Olde GnarlyWine - Lagunitas Brewing Company

bishopdc0

Maine

4.19/5  rDev +2.7%
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

04-18-2013 02:34:24 | More by bishopdc0

DmanGTR

New York

3.8/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap, review from notes.

Poured deep maple with a touch of clementine in the borders. Brilliantly clear, but nary a head to speak of and looked pretty dead from atop. No bubbles. The smell, however is a different animal. And yes, this is definitely a different animal. Big malts: lots of caramel, less toffee, more biscuit. Barely any bitterness detected, although there is a hint of citrus, maybe a grapefruit zest thrown in. But there is definitely some butter here. Not butterscotch, mind you, but butter. I'm not quite sure what to make of that, but sure, why not? Maybe a touch of golden raisins mixed in with the butter, rum, and caramel. Very sweet in that respect, but it's kept in check somehow by an invisible and undetectable hop cone somewhere. The body feels sticky but medium in quality. And lo! There is carbonation despite not showing up at first glance. Effervescent is too strong of a word here so I'll say it is decently carbed. Overall, not bad. Not one of my favorite barleywines.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2013 16:41:44 | More by DmanGTR

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- opaque deep reddish brown, really attractive lacing and good retention

S- molasses, sticky caramel, leather, plenty of dark fruit, quite thick and rick, interesting.

T- thick boozey fruit, roast malt sweetness, long finish. Good but could maybe be a bit better balanced. Lots of coffee bitterness.

M- thick body, coating feel, slightly ashey bitterness, long finish. Alcohol is covered deceptively well for such a high ABV.

Overall a really respectable Barley Wine, pretty well executed, would recommend it. Lots of flavour and quite a nice sippable high-strength ale.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2013 19:10:30 | More by mick303

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.73/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Taste of Tops in Tempe, AZ.

A - Gorgeous hazy, ruby-reddish brown with golden accents. No head at all. Burnt sienna if I can get to the detail of a crayon.

S - Syrup, brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, bbq sauce, teryaki (last three are serious), alcohol. Massive sweet malt and booze. Extremely inviting.

T - Awesome, seriously. Boozy, sugary, malty. Warming, caramelized sugars. Sweet, poached fruits. Not cloying, though. Very complex. Even some roasted coffee flavors in the finish.

M - Smooth, sweet, right amount of carbonation and booze. Like drinking a high quality scotch, but more brandy taste. The alcohol dominates but allows so many other flavors to come through.

O: Epitome of the style. Everything I expect an American Barleywine to be. Well done, Lagunitas!

Update 12/19/12: Forgot that I had drank this in the past. 2010 vintage at Meadhall in Cambridge for 12 Brewers of Christmas. Delicious beer to which the age has contributed nicely. Everything is exquisite. Huge sweet booze qualities and heavy hops. Awesome stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2012 04:09:19 | More by Gatch

gustogasmic

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes of a buzzed-out barleywine binge at Hopcat in Grand Rapids.

Straight-up copper. Translucent w/ little carbo action. Head is VERY sticky copper-tan, 1/8". Lacing is ridiculous- the beer coats the glass and leaves twirls and blankets.

Smells like brown sugar, sweet golden raisins.

Very sweet and spicy, just a little hot. An awesome bitter bite- the hops are all there. Aftertaste is sweet, golden, sticky as heck. As it warms, a ruby syruppiness starts to really glow. The alcohol comes through the nostrils after each swallow. Certainly a cellar-temp kind of beer. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2012 14:59:28 | More by gustogasmic

TheRealBigC

Nevada

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice translucent deep amber color with a thick off-white head that settles but never disappears. Smell and taste are huge and diverse. Lots of the sticky sweets and very prevalent booze. This one is a really slow sipper based on that alone, but the sticky, chewy mouthfeel slows you down even more. Not inappropriate for the style, but also not perfect. For me I was worn out before finish my 12oz. pour, but I loved the first half of it! Definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 19:49:16 | More by TheRealBigC

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from tap at Alewife Baltimore into flute? There are plenty of nice snifters sitting around...I can see about 20 from my seat at the bar. Anyway...
Still poured a thick molassess looking burnt brown with an orangey hue; thick tan head to boot. Smells of caramel sweet malts, sugary molassess.
Taste is really nice. Thick sweet caramel and brown sugar, dried fruits, and heavy booze flavor. Great almost toasted caramel aftertaste. Its big time boozey but nice and mellow. Its thick, creamy, and heavy. I guess there is a reason for the winter release of this one.
Overall, really nice brew and one I'd imagine would age very well.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2012 21:55:27 | More by DrinkSlurm

