Olde Bluehair Barley Wine - Big Sky Brewing Company

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.35/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to AgentZero for sharing this unusual brew.

A - It pours a sappy golden hue, and has a big foamy tan head that looks like pancake batter.

S - The nose is strange; it initially led me to suspect that the brew is possibly infected, but as I taste it, and smell it some more, I am convinced that it is just strange. Apricots, dark corn syrup, citric hops and vanilla come together in Olde Bluehair for an unholy communion of unfortunate proportions. Well, its not quite on the 'unholy' level, I just wanted to use the phrase, really.

T - The taste is more bizarre than the aroma; there is something 'off' here, though I cannot exactly put my finger on it. The taste is generally comprised of dried medium fruit, especially apricot and papaya, dry grassiness and rotten oak, grainy corn syrup notes, some weird chalky note and general disagreement between the incongruous elements of the flavor.

M - The feel is unspecial. It is sticky and soft, not tremendously enhancing.

O - Ha! This beer was on my 'wants' for a long time, along with Ivan; glad I didn't trade for this one in particular.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 06:30:05 | More by ktrillionaire

snaotheus

Washington

2.55/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

750ml bottle poured into an oversized snifter

I'm a little concerned about this bottle, there was almost no hiss when I popped the top. Don't know if it's normally pretty still, or if something happened.

Basically no head. Basically no carbonation. This detracts from the appearance. I know that barleywines are not usually that active, but there's nothing going on here. Color is a nice rich deep bronzey brown, maybe slightly cloudy. Smell is alcohol with a background of smoke and wood.

Taste is sweet and sour and smokey, alcohol comes out quite a bit. A little astringent.

Mouthfeel is flat, a little watery. Due to too much alcohol in the flavor and unpleasant flatness, I have not enjoyed this much.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 02:56:52 | More by snaotheus

matttttYCE

Arizona

2.65/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

2010 Vintage, #2618 of 3000

Appearance - Poured into my Stone IRS balloon/snifter glass. Head is very frothy and luscious, about 1 1/2 finger high and off-white colored. Head fades very slowly. Moderate sticky lacing. Color of the brew is a root beer color with red highlights when held to the light.

Smell - Smell is...interesting to say the least. I get lots of sweet caramel malts, caramel, butterscotch, sweet fruit, apricot, a bit of plum possibly, honey, interesting slight tart notes and slight smell of apple juice or apple cider, along with some light notes of Bourbon and vanilla in the background. Really not at all what I was expecting from the aroma. Seems a bit disjointed as a whole. There's a slight chance this bottle is infected but more so I think it's just the odd way the brew smells.

Taste - Taste is pretty similar to the nose. Lots of sweet caramel malts, caramel and molasses, butterscotch, sweet fruit, apricot, fig, honey, toffee, slight Bourbon and vanilla notes, and again those slight hints of tartness and apple juice or apple cider. It's an off taste to me, but I think that may just be how the brewer intended it to be and not an infected bottle.

Mouthfeel - Consistency is silky smooth, carbonation is higher than I would have liked for a barrel aged Barleywine, round would probably describe it. Body is medium, slightly chewy, finish is medium. Leaves a taste of sweetness, caramel malt, toffee, and fruit/tart/green apple tastes in my mouth.

Overall - If this isn't infected, it's really not to my liking. There's the possibility that I got an infected bottle or that there is a good deal of bottle variation. Whatever I had, I didn't really care for it. I'll try the next vintage I can get my hands on to compare to this one (especially to see if there may have just been an infection in this bottle, but I don't think that's the case).

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 22:55:02 | More by matttttYCE

waltonc

Colorado

2.75/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Had a bottle of this with JoeySchlitz a couple nights ago. Pours completely flat and looks like juice. Smells almost good, but there's a slight hint of cheese that is off-putting. If it weren't for that, this would smell good. Tastes rich and buttery, sweet butterscotch notes. Not hoppy at all (no complaints about that). Not a very refined or polished taste, but pretty unique. Mouthfeel is where this is really lacking. Absolutely no carbonation makes this a bit disgusting after only a few sips. Big Sky should do something to fix the carbonation. Perhaps force carbonate it? Why in the world is this sold in 750 ml bottles? 6 oz would be better.

