a toffeelike malt. Finishes with brown sugar, raisin, and a bit of clove. Aftertaste is herbal and a little sweet, with a drawn-out spicy feel. Alcohol is very subdued. Well balanced, not as sweet as I was expecting.

Mouthfeel- Full body, light-to-medium carb. Slick feeling, dry finish. Chewy. Clean for the style, not cloying as many barleywines are. Drinkable for the style.

Overall- Pretty good, and reasonably priced. I would still pass in favor of Middle Ages Druid Fluid, if I could get it in my area. Still, it's a solid beer, and better than this year's Bigfoot. I'll definitely pick it up again at some point.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 04:22:08 | More by Lawl3ss

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.48/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Red Amber color with a good amount of haze. Head is slightly tan in color with some good retention in terms of head and lacing

Smell - Sweet Caramel, Toffee, Sweetened Piney/Citrus Hops, Malts, Yeasts and some fruity notes which I can't quite put my finger on. It's got a very rich smell to it, without being too powerful

Taste - Initial sips show Strong Resiny Citrus Hops upfront followed by sweet caramel flavors and malts. After the first sips, the hops are more balanced out with the sweetened caramel and fruity notes.

Mouthfeel - Thick Bodied with a feeling of molasses. The carbonation is pretty mild and makes it a surprisingly creamy beer to drink. I like it!

Overall - It starts out strong in terms of hoppiness before balancing out into a nice sweet tasting barleywine. Pair that along with a creamy mouthfeel and you get a winning combination

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 04:31:23 | More by NuclearDolphin

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep brown/reddish-orange color with a one inch off-white head that becomes thin lacing for the rest of the glass. Sticks nicely to the sides.

S: citrus, darker fruits, malty sweetness. Very pleasant smelling with a hop kick.

T: first comes raisin, then bitter hops, apple, brown sugar, and some malt. The malt takes a back seat to every other flavor in this, making it very tasty. Alcohol becomes more present as it warms, but does not significantly detract from the taste. The only downside to the taste is a slight nutty flavor I get.

M: medium carbonation and a medium-heavy body on this beer creates a crisp feeling along with the mouth-coating goodness of the barley. As it warms the alcohol feels warm and the body gets much thinner.

O: it's big, so sips are required for me. Excellent beer, especially at $6 for a 22 oz. I'll have to try this again to see if the nutty flavor is still there.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 00:20:50 | More by Holland

flashablecards

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First review!

Barley Wines are a guilty pleasure of mine. I love all beer (there's even a place for Bud Light in this world), but I would pass on most beers for a chance to try something new in the BW realm. Tonight I did just that.

Appearance: Admittedly, I give my judgement with Thomas Hardy as a foundation. A lot clearer and brighter than I would expect.. has the color of a brown ale. Not that I really care though.

Smell: Yup, smells like BW. I was afraid there would be too much emphasis on hops after reading the description on the bottle, but it's definitely not noticeable here.

Taste: What I would expect from a BW; slightly sweet, with notes of age and wine. The hops in definitely noticeable, but not so overpowering that it takes away from anything else too much.

Mouthfeel: Never did understand this category. On a scale of 1 to 3, 1 being "what did i just put in my mouth" and 3 being "I feel fancy", I'll give it a solid 2.2.

I love BWs, and if you like Tom Hardy with a little bit of hops and a relatively high ABV (10.2%, I want wondering why I was feeling so fuzzy) you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 02:19:26 | More by flashablecards

flagmantho

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip. Bottled 12/2/11, so it is basically un-aged, but I'm going to give it a try.

Appearance: rich amber hue with the tiniest touch of haze. Head is a thick finger of frothy tan foam with a hint of orange infused. Nice!

Smell: big sweet malt with a light fruitiness and a bit of that strong-ale prickliness. Good!

Taste: big malt and big alcohol. Sweet with some caramel notes with a bite of both bitterness and alcohol. The hops themselves don't come through very strongly other than in bitterness. Frankly, it's a bit over-alcoholic; the flavor doesn't stand up to the octane.