Tone

Missouri

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark amber color. 1/3 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and good lacing. Smells of sweet malt, alcohol, citrus hops, hint of caramel, and a hint of roasted malt. Fits the style of an American Barleywine. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of alcohol, sweet malt, hint of roasted malt, hint of caramel, citrus hops, slight syrup, and a hint of dough. Overall, good appearance, great aroma, blend, and body.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 13:22:39 | More by Tone

lurpy1

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Flamin' Grill in Sacramento. Was cautioned that this keg has been around awhile. Apparently, not a big seller. To the waiter this was a problem, to me, a little more age on a Barleywine.

That being said, the pour is tired looking. A vague amber, no head, no panche, it just sits there all murky.

The smell is a bit subtle, but is heavy on the malt. Some caramel flavors, with grain and raisin in the backdrop.

Taste comes and goes with a heavily sweetsy, grainy, appropriately barleywiney flavor. Some sips are better than others. Occasionally, the dark fruit is overly pronounced. But I still like it.

Mouthfeel is a bit too fizzy for me, but did have a real nice stickiness to it.

At the end of the day, somehow, Old Gnarlywine is a beer where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. The taste was good, the consistency and smell were a little better than OK, but when it was gone, hey, I missed it and wish it was more. There is something intangibly great about this beer, a little, uh, sumpin sumpin (rimshot) going on. I will buy this again for shizzle.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 00:58:13 | More by lurpy1

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This pours a very beautiful dark amber color and has a nice amount of a darkish brown head.

The aroma is very malty heavy, with caramel, toffee and plums rounding this robust smell.

Taste is very similar to the smell. There is a lot of malt right up front, there is a nice sweetness that comes from the toffee and caramel and the fruit adds some nice complexity. The hops are present, but the take a backseat compared with the rest of the taste.

I really enjoyed this, but would like to see how it tastes with some age on it. After 3/4 of a glass this was getting a little too sweet for me, but it's still a great Barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 22:29:17 | More by JohnnyMc

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

served on tap at Mad Fox Brewing Co. for their 2nd Annual Barleywine Festival. Sunday, 2/12. review from notes. 2011 vintage.

A: the darkest of the 4 sampled. amber hue. best head/retention/lacing of the 4.
S: caramel and toffee dominate. a lot of sweet candied malts for something that is more of a battle between malt and hops.
T: similar to the nose, caramel and toffee. bitter hop bite keeps things balanced. little bit of heat.
M: moderate amount of fizz. full bodied.
D: drinks more like an american strong w/ a sizable malt body here. however, certainly a reasonable amount of bitterness keeps things balanced. ranking #3 of the 4 tried.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2012 15:23:29 | More by Jimmys

mkotsayfan

California

3.53/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Lagunitas Tap Room. Pours a dark brown/amber color with just a little bit of head. The aroma is a mix of pine hops and quite a bit of sugar. There some malt mixed in there as well. The taste is similar, a sugar bomb along with some hops, citrus, and malts. The mouthfeel is heavy bodied with medium-light carbonation, and feels syrupy with a contrasting sweet/bitter taste as it passes the tongue.

Overall, a decent beer, but just a little too sweet for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2011 08:20:42 | More by mkotsayfan

dgilks

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear brown colour with a tiny tan head. Poor head retention.

Big caramelised sweetness with a slightly hoppy edge. Good.

Big, sweet toffee malt flavour with nice resinous hops. Moderate bitterness. A good American Barleywine.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Fine.

A good Barleywine. Balanced and full of flavour with enough hop character to balance the toffee like malts and make this drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2011 01:14:45 | More by dgilks

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've been passing this beer up for years including this year. When I wanted it all bottles were sold out. Than I hear Lagunitas is scaling back production on this years batch. Glad I found this 2008 vintage On Tap at Blue Dog.

