Olde GnarlyWine - Lagunitas Brewing Company

Tupperwolf

Washington

2.93/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

(Aught Six vintage - brand new)

Pours a heavy, syrupy, very clear ruby amber, capped with a very thin lil' tannish head and besmirched with a few bubbles struggling to rise through the thick liquid. The thin, bubbly head leaves a few spotty bits of lace as I drink.

The scent is rich and very sweet - an American maltiness that only a barleywine can produce. There's tons of malts going into this brew, and it shows. Toffee is dominant, and all of those other scents are in there too - a little caramel, a little butterscotch. Some grassy hop and pungent alcohol is noticeable.

The flavor is almost cloyingly sweet, with just enough hop to balance. As a matter of fact, the hops are very bitter, more bitter than flavorful - something I noticed with the Maximus IPA - hopheads of a different bend than I might like them more. Lots of toffee and caramel in the flavor, with a distinct fusel alcohol and a grassy, bitter hoppiness - swallowing is surprising, giving me a huge hit of way overpowering diacetyl sweetness and alcohol combined. I can drink it and don't find it unpleasant, so it gets just under average score. Aging is definitely required for this one.

A syrupy mouthfeel feels almost hot on the tongue with alcohol - it's not dry at all, mind you, but you know the abv is there. It gets everything tingling really pleasantly, and the finish is sticky.

I can drink it now - but I'd rather drink it later. GnarlyWine isn't a very highly hopped American BW, rather intensely sweet and alcoholic.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2006 03:22:09 | More by Tupperwolf

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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

At novare res was given a glass....the color is classic barley wine buy the glass and how it was served, free, definitely. Knock it up. The aroma is sweet caremel toffee butter delicious. The taste matches swwleet up front bit the carel and slight and I men slickeryfht roast come in to smooth the tongue. The finish is slightly ddru but beautiful. The eas a 2011 and is drinking perfect...stupid phone

Serving type: on-tap

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