4/24/09 Update: Had this on tap at Monk's Kettle, and it was much better than the bottled version. None of the cheese, and it was well-carbonated. I'd give it a 4.3 overall on tap.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 22:52:28 | More by waltonc

brian23456

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle #1183/1800, poured into a couple large snifters.

A- Starts with a big head as far as BW's go, dies down to a thin ring. Reddish brown color, not much for lacing.

S- Caramel, brown sugar, raisins, alcohol and a very tiny amount of bourbon. All the smells are very faint though, actually not much smell at all.

T- Hmmm.. I may be tasting everything I smelled. But its hard to tell because the flavor is just as muted as the smell.

M- Light body, low carbonation and some warmth.

D- Goes down easy, very unoffensive and well-balanced.

A little dissapointing overall but definatley not bad. Just really plain and forgetable.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 05:41:05 | More by brian23456

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Foamy as hell. Murky red. Looks light and overcarbonated.

Smell - Light malt notes. A ton of bourbon and a little oak.

Taste - Oaky and astringent. Overcarbonated. Caramel comes through more here as the bourbon is lighter. Nothing special in the flavor. Maybe a little fruity.

Mouthfeel - Way overcarbonated. Astringent and dry. Kinda ruins the experience.

Overall - The flavors are ok, but it's mouthfeel is a tremendous let down. Thin, kinda they way I felt about Ivan the Terrible.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 22:42:21 | More by Alieniloquium

Spider889

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review from notes.

Pours with a super tall head of an off-white linen color. Decent lace.

Smells very sweet for a barleywine. Brown sugar and sweet oaky tannins.

The taste has a mild char flavor to it, oak, cherry and vanilla flavors.

Overall this is just a little 'off' for a typical barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 06:58:52 | More by Spider889

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle. #2062 of 3000. Poured into a tulip glass a murky orange, apricot color with a light tan head. Sweet aroma in the nose of fruit and slight citrus hops. Very subtle aroma for a Barley Wine. Sweet start wtih some latent hops. Pretty smooth but not extremely flavorful. Nice head retention though.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 14:07:50 | More by kbutler1

harrymel

Washington

3.3/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2010
Nice dark cherry color with a solid thick sheet of light caramel foam. Smells of toffee, caramel, nougat, vanilla, oak, some hints of alcohol and a touch of graham. Nice nose. Tastes of sweet malts, toffee, a bit of toasted sugar, some grassy hops(?), a little bit of alcohol. Medium on thin actually with low carb and a semi dry finish. A decent beer, not $15 decent, but worth a taste in the right situation.

Vintage 2010
Original review (Jan, 2011): 4/3.5/3.5/4.5/3.5 - 3.63
A: Ale pours a beautiful deep cinnamon building a two fingers maple creamy head. This dissipates over the next few minutes to thick blanket of the same. The beer is like maple syrup, with caramel hues, this is a looker. Laces stick to the sides with little effort.
S: I poured this several times, and each time, the nose is dominated by green apple skins. After several minutes, the beer really opens up and toffee, caramel, malts come through beautifully. Slight tea aromas come through and balance out the sweetness. Vanilla oak low to slight in the nose.
T: A bit warm. No, quite warm. The ABV is not well concealed here. The malts come through and dance among the oak notes which stand out much further than in the nose. Lower bittering on this one, can't say I like this, but not very disappointed either. Can see this one really shining through in another year.
M: Sticky, thick, viscous beer. Wow, super sticky. Heavy with medium carbonation. I'm impressed with the velvety feel with which this presents.
D: I think the beer is good, but not quite as good as maybe say Mirror Mirror or some others. More malt forward than many popular Barley wines, which I like. This is a good beer, but not a great one. Worth a try, but I would split the cost if I could.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 06:30:12 | More by harrymel

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a deep amber color with a small dirty white head, not much carbonation going on. Nose is faint but I did find some dried fruits, brown sugar, oak, bourbon and caramel.Taste is dried fruits, vanilla, oak, bourbon, dried fruits, brown sugar. There was an off, astringent like taste, ABV is very tolerable keeping iot very drinkable and not masking the flavors. Mouthfeel is nice creamy, coating and sugary.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2010 02:50:07 | More by barleywinefiend