Olde Gnarlywine pours into the glass a deep dark mahagony red plum looking color, looking like many other Lagunitas darker offerings. A nice beige head up top with life and able to stick to the glass. Smell is very malty at this point in the game. No hops in the nose to speak of. Sweet candi with sugars in the nose with some deep caramel and toffee. Some English malt is noted along with a faint hit of alcohol. Taste is pretty good. Looking for any hops, I was unable to find any, they faded in the 3 years. No hops brings out the malt ansd yeast and shows off it's English ingredients. Candi, light chocolate, and grain from all dat der barley. Sadly alcohol comes into play and I can taste it which detracts a bit. Feel is above medium and is a bit sryupy, carb is light off this tap, but the ride is pretty smooth, except for the burn. All in all a nice B-Wine to go to on the cheap. I need to find a fresh bottle and see what the hop bill is on this one, Id imagine pretty high.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 00:28:00 | More by onix1agr

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a deep amber - burnt umber, with a creamy yellowish/brown head.

Smelled of grass, barley, and sweet malt - slight floral in the background.

This is an intense beer - dry up front with lots of grain, barley, and bread notes, a taste of grass holds it on edge, then some sweeter notes and a little balance - slight caramel/ burnt sugar. A very good beer - A sipper for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2011 23:32:20 | More by Chickenhawk9932

wedgie9

Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Tasted in August 2010 on draft at the Twisted Spoke. Pour is clear orange amber with a thick white head that never truly goes away. Nose is sweet caramel with bitter orange peel, even more bitter hops, and a hint of honey. Flavor starts off with brown sugar and honey sweetness, and moves to bitter orange peel and hops. The body is big and thick with average carbonation and a long bitter hops and brown sugar finish. This is very hoppy for a barley wine, but still nicely balanced. The alcohol is hardly noticed until the bit of burn in my chest.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2011 01:49:20 | More by wedgie9

Lerxst

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Kickbacks

A-Pours a clear amber/orange with a one finger off white head that has good retention and left some decent lace.

S-Nose is somewhat faint. But what I'm picking up is sweet, bready malt with some fruit also noted with a hint of booze.

T-Sweet, candied fruit, bready, a bit of toffee and caramel with a hint of hops. As I near the last 1/4 of the pour the sweetness starts to become cloying.

M-Not quite full bodied-its almost there-a bit syrupy with a relatively low carbonation level.

O-More like an English Barleywine. Not enough hop presence to call this one an American. It was good, but not great.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2011 00:10:59 | More by Lerxst

Reaper16

Alabama

3.05/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

served on-tap at Flying Saucer, Kansas City, MO, into a tulip glass

Pours a gorgeous dark ruby color. Decent clarity, actually, though the light makes the red body glow. One fingerish of creme head sits on top, though I don't get much lacing, really. That body is damn pretty, though.

Unfortunately, the aroma is awkward and overdone for me. Raisins for days. Raisins and raisins and raisins, cooked down in a pan and drizzled with molasses. It's a bit too strong, too pungent. Add to this a soapy, astringent hop quality and you have a poor effort. I don't pick up on any good aromas from the hops, just the after effects of a good hop dosing. Unfortunate.

The taste is on the same level as the nose: awkward. This could have been good. Instead, it's like stale Raisin Bran. Lots and lots of raisin-centric dark fruit flavors. Sticky sweet like a barleywine should be, but too uncomplex and one-note. It's blunt-force flavor. There's also a weird, musty quality to the beer. This keg can't be too old, can it? I'm drinking this in a popular bar with excellent turnover. I don't know what's going on here, but this is not the complex barleywine that I thought I was getting. This is blunt, unsophisticated beer.

The mouthfeel is poor, but permissibly so given the high ABV%. It's pretty flat (though not entirely still). Did the yeast give out on this particular batch? That would explain the lack of carbonation and the lack of developed flavors. Overall, this is not a good barleywine. It's like a far less hoppy, way less interesting version of most other American Barleywines. Hopefully it's just this keg that's problematic. It isn't like Lagunitas to miss this badly on a beer. Drinkable, but awkward and mostly unejoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2011 06:38:11 | More by Reaper16

uustal

Rhode Island

4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a woodsy red/brown color with a light brown head. Aroma of sweet malt, caramel, dark fruit, raisins and a bit of hops. Really nice hop forward flavor to start. Big pine resin notes to start. A bit of lemon and orange zest as well. Thick caramel and dark fruit malts come next and power their way through the finish. Good raisin sweetness, plum, fig and dates. Great caramel malt and a hint of booze wrap it up.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2011 01:25:18 | More by uustal

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Brown-red body with a silky smooth thin top.