Mouthfeel: big body with a great carbonation and a great silkiness. Pretty awesome.

Overall: there's just too much strength here for the flavor profile. The flavor is good, but even for a barleywine it's got too much alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 23:18:06 | More by flagmantho

depechemode1983

Texas

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours out a beautiful clear mahogany color. There isn't much head retention but it leaves lots of sticky lacing. The color is amazing though almost like a light red wine.

S - Bittersweet grapefruit, sweet caramel, sour grapes and faint alcohol. Extremely aromatic. All the smells jump out.

T - Very sweet. Maybe a little too sweet. Could use a little more balance. Still you get the grapefruit rind bitterness in there and this time around sweet apples come into play. Finish is bitter and alcohol is surprisingly well hidden considering the abv.

M - Soft, oily/slick. Carbonation is low.

O - I love beers like this. This whole bomber is going to last a really long time. Worth the 8 dollars in my honest opinion. Its a little malt forward but if you like that sort of thing and are expecting it than your in for a treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:31:14 | More by depechemode1983

diamondc

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on Dec 5 2011

A: A clear shade of crimson, fluffy tan head, lots of lacing.

S: Spicy ... cinnamon, woodsy, dark chocolate, pine. Nothing really leaps out.

T: Heavy on the pine hop flavors, tastes almost dirt-y, bit of a cotton candy aftertaste.

M: A bit medicinal, reminds me of cherry flavored cough syrup. A sipper.

O: A decent barleywine, not the best on the shelf. Still enjoyed it though.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 09:34:40 | More by diamondc

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled December 2, 2011.

Pours a reddish brown, relatively light. A fairly large white head recedes slowly.

Smell contains caramel malt, diacetyl, and some hoppy scents with mild citrus- grapefruit. Malt also results in a bit of a bready smell. Some grape and plum scents as well, a bit like port, but not strong. Quite good.

Taste follows the nose. The dark fruit scents stick out first, accompanied by caramel and bready malt flavours. The hoppy flavours come in as well, resulting in a beer that is well balanced between bitter and sweet and has a bit of a citrus flavour, along with a grassy element. Good.

Moderate carbonation, full bodied, a bit of a chewy flavour. Alcohol is present but quite well hidden for the strength.

Overall, very good. Very enjoyable and great on a cold day.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 02:45:03 | More by jrenihan

DavidST

Texas

4.78/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip, bottled on 12 - 5 - 12. This pours a brownish color with a massive lace leaving tan head. The smells are of toasted malts, caramel and a nice little bit of pine hops and dark fruit. The feel is thick. The taste is pretty good, a load of bitter hops, nuts, caramel and toasted malts, excellent. I'm glad I bought this today, I was looking for the 12 Bigfoot, but this is a fine alternative.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 05:29:04 | More by DavidST

danieelol

Australia

2.85/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to Adam @ Platinum

2010 Vintage.

Pours a lovely golden red with billowing head and great lacing.

Smell is pineapple hop and solvent. Also get qualities strongly reminiscent of Fullers Vintage/Golden Pride. Nutty notes a la Samichlaus.

Taste is underwhelming. Big dose of alcohol without any sweetness and with only faint malt.

Mouthfeel is thin and bone dry with minor alcohol burn.

Unfortunately this beer is very one note, too alcoholic and lacks any sweetness whatsoever, despite the fact it's supposed to be a barleywine. Dunno if this is a bad bottle or what.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 10:44:15 | More by danieelol

2378GCGTG

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: 1.5 inch copper and white head over a deep amber red color, the lacing clings to the glass and the head is well retained.

Nose: Caramel, figs, piney hops and hints of citrus with bits of vanilla, then the malts come through and finish with the slightest hint of cotton candy.

Taste: Grassy and earthy yet candied, very complex with some dark fruit notes. The hops come through strong and are followed by hearty caramel and aggressive malt.

Mouthfell: Creamy and flowing with good supportive carbonation yet bitter by the hops that come through.

Overall: A great barley wine, will age well resulting in more present darker fruits.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 15:14:10 | More by 2378GCGTG