Dominion Millennium - Oak Aged - Old Dominion Brewing Company

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a thin white head that quickly settles into a thin lace. Pleasant aroma of bourbon, earthy oak, vanilla, hops and alcohol. Well balanced with lots of bourbon vanilla oakiness, malt backbone, sweet alcohol and strong hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 06:32:23 | More by corby112

Atron67

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- poured a murky brown with an offwhtie head that never faded. pretty impressive head for an old barleywine.

S- malty but very subtle and oakey. heavy and some hints of molasses. some hints of vanilla and oak but not a huge a fruity type.

T- woody earth oak charachter and a heavy malt characteristics. some hints of molasses and some biscuit malt but not

M- thick and very heavy. light carbonation,

D- a definite sipper but a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 01:40:57 | More by Atron67

flexabull

California

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of metallitone1, thanks again!

Marking says that this one is from Novermber 2006.

Beer pours a dark amber color, with a thin white head. A bit cloudy looking as well.

Aromas are of cereals grains, spices, booze, and oak.

Taste is very good. When I first poured this, it looked so so, and smelled so so, but the flavor is excellent. Nice oak and booze flavors dominant, but there are some nicely spicy malt notes as well. There is an upfront creamy sweetness, then the beer settles into the bourbon barrel aged spicy, oak, and booze flavors that were mentioned before. It's a very interesting and different tasting beer.

Mouthfeel is pretty good. But it feels more carbonated than I would like, and a bit too thin for the style.

Drinkability is good. This is a good and tasty barrel aged barleywine. If it looked a little better, and smelled a little better, it would be top notch. But with that said, it's still very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2008 04:34:30 | More by flexabull

Pencible

Virginia

2.93/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Also brewed in an oak barrel, but this is an ale instead of a stout. I think that made the whiskey flavor even more noticeable. Plus, "millennium" means high alcohol content (around 10%), which added to the sense of the drink being whiskey. I could water down some Jack Daniels, add some foam on top, and enjoy that just as well as this beer. Of course, I'm not a big fan of Jack, so that's not necessarily a compliment.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2008 20:43:42 | More by Pencible

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

label says bottled on 11/1/06.

A - hazy amber / orange color with a whisp of an off white head that quickly dissipates.
S - bourbon, grapefruit, ripe tropical fruit, whisp of oak.
T - similar to the nose. a bit hoppier feeling than expected and a distinct jim beam aspect cutting through the barleywine taste.
M - medium body, softly carbonated, nice soft accross the tongue sharp finish
D - while the abv is hidden well, this one is a little too influenced by the bourbon for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2008 16:53:08 | More by barleywinebrewer

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fluorescent pumpkin with a splash of bright cherry juice. The tangerine mousse-like crown filled the upper half of the snifter on the initial pour, then quickly melted to a thick disk. No more than a smattering of lace finds its way to the glass.

Although the nose is a solid one for the style, I'm struggling to appreciate the barrel aging. There's plenty of boozy fruit, but virtually nothing that would indicate that Millenium spent several months in barrels that had previously held bourbon whiskey. There might be a mild caramelized sugar vibe if I concentrate really hard.

Since when does oak barrel aging change an English barleywine into an American one? I'm sure they were *American* barrels that were used to age *American* whiskey, but still. Even though their influences are noted on the palate, this is one of the least 'oak and whiskey-like' barrel-aged beers in recent memory.

The flavor profile includes oranges and ripe apricots soaked in white rum, sugar syrup, a drizzle of melted caramel and pat of melted butter. If told that this barleywine had been aged, I would have guessed new white oak barrels, not barrels that had previously held bourbon.

The various flavors have had more than enough time to become well acquainted. Having said that, more depth and complexity is needed before the next highest score can be considered. On a positive note, the alcohol has been tamed to a remarkable degree.

Considering the style, the mouthfeel is a fraction too thin. It doesn't deteriorate much as the mouthful progresses, but then it doesn't start out anywhere close to full. A lingering stickiness and an ideal amount of carbonation helps.

Old Dominion Millenium (Oak Barrel Aged) isn't much different from the standard Millenium. It's still a worthwhile sipper that aficionados should seek out, but I wish the brewery had found leakier barrels.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2008 16:34:28 | More by BuckeyeNation

Thanby

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2007 Vintage

Pours a cloudy maple-amber with little head or lacing (typical of this type).

Smells mostly of sweet barley, pineapple and cloves. A little bit of phenols, but that's not out of the ordinary for barleywine.

Potent pineapple and tangerine right up front followed by some syrupy toffee. Way more citrusy than I expected. The barley flavor takes a back seat to them. Fairly sweet, a touch dry, ABV does not try to hide. There's an overtone of bourbon, oak, and a hint of vanilla from the aging process, just as the brewery describes on the bottle.