BigMcLargeHuge

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled at Toronado 2009 Barleywine Festival.
Pours clear deep copper with thin tan head. The modest aroma has notes of prunes, figs and sweet crystal malts. The taste starts rich and sweet with malt, fig raisin and plum sweetness. Midway and to the finish alcohol chemical notes show up along with a layer of pine hop bitterness. Could use some more age to mellow a bit. It does have a mildly drying malt roastiness into the finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 22:20:33 | More by BigMcLargeHuge

hopfacebrew

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Stone, though the abv on the beer menu clearly lists 8.75% ABV. Served in a snifter. Arrives a couldy deep dark amber color with ruby colored edges in the light. One finger beige head with good retention and lacing. The nose is earthy with hints of oak, dark fruit, roasted barley, and a leathery character. A touch of bourbon. The flavor starts with a raisin and fig fruitiness similar to the fruit found on the tongue. Hints of bourbon and vanilla. Mild bitterness. Medium bodied and finishes with a lingering taste of toasted oak. As it warms the vanilla and malt are more prevalent and overcome the strong boozy character. Overall, I found the beer to be a bit...harsh. Very complex though doesn't seem to be mellowed, yet.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2012 14:06:12 | More by hopfacebrew

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Chestnut with a touch of tan head, no retention or lace.

S: Plenty of wine/dark-fruit, caramel & raisins with a boozie alcohol aroma.

T: Raisins, caramel, brown sugar, balanced bitterness, fairly boozie for its strengh.

M: Light residual sweetness, modest carbonation.

D: A decent drinker.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2009 18:21:17 | More by Derek

oline73

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 bottle poured into a tasting snifter.

Pours a murky red amber color. This one looks to be super over carbonated. The smell is sweet. I'm getting dark fruit, caramel, and a hint of vanilla. The carbonation distracts from the taste, which is pretty good otherwise. Lots of caramel malts and some vanilla from the barrel. The bourbon is smooth with just a touch of alcohol burn.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 13:54:03 | More by oline73

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml, 2010 vintage, bottle 2126/3000, shared with shadowane.

Pours a cloudy, dark amber color with golden ruby edges and a one finger frothy, yellowish beige head. Very good retention slowly fading into a lasting ring that leaves chunks of lacing behind.

Musty, earthy aroma with lots of dark fruit, leather and wood. Nice barrel in the nose with toasted oak and vanilla notes but only subtle bourbon. Lots of leathery malts as well as some fig and raisin.

Medium body with soft carbonation up front with a strong barrel presence that's a bit harsh with lots of toasted oak and sweet booz. As it warms there is some vanilla and the sweeter malts and dark fruit notes shine. Leathery and musty with some sweet caramel and nut along with hints of fig, plum and apple.  Decent but kind of harsh up front. Finishes nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 08:37:01 | More by corby112

trbergman

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 bottling, poured into a cervoise.

A - Hazy auburn body with a tall, pillowy taupe head.

S - Rich caramel and toffee malts, fig, tobacco, vanilla, bourbon.

T - Sweet and malty, with toffee, fig and raisin, tobacco, and bourbon. Not very intense.

M - Starts off overcarbonated, but a little swirling and waiting take care of that. Slick, smooth, and surprisingly light. In the finish there's a gentle prickle of bourbon heat.

D - Very quaffable, but not terribly exciting.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 04:40:24 | More by trbergman

GregSVT

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into a snifter - 2011 Vintage, bottle #341

A: Pours dark dark red with a huge tan head that fades to a layering and leaves a ton of lacing on the glass. Maybe a bit overcarbed.

S: The nose starts with big notes of dark fruits, citrus, toffee, and an odd rye aroma. Was expecting more bourbon and barrel notes in the nose and didn't get much.

T: The taste is a step up from the nose with flavors of toffee, red dark fruits, vanilla, bread, and malt.

M: The feel is medium with a bit too much carbonation.

O: I was expecting a bit more from this one but it wasn't too bad. It definitely improved as it warmed and I would love to see this with a few more years of age.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 02:33:23 | More by GregSVT

mikedrinksbeer2

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes, on-tap into snifter.

A - Deep hazy amber nearing brown in color with a minimal head that leaves some spot cling remains.

S - Toasty malt scent, hint of alcohol.

T - Strong, mirrors the scent, maily malty sweet with an slight alcohol finish.

M - Slightly sticky, un-carbonated, decent.

O