Olde Deuteronomy - Alley Kat Brewing Company

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.89/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Mattsander for this bottle.
2011 Vintage. Poured in to snifter.

A - Deep copper colour. Carbonation appears very low as almost no head forms on the pour.

S - Sweet toffee, brown sugar and caramel dominate. Some floral and lighter fruity notes are als present.

T - Dark caramel, toffee and brown sugar flavours dominate. Raisin and some stick hop flavours come through - some fruity esters and floral notes.

M - Medium body. Sticky. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:50:31 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into a 16oz tulip. 2010 vintage.

A - Pours a beautiful deep mahogany hue with ample haze and a thin skiff of tan head. Minimal retention, and no real lacing. Great looking beer nonetheless.

S - Candied fruit sweetness, herbal earthiness, rich caramel malt, a touch of leather, and some rum-like booze. Maybe some dark, dried fruit as well. Quite musty, but sweet and even a bit sour as well. Spices add to the complexity and depth. Wood, cherries, apples, the list goes on. A pungent and complex aroma for sure.

T - Big time flavor here. Huge, rich malty backbone of caramel, toffee and brown sugar, with almost cloying sweet notes of candied apple and cherries. Resinous, musty earth, dank wood, dates, rum, and anise, among other spices. Finishes with an assertive herbal hop punch that lends a firm bitterness, as the alcohol makes it self apparent in the finish. Long lasting finish of rich malt, herbal astringency, and warming alcohol presence. Very, very full bodied.

M - Thick and syrupy, with carbonation on the lower side. Bitterness in the finish. Pretty sticky stuff too. Finishes pretty warm, but not too much so.

D - Certainly one of the more ambitious and interesting brews from my home province Alberta, but that being said this isn't quite my thing. I'm slowly warming up to barleywines, but I still find many of them overly astringent and alcoholic. However, this is probably one of the better BWs I've had the chance to try. I think as my tastes change and I delve further into craft, this will be a brew to revisit due to the availability and great price for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 22:38:38 | More by Converge

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 vintage. ABV listed at 10.3%.

Beer is a very dark maroon with a small tan head that dissipates almost immediately. A bit of lacing.

Smell is rich. Toffee, caamel, sweet malt, dark fruits (fig, raisin, plum), brown sugar, leather. Intoxicating.

Taste is like the nose. Rich toffee and caramel, bread, brown sugar, dark fruits. Quite sweet. Alcohol is pretty strong- I imagine it gets smoother with some more time, but rather hot right now.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation, syrupy.

Overall, very nice!

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 22:12:56 | More by jrenihan

mikeyv35

New York

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Date: 03/20/12
Type: 11.2oz. Bottle
Vintage: 2008
Glass: SH Large Tulip

Pours a dark mahogany brown tobacco in color w/ a very light skim coat head and little to no lacing. Aromas of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, light citrus, and basement mustiness. The flavor was caramel/toffee sweetness up front, leading into dark fruits (raisin/fig), and finishing w/ a touch of tobacco, hop bitterness, and basement mustiness. Medium bodied w/ carbonation on the lower end of the spectrum. Easy to drink for the style w/ well masked ABV.

This brew has been on my wants list forever! Finally acquired a bottle and it did not disappoint, now all I have to do is figure out how to get more.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 17:06:51 | More by mikeyv35

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

vintage 2010

pours a dark copper with ruby red. light creamy head. little to no retention.

quite rich with subtle caramel and sweet malt. slight dark fruit, with some even lighter leather.

a tad more abrasive and bold in flavor. darker fruit pops out a bit more. some citrus hop still making itself known. still that sweet malty flavor through out.

nice and chewy, with a mild to moderarte carbonation. slight burn in the back.

a very enjoyable barleywine, very american like indeed.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 00:51:21 | More by hooliganlife

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.55/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 edition of Olde Deuteronomy.

Appearance - Pours a hazy mahogany hue with a thin white head.

Smell - Tropical fruits (predominantly passionfruit), licorice, spicy notes, slight citrus aromas.

Taste - Hint of the tropical and citrus fruits. Sweet honey character to it; slightly bitter hops in the aftertaste. Finish has a bit of leafiness/grassiness to it.

Mouthfeel - Medium-to-full bodied with minimal-to-no bubbles. Very smooth. Enjoyable to sip on.

