Anchor Old Foghorn

A wee nip of a barleywine in a 7 oz bottle that pours a light brown color with a flourish of lots of bubbles. There's a nice caramel malt aroma punctuated with bits of vanilla. This aromas are echoed on the palate along with a gentle spiciness of hops, but by far the most distinguishing characteristic of this beer is its tawny character that is almost reminiscent of a fine sherry. A very smooth barleywine that is not very full bodied and one that ends in a fairly balanced way. More subtle than some other American barleywines that have come along, but I can still appreciate the nuances and tawny character of Old Foggy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-17-2003 04:02:01 | id: 105194

What a sweet barleywine! Buy a 6er, age a few, compare and contrast. Typical Anchor product, hard to classify compared to other similar styles.

Even when brand new, this one lacks a lot of the hops some of the other west coast pioneers have in their barleywines. With that said, its still probably hoppier than your average barleywine from anywhere else.

A sippin beer even moreso, even though its generally lighter in alcohol than most barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-18-2009 17:27:06 | id: 1040782

A - A strong cream cheese color head several fingers thick. medium strong carbonation with bubbling through 2/3 of the glass. Some lacing but not tons. A nice, red leather / garnet color.

S - Strong yeasty initial smell. Some musk tones, cured leather, freshly cooked rye bread, and dried mushrooms.

T - Initial tastes of thick nectar. Some fructose flavors, some alcohol fusils, plenty of pleasant ester-y fruit flavors, and spicy tones. Aftertastes were smooth and sweet with a bit of oak. Like a nice single malt scotch.

M - Silky smooth. Creamy. With a small alcohol bite, but not much for 8.8% ABV. Goes down well in sips or in gulps.

D - I first sampled this at a beer festival in Japan, it was clearly the winner in my heart next to all the domestic beers. But I wanted to come back and properly review this one as the 1st beer of the day and not the 10th. I'm even more impressed. Awesome, would be a good word. Tons of flavors co-existing in peace and harmony. Like an international food fair. This has just the right balance that one could enjoy this by itself or with a meal. The flavors are strong enough to be interesting but not so strong they'd overpower something. I'm really impressed by this beer.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-18-2009 14:48:05 | id: 1040757

Served in 12 oz. snifter.

A: Pours a dark ruby-red with a thing ring of head and a little lacing. Looks good.

S: Grain and hops mostly, along with some subtle fruit - pears. Nothing overly impressive here.

T: Grains, barely, apple, pear, and a bitter hops finish. Gets sweeter as it warms. The grain and sweet flavors are just a little out of balance IMO.

M: Medium body and appropriate amount of carbonation. The 8.8% is well hidden.

D: Not bad overall I would say, but the high abv combined with some slightly out of balance flavors makes this a one timer for me I think. Regardless, I would only drink one of these at a time.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 11-13-2009 04:49:39 | id: 1037020

I picked this up at Whole Foods. This is my first barleywine ever.
I am also aging an Old Foghorn as well.

Appearance- reddish brown color, thin head

Smell- dark fruits, malt, sweet aroma

Taste- sweet, dark fruits, wonderful flavor, nice aftertaste

Mouthfeel- medium to full bodied

Drinkability- very nice, will drink again and will try the aging one probably in a year or so

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-07-2009 20:04:05 | id: 1033033

A- Deep amber, fluffy off-white head.

S- Classic robust barleywine aroma. Spicy, fruity hops, pine, toffee, doughy, with an alcohol presense.

T- This was a let down for me after the great nose. It kind of fell flat. The hops almost disappeared. Malty caramel, banana, raisin fading to a warm alcohol feel.

M- Medium bodied with light, soft carbonation. Needs more body but it still works for the most part.

D- Well made beer,easy drinking, but I kind of lose my interest after one.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-05-2009 02:52:30 | id: 1031190

A- Pours a semi dark reddish brown with a thin tan head.

S- Roasted caramel malts, burnt butter nuttiness, yeasty fruit basket, touch of sugary orange in the background.

T- Leads with a fermented caramel and fruit punch thing (I know it doesn't sound good but it work here), midpalate has a touch of coffee, finishes with yest notes crossed up with tangy malts.

M- Syrupy and light carbonation.

D- The more this airs out and warms up the better it gets. There are some funky notes on the palate that I really enjoy. Not the best barleywine I've ever had but definitely a respectable one that I'll be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-21-2009 22:54:48 | id: 1021331

A- Pours a deep amber color with a small fizzy head that fades quickly.

S- Lots of dark fruit, fig, brown sugar, hints of apricot.

T- Very fruity, apricot, prune, fig and brown sugar that moves into a very dry finish with a nice crisp, semi bitter finish.

M- Medium to full bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- This incredibly fruity and dry barleywine is very drinkable and not nearly as heavy as expected.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-20-2009 01:52:42 | id: 1020238

This has been sitting for a year.

A- Wonderful dark golden brown with a one inch head.

S- The smell is great and very noticeable from a distance. Dark fruits, molasses, woodyness, bubble gum, and a slight booze presence.

T- This has a decent taste, sweet, fruity, similar to a quad almost in flavors and tastes only less carbination.

M- There is a spicyness that stings a bit on the tongue. But has great feel in the mouth, with a nice long lasting aftertaste.

D- Very drinkable. It would be interesting to see how this would be fresh.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-19-2009 01:17:53 | id: 1019491

A: Pours a deep, full, reddish-brown color. The tan head is fairly tall, dense, and frothy. Retention is good, with some frothy lace left along the glass.

S: Toffee and caramel are prominent - it smells rather sweet. Some citric hops, along with a dose of dried/preserved fruit. A definite dash of alcohol is also evident.

T: Firm notes of toffee and caramel malt. Again, citric hops provide some flavor. There are dried fruit notes - maybe some raisin. Some alcohol definitely enters the picture as you drink - halfway through, I'm feeling some warm fuzziness.

M: Thick, syrupy, and full-bodied. Soft, creamy carbonation. A considerable flush of alcoholic heat into the finish.

D: A very nice, old-school barleywine from Anchor. Well balanced and undeniably tasty. This has been the coldest day so far this fall, and I don't mind sipping this after work at all.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-15-2009 02:54:06 | id: 1016732