S - Smells tangy and sweet with some malt notes.

T - HUGE malt flavor. Very malty and sweet. Dark syrupy malt and notes of brown sugar and dark dried fruit sugars. Very sweet malty palate.

M - This beer has a very soft and viscous body and goes down smooth like a nitro ale.

O - If you like malty beers, try this one. Its hard to get past anything but the huge sweet chewy malt mouth. I liked it, but it is pretty one dimensional.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2011 02:31:14 | More by BeerForMuscle

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Vine & Barley in Port St. Lucie. Poured into a Cigar City snifter.

Appearance - Deep copper with reddish tones. A bit of a head that vanishes quickly with a bit of lace. Coats the glass a bit.

Smell - I get a lot of malt with the smell of fruitcake. A bit boozy, but that's to be expected. It was probably too cold to get a decent sniff of it.

Taste - Similar to the smell. Some hops at the front, but it isn't as bright as other American barleywines. Very malty with some overripe fruit flavors. Again, a lot like a boozy fruitcake.

Mouthfeel - Thick and syrupy. Medium carbonation that doesn't really make it feel any lighter. Good consistency that allows the flavors to linger.

Overall - Not so complex, really. If the flavors were more discernable, I might rate it higher. It's a good flavor, just not a lot of different ones going on.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2011 21:59:05 | More by Alieniloquium

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at good dog in philly

Pours a clear deep cherry amber, beige frothed head, nice layer of retention and lacing.

Cherry and raisin with a nice blast of citrusy hops and pulp, minimal heat despite the ABV.

Bitter hops with citrusy pith and juice. Dark fruit with raisin and some cherry notes. Sticky malt base with burnt caramelized brown sugar and syrup. Some earthiness, finishes a bit warm with plenty of citrus hops.

Fuller body, decent carbonation, tingly and sticky. Nice barleywine, alcohol is under control, curious to see what age does to this one, although the hop profile was a high point for me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2011 04:53:48 | More by xnicknj

ehammond1

California

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

A deep, dark, hazy orange. Sheets of lacing running down the glass leaving it messy.

A very sweet nose. Oranges, candied cherries, simple sugar, a touch of molasses, and a bit of alcohol.

Taste follows the nose; my only complaint would be that it might just be a note too sweet. Delicious orange, cherry, citrus hops, caramel sweetness, brown sugar, some warm alcohol.

Full mouthfeel, alcohol warmth, medium carbonation level. Superbly drinkable.

A very good and supremely delicious and drinkable barleywine. Not nearly as complex as some others. What it does, it does right!

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 02:21:34 | More by ehammond1

CuttDeez

Virginia

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap into a snifter

A - A rustic reddish brown body. A small white head but a good amount of lace. A pretty looking beer with the red notes playing with the light.
S - Dark sweet carmalized fruits in the nose. A sweet malty dark sugar tone. There was a tiny amount of hop that I detected and a slight spice which I believe is from the alchohol, but it was subtle.
T & M & O - Very nice sweet taste. There are toffee notes mixed with dark deep fruits and caramel. The hops subdue the strong fruit sweetness and mellow it out to create a nice balance. At 10.6% I had a hard time finding the alchohol in this one. I would call this medium bodied but pushing heavy with the creamy sweetness.
Awesome on tap. i have heard that the beer ages very well and I can imagine those dark fruits enhancing. I can't wait to see this with age on it.

-Cheers

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2011 01:39:45 | More by CuttDeez

gopens44

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased at Capitol Ale House, Midlothian VA.

A - Dark maroon/brown/red color with a very appealing 1/2" off-white foam head

S - Grapes hit the nose first, followed by a gentle breeze of hops. Finally, the smell of the malts come through in the form of caramel and a slight hint of licorice.

T - Just as impressive and similar to the smell. Grapes come through, and a nice grapefruit favoring hop taste shines quite well in this very well balanced beer. Sweet caramel taste wraps this all together The high ABV does not translate to a boozy taste at all.

M - Smooth and creamy on the tongue with a dry finish. Some amount of aftertaste in a sticky sort of way.

D - Dangerously drinkable. One of the best barleywines I've had yet.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 13:20:20 | More by gopens44