Overall - A very nice representation of a barleywine from Alley Kat. The ABV is hardly recognizable in this one, which makes it easy to drink (and slightly dangerous). Lovely fruity flavours shine in this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 03:52:39 | More by leaddog

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

***2008 Vintage***

Thanks to stagger for this one.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: A ruby tinted dark body appears under a 2-3 finger head that has some lacing and stays around for a little bit.

Smell: I swear i smell hops sans the bitterness. Segues into slight vanilla, leather and sugar. Pungent and strong.

Taste: No hops except light grapefruit at first but plenty of dark berries that actually add, at first, some fresh fruit character. That's quickly replaced by wood, brown sugar and caramel/toffee.

Mouthfeel: Smooth as silk, carbonation ever so low, very rich with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste.

Overall: Very good although is there such a thing as too smooth. Maybe but hard to knock a pleasing beer. Grab this and cellar it if you can.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 10:22:30 | More by papat444

Yoonisaykul

Quebec (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed this beer on july 2nd 2011.

341ml bottle into Boston Lager perfect glass. 2009 vintage.

Thanks to Bobsy! I’ve been excited to try this since Mondial 2011.

Might be my first taste of Alberta. Very funny label. Looks just like my girlfriend’s cat.

A- Some sort of beautiful amber/caramel/cherrywood. Slight haze. Decent size kaki head. Looks good.

S- Caramel , candied apple. Touch of chocolate. Hint of cinnamon. Alcohol is beautiful in here. Eager to taste.

T-Such rich malt in here. Dark dried fruit. Alcohol is really warming. Reminds me of eating a cognac or liqueur stuffed chocolate. Hops are more herbal than woody. Tastes great.

M- Big body. Low carbonation. Moderatly dry and of course a bit of numbing from the alcohol. Very enjoyable.

O- Very, very good. Not sure what I’d change to make this better if I could.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 17:45:50 | More by Yoonisaykul

TCgoalie

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes from 5/7/11

A - Caramel red. Not much carbination, head, or lacing.

S - Aromas of rum soaked cherries, maple syrup, and musty basement.

T - Maple, dusty carpet, mild must hops, and a touch of plastic.

M - Sticky feel and quite syrupy.

O - A solid offering but not the best BW that I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 02:30:52 | More by TCgoalie

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #51 (April 2011):

Pours quite thick into the snifter, thin lacing stays intact and the dark chestnut color is clear when put to the light. Caramel is the first suggestion in the aroma; soon after, comes a fig and marmalade sweetness and a spicy alcohol. Viscous mouth- feel, smooth carbonation ... saying it’s full bodied is an understatement. Maltiness is very thick and slowly unfolds as a hop bitterness slowly rakes across the palate, yet doesn’t seem to make much of a dent. Hints of madera wine, chocolate-cov- ered candied oranges, nougat, jasmine, caramel and plum pudding. The 11 percent is pretty mellow but very noticeable. Not too far from being epic, we bet some age might meld the flavors even more—but it’s absolutely delicious to drink now.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 01:12:02 | More by BeerAdvocate

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of wordemupg, 2010 vintage. 341ml shared with a friend in a pair of snifters, vintage listed at 11.4%ABV.

Pours a translucent mahogany, less than a finger of cream coloured head. Only a collar remains in terms of retention. Nose has toffee, some candied notes, brown sugar and a bit of alcohol. Taste is quite sweet upfront, some candied pomaceous fruits (candied apple in a way), some toffee and finishes with some warming alcohol. Lingering sticky sweetness, and good weight in the body. Fairly low carbonation, medium mouthfeel. More of an English barleywine it seemed, not alot of hop character here. Simple and effective, but I wanted this one to carry more 'weight' in terms of body feel and overall flavour.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 20:06:23 | More by liamt07

zhanson88

California

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Olde Deuteronomy pours a bright ruby/scarlet color with a finger of butter colored head. Recuces to a ring around edges of glass with no lacing. Even with some swirls the head doesn't last too long.

Smell: Sweet caramel malts, candied sugar, and a combination of light citrus and piney hops.

Taste: Good caramel malt sweetness up front. Very tasty. Candied/brown sugar, followed by cirtus and piney hops. Lingering malty sweetness and hops on the finish. Pretty good. Not overly complex but the essentials for a solid baleywine are there.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Between light and medium bodied with fairly low carbonation, but stops well short of being creamy. Pretty solid barleywine overall. It really has a nice balance of malt sweetness up front and hops on the back end.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 03:09:07 | More by zhanson88

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage. Thanks wordemupg for this one! Pours a dark amber/brown color with a thin off-white head. Modest aroma of burnt caramel and molasses. Flavors of caramel, vanilla, raisins, and alcohol. Medium to full body, low carbonation, mouthfeel is a little syrupy and quite warming as well. This is a good, but not great barleywine from Alley Kat.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 04:40:53 | More by chickenm

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks CBA. Bottle split with a buddy. 2010 Vintage.