A little spicy but very smooth and pleasing. I can get over the phenols and alcohol flavor very quickly. I didn't expect to enjoy the potent citrus so much but after a few sips it's becoming very pleasant. There's a slightly syrupy finish with a roasted malt aftertaste that helps to balance the sweetness. Overall a very fine, drinkable example of a unique barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 04:55:16 | More by Thanby

jeffmonarch

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle in a pint glass.

A - A mix of dark orange and medium brown with little head. A little cloudy.

S - Really sweet and spicy. Kind of grainy.

T - Smooth sweet flavors. Very cirtusy with a nice hop finish. Slight bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium bodied with good carbonation.

D - Good beer. I would like to try the regular millennium that's not oak barrel aged because I can't pick up any of the normal characteristics that you find from aging in oak barrels.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 00:53:52 | More by jeffmonarch

Brewfan

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

11/1/06 botteling date. Thanks to my Secret Santa (BleedingShrimp) for the opportunity to try this one. Thanks Dan!!!!

Poured into my Stone Old Guardian BWine Glass.

Lots and lots of bubbles on the bottom of the glass. Minimal off white head with some weak lacing. Lacing and head both fade to black extremely quickly. Like 15-20 seconds into the beer, the head is gone and I'm left with a weak rim of lace. Dark, smudgy orangy/amber color with some signs of carbonation.
Immediate fruity nose with a fair amount of alcohol thrown in. Grapefruit pithy with a side of malt. Piney resin in the background with a hint of anise and raisins. Getting some oakiness, but not as much as I expected.
Mucho sweetness on the tongue. Along the lines of an English Barleywine, where the hops takes a backseat to the malt. This is the style of barleywine I lean towards, so this is a good thing. There's a definite port feel to this beer. Medium body that stays with you for a while. Quite drinkable. The 11.4% never really seems to comes through while drinking it, making this maybe a bit tooo quaffable.
Would defintely celler a few of these given the chance. I'd like to see what came out in a few years.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2007 04:40:18 | More by Brewfan

Atlas1

Texas

3.65/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Been a while since my last review, so I decided to delve into storage for something nice to get the creative juices flowing again. Pulled out an OD oak-aged Millennium. Not bad. Bottling date on the label says 11/17/06, so this guy is just over a year old.

Poured into a belgian style snifter, this beer bears a pretty golden-amber hue with a bubbly, slightly off-white head on top that eventually dissipates and leaves big bubbles in a ring around the sides. Whoa, the nose on this is pungent! Sweet and malty, but with a STRONG oak sensation that basically takes over the entire aroma. Not sure if that's a product of the aging or not, but the wood scent is really powerful. The taste is less aggressive, although it also possesses the heavy oak presence like the aroma. It's slightly sweet up front, but quickly evens out to an orange-tasting oak flavor. Some vanilla and a tart cherry-like flavor near the end. Mouthfeel is firm and smooth.

I can't really say that I've ever had anything like this before. I've consumed plenty of barleywines, but never anything quite as pungent as this one. The oak aging, plus the additional time that I cellared it, really added to the mellowing of the alcohol and lifted the oakiness up to the forefront. Very interesting. I'm not sure it's an every-day kind of a beer (what barleywine is?) but it makes for interesting conversation on a cold night like tonight. Give it a try if you're in the mood for something different.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2007 02:27:40 | More by Atlas1

IntriqKen

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appropriately, Millennium is my 1000th review.
Pours a beautiful light golden amber with a nice white half finger that melts rather quickly to just a faint ring.

Aromas are very fruity...tangerines and pears mixed with light brown sugar.

Taste is first oak...lovely oak. Then the fruitiness comes forth with the pear and tangerine notes, more oak, buttery sugars, and finally a bit of citrus hops to give bite and dry out the sugars.

Aftertaste is oak and citrus with an alcohol warmth.
Very pleasant and different Barleywine and most definitely worthy of being review #1000.

Thanks MuenchenerKindl for this very special beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2007 04:00:44 | More by IntriqKen

BeerSox

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into snifter.

Slightly hazy ruby red hue with a thin light tan head that settles into a rim around the glass. Stringy lacing forms down the glass.

Light malt aromas covered up by very strong hop aromas. A tiny amount of vanilla can be detected. Stong alochol aromas come in as the beer warms.

The malts are barely tasted as the strong citrusy and bitter hops completely take over. The alcohol makes itself known in the middle, while slowly fading and the hops take over again. Full bodied with good carbonation. Just like the aroma, a faint amount of carbonation can be tasted.

This one is all hops, of course. Basically your middle of the road Barley Wine. It's recommended, just don't expect anything special.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2007 04:26:14 | More by BeerSox

Globetrotter

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Brown 12oz bottle with a parchment and indigo label featuring a deer on a hill. No ingredient information. Bottled on 11/04/05, I picked it up in August of 2006, then cellared it for over a year. I finally opened it on 9/30/07 to celebrate the end of the baseball regular season.

Pours a cloudy copper brown under a one finger tan head that fizzles quite quickly to film and collar, leaving some nice lace strings. The nose is strong of vanilla and malt, with the grain definitely leaning towards the bourbon variety. The mouth is very prickly and quite sticky, coating the mouth much like syrup does. The taste is lovely - lots of vanilla, just enough bourbon, strong roasted malt and utterly dry bitter hops. The hops and the bourbon last after the vanilla has gone to generate a very enticing aftertaste that nearly forces another sip. There's some alcohol here, so sipping is the right approach. But it makes you want to sip it all night. Yum!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2007 20:13:07 | More by Globetrotter

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 11/2006.

Into a snifter, pours a lovely golden amber, a little white head that shrinks to a thin film, leaving little blobs of lacing here and there, pretty good start. The aroma doesn't let down, strong, fruity, almost vinious, lovely oak notes come out more as it warms, a lovely alcohol thats obvious but not harsh, very warm. The taste is duly delicious, caramel, honey, oak, vanilla, lots of candied sugar, very sweet to balance out and almost relegate the hop presence to the secondary, interesting. The mouth is warm, smooth, plenty full, a very quality beer, a sipper for sure, one to seek out most definitely.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 03:27:23 | More by objectivemonkey

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to jasonm for hooking me up with this beer. You da man my friend!

Appearance: Pours an orange-ish brown with a small quick fade head and little to no lace in my snifter glass.

Smell: Juicy malts, orange and grapefruit alcohol and candy sugar with spices are hot through the nose.

Taste: Yeah boy! this is a bigg'en! It is soft and chewy to start with a Belgian candy sugar attribute, a big caramel kick and some sour citrus fruits. Pineapple, brown sugar, honey and alcohol stand out most while on the tongue. The vanilla oak wood flavors cling to your cheeks especially in the aftertaste. The alcohol does show through a bit much but for a sipping night cap it works well. It is a major player in the flavor giving this malty monster a hot burn and the feel of bourbon.

Mouthfeel: The body is slick and full with viscous and vinous attributes and all around quite pleasant.

Drinkability: It is certainly a sipper with the intensity and the ABV, but it is an enjoyable beer to spend and evening nursing.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2007 00:12:50 | More by Phatz

ndekke39

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank this from a 12 oz. bottle with no bottling date on it. Pours a lovely, slightly hazy copper color with a fluffy white head. The head dissipates fairly quickly, but leaves a nice ring of lace around the glass. Smells like a white wine, with hints of sweet caramel, wood, darker fruit, toasted malt. Taste is predominantly sweet, centered on the caramel and toasted malts, with flavors of burnt sugar and warming alcohol. Finishes pretty quickly, no lingering aftertaste, although there's hints of bitterness in it. Fairly light-bodied for a barleywine, but not at all watery. Overall, a very drinkable beer, beautiful to look at and to sip, and with enough complexity to keep you interested.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2007 03:41:20 | More by ndekke39

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, bottled on 11-17-06, 11.4% ABV. Very clear copper in color, with some red hues. A lot of fizzy carbonation when poured. Thin tan head that trickled down to a small collar quickly.

Huge nose full of oak, vanilla, plums, fig, and some dark fruits. Alcohol stands out in the nose as well.

Good amount of wood and oak at the beginning. A bit of sweetness follows, with fig, and fruity flavors. Not very much in the way of hops, nothing really stands out.

Lots of warming alcohol, dry finish with lingering oak. Medium body, low carbonation. I loved the nose, but the taste let me down just a bit. This seemed a bit hot, so some time in the cellar may help.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2007 16:50:32 | More by Bierguy5

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks and tastes light for a barleywine, even tastes close to a Double IPA with pineapple and fruity, less bitter, hops. The malt adds to the hops fruit flavors with just mellow oak and whiskey coming through. The flavor is a bit too subtle, and while that makes for great drinkability, I want a little more bang

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2007 05:57:57 | More by tempest

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a reddish brown color with absolutely no head to speak of. Smell is sherry like and somewhat floral. Taste is absolutely incredible. Just a slight bit of carbonation. No sense of the alcohol at all in the taste. Only a slight bit of warming as it goes down. This is a damn fine beer. I would love to have this again after its aged for a while. Will have to see if they maintain this as a offering and keep the quality up now.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 01:29:34 | More by FtownThrowDown

prototypic

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on November 17, 2006

Appearance: Pours a transparent, dark copper color with a one finger, creamy head. Head dissapeared pretty quickly and left a light coat of lace.

Smell: Initially smells of wood chips and alcohol. It's actually very reminiscent of whiskey. If you stick with it you can pick some vanilla, citrusy grapefruit notes, and a bit of dark fruit aromas. Alcohol scent is rather strong. Interesting.

Taste: Definitely smoked wood chips and alcohol predominate. This is a strong beer. There is a bit of light whiskey taste to it. You can pick up some vanilla and grapefruit flavors in there, along with a raisiny taste.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This is a medium bodied beer and it really is surprisingly easy to drink for such a big beer. I'm enjoying it. Drinkability is down a notch due to the 11.4% abv. Overall, it's a really good beer. I couldn't drink more than one. But, I'll drink this again. Definitely try it out.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2007 01:54:49 | More by prototypic

Vancer

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hoo Boy, an Oaked aged frosty – lucky me. Bottled on 11/20/06, I can’t wait any longer! And it starts with a gorgeous pour – a lazy, hazy amber orange with a mountainous ivory head. It just leaves a coating of sticky lacing all throughout my Corsendork (from Soloman420) tulip glass.

The scent of pure and sweet caramel, malts and touches of vanilla tickle the beak, but the quaff is where the action starts! Hi Oh! A sharp kick of oaken bourbon begins the journey, finishing with a malty sweet coat of vanilla coffee. This is reminiscent of Maker’s Mark bourbon, except for the rich and intense body.

Just an exquisite sippin’ bourbon…err, beer. But with the intense whisky flavor, good thing I’m also a scotch/bourbon luver.

Many thanks to zrbrrt for this excellent brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2007 13:42:40 | More by Vancer

mentor

Colorado

3.3/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

July 22, 2004 offering (consumed about 2.5 years later). Purchased at the brewery shortly after release and stored carefully in my cool dark cellar. Pours a finger of tan head over a cloudy bright rust liquid. Smells oak sour sherry oxidation. Vanilla. Pineapple. Touch solventy and meady.

Tastes sherry and caramel. Touch of butter. Pears are one of the many light esters. Vanilla and creamy coconut. Oak is subdued and clean of char. Mouthfeel is md (at best), which I find surprisingly little for the style. Decent carbonation, which is surprising as the bottle was a twist-off.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2007 00:05:42 | More by mentor

mcallister

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours what you would expect a barley wine too look like. Hot orange/mahagony, little head, with no retention or lacing probably due too the high alcohol.

Smell is a little hot also. Much oak in the aroma toasty with lots of burnt vanilla. Bourbon, raisin, hints of chardonnay as well, fig, and a slight nutty component. Would have scored higher if not for the "hot" presence to the aroma.

The taste is a whole different story. Sweet with brown sugar and rasins, with a burst of burnt vanilla, caramel, slight fig, some alcohol but not distracting. Again the chardonnay is also in the flavor. Very clean mouthfeel yet somewhat thin. I really like this beer. Can't wait to try one aged a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2007 23:02:55 | More by mcallister

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

4.68/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a pint glass. The liquid is a clear copper with medium carbonation. The head is 1 finger, light tan that leaves good lace.

The smell is big Bourbon Barrel Smoky Oak. It kind of suppresses all else.

The taste follows with some light vanilla notes but very light and quite pleasant. The Big Alcohol is done right also. Wow this beer is great. Should be nice after a few years in the Bier Keller.

The mouthfeel is quite good, medium body and light carbonation make this brew an excellent choice during or after a big holiday meal.

The drinkability is great. I could sip this all night.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 05:04:52 | More by MuenchenerKindl

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.4.05 bottling, thanks hopsaplenty

crystal clear amber with a soapy, light-beige head. lacing looks like sticky burnt scrambled egg outskirts. one finger head comprised of an even balance.. airy spheres and creamy foam density.

smells like vanilla, bourbon, and hoppy amber ale nuances. the barrel essence is first and foremost, and there isn't much else to talk about aromawise.

lighter and more drinkable than i expected. flavor echoes the oaky barrel notes, and presents the slightest speck of bacterial sour funk. almost no hop bitterness except for a dull sting in the finish. vanilla is there in the flavor too, but it has more of that essential sourness of bottled vanilla extract in watery, brown form. the barrel aging provides alot of flavor, but i wonder about this before it hit wood. if you like the taste of barrel aging, this is for you. if you prefer to taste a beer mixed with barrel flavors, you will be underwhelmed. there is little to nothing here that represents the original brew.

overall, a decent elixir, but i wouldn't revisit unless this was a complimentary bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2006 16:29:25 | More by goodbyeohio