A - Amber or ruby in colour. Tan head gone fast. Thin cap ring sticks around edges. No visible carbonation.

S - Dark fruits, dark brown sugar, mild alcohol and mild hop. For some reason I also get a pear note which is quite interesting. Smells good.

T - Dark fruit, candi sugar sweetness that doesn't cloy. Finishes sweet. Apple, pear and dark breadiness come through too.

M - Low carbonation. Thick and chewy. Full bodied, almost too full.

D - Great drinkability. Sweetness is a little aggressive otherwise a good barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 21:15:54 | More by tbeckett

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark murky swamp water with an amber hue, thin layer of head with little retention and no lacing.

S - Robust and fruity, earthy bark, caramel and toffee malts, and some leafy hops on the finish.

T - Again quite complex, dark Belgian flavours with some bananas and cloves, but the dark roasted malts with raisins and plums also have a strong presence. High ABV is nicely hidden offering up only a little heat. Bitter hops and some sour citrus notes linger on the finish.

M - A silky and syropy feel to it, thicker body and some pricky bubbles going down. ABV heat is complementary and bitterness is present but not overly dry.

D - At 11.4% it's tough to take down more than one bottle in a sitting, however, it's very tasty with complex flavours and aromas. My second pleasureable barley wine, though I have found this to be a style that takes some getting used to. I presume this is one of the better examples of the style and would be recommended to any barley wine fan.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 01:08:11 | More by andrenaline

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - clear deep copper with a rich tan head that retained better than I expected
S - rich aromas of plumb, butterscotch, and a phenolic quality
T - a rich caramel maltiness with buttery popcorn, raisins, and alcohol sweetness, and a light resiny hop finish, very tasty
M - full bodied with a slighltly creamy start that remains sweet and dry throughout
D - very impressed by the combination of rich flavours and sweetness that work well with the alcohol, it warmed me like a red wine but kept me interested like a good brew, well done

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 06:30:34 | More by joemcgrath27

levifunk

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thank you to the Canadian BAs for pointing me toward some good beers while visiting...especially to hoser for the extra effort.

A- pour is red brown with low carbonation. Looks thick. Almost no head on an agitated pour.

S- caramel sweetness. Dark fruit. Alcohol, but not overly offensive. A bit of hops.

T- wow. Very sweet and fruity flavor. Then has an alcohol bite and a hops bitter bite. Seems to me to be either too young or not well balanced. There is a good array of flavors, its just that they are each quite harsh and don't flow with each other. I would hope time would mellow the beer out.

M- for as sweet and fruity as it is, it is really dry on the finish. It doesn't feel as thick as I thought it would. Carbonation is low but not out of range.

Overall- its not a bad beer, but there is definite room for improvement. If you have it, age it.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 08:04:20 | More by levifunk

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter. Copper colour with very thin white head. Smells of sweet caramel, brown sugar, dark fruite and some alcohol with a hint of hops. Flavour is quite sweet and alcoholic, but it works nicely. A bit syrupy in the mouthfeel, but it works for a barleywine. A very good beer from Alley Kat.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 18:49:59 | More by kwjd

alpineclimber

Alberta (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A rigorous pour produced a tall tan head on a ruby colored brew that is opaque. Very little head retention, good lacing on the glass.

The smell is of apple, caramel, esters and alcohol. All the individual smells combine to a high level of sweetness. Just the smell warms the body.

Taste is complex to say the least. Big fruits, with an emphasis on apples. A lot of malty goodness, sweet taste all around. There is a slight bitter finish. Mouth feel is not as thick as it could be but it's still on the heavier side. This barley wine is not as syrupy as others. The alcohol is there in the taste but not overpowering. Not only does this brew warm the gut it also goes to the head and fast.

A good barley wine. Whenever I find a good one, it goes in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 05:34:48 | More by alpineclimber

beerbum05

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Appearance - Medium head, medium amount of carbonation, red/light brown in colour, slight haze but mostly clear

Smell - Fruity and malty

Taste - Very strong ale taste, malts, definate alcohol bite at the end,

Overall - This was my first experience with a Barley Wine style of beer. It was a bit too strong for my liking. It had a nice taste initially but then the alcohol overpowers everything at the end.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 17:23:33 | More by beerbum05

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 2008 bottle into a tulip glass. I let it warm up a bit before opening, had an initial taste then let it warm up some more. A transparent red-brown. Very minimal head that rapidly dissipated. A strikingly unusual smell. Dark sugary earthy tones. Taste includes fruit, brown sugar but with a hoppy finish that cuts the sweetness. Overall nicely balanced. A surprisingly light feel for such a substantial beer. A sipper that could be drunk much faster.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 04:42:34 | More by scott451

eat

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

2008 vintage. An extra from a trade with Derek. Thanks a ton man! 10% ABV was crossed out with pen and rewritten as 11.3%.

Poured into a snifter. There was no head forming, so I up-ended the bottle in an attempt to get something happening. The head that did result, which only amounted to a thin covering, was most likely the slowest-to-rise I've ever seen. There was no head for literally three or four seconds before it formed, only to fade away mere seconds later, leaving a handful of large bubbles along the edge of the glass. I wasn't expecting much head at 11.3%, but being left with absolutely nothing is a bit extreme. I made sure the glass was impeccably clean, so it wasn't that. Opaque and a dull, woody brown. Can't say I'm too impressed with the appearance.

Lots of caramel, brown sugar, butter, alcohol, light floral hops. It initially smelled of dust, but that seems to have gone away as it sat. Quite sweet smelling, like a dessert.

When I poured this, it was much too cold and came off as cloying. After letting it warm to a suitable temperature, it's merely very sweet. There's a pretty significant bitterness helping to balance things out. Other than that: some caramel malt, cherry liqueur, really nice blend of earthy and floral hops, grain, light minerals. Big alcohol presence, though not unpleasant nor is it unexpected at 11.3%. Dry finish, with a lingering syrupiness.

The feel is good, syrupy medium body with light carbonation.

I was interested in acquiring this one because of its place on the Canadian Top 25. It's definitely an extreme beer amongst what's being brewed in Canada, but I found this to be sweet to a fault. I find it similar to Half Pints barley wine, but think that Burly Wine is a much better beer. I'm finding this to be a little difficult to drink, even as a sipper, due to the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 03:27:30 | More by eat

Dawkfan

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the 08 vintage I've been aging in the cellar.

A- This pours a copperish brown into a tulip glass. Orange/ruby tinges when held up to a light. Small tan colored head and not much lace to speak of, which is to be expected.

S- Sweet malts, brown sugar, dark fruits, and alcohol. I also get a little bit of hops as well.

T- This starts out very sweet from the malt, sugar, and dark fruit. It starts to turn bitter, but finishes sweet again. The alcohol is noticeable, but not overwhelming.

M- Thick & chewy, modest carbonation. A little heat from the booze remains in the mouth, especially with the more you drink.

D- Aging this has rounded out the flavors and helped with the bite from the alcohol. A nice brew from Alley Kat and one I look forward to every year.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 06:32:20 | More by Dawkfan

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a ruddy chocolatey brown with a thin head that quickly dissipates to a collar. Good clarity. No lacing to speak of.

The aroma is wonderfully fruity, with plums and raisins and prunes caramel and brown sugar and a good dose of alcohol.

The flavor is intense, as strong chocolate covered raisins meet caramel, plums, berries, prunes and a little nuttiness. Warming alcohol with just a hint of bitterness lingering in the dry finish.

This is full bodied, thick and chewy. Good carbonation. Very warming in the chest.

Overall a decent enough barley wine, nice and warming for the winter months.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2009 01:16:54 | More by MeisterBurger

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an 2009 dated bottle received in a trade with wordemupg. The label is great.

G: Pint Glass

A: Dark copper body allowing light to escape around the edges. One finger of head that dissipated into a thin ring. Moderate lacing.

S: I could smell sweet malts as soon as I pried the bottle open. Brown sugar, toffee, caramel mixture with some fruitiness.

T: Caramel, dark & sweet fruits, hint of apple and spices

M: Medium-thick bodied with medium carbonation. At first it feel smooth and creamy, but soon after the alcohol hit and leaves a slight burn. Caramel and alcohol linger in the throat.

D: Second barleywine I've tried and tastes so different. It's a fantastic brew with unique characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 03:20:44 | More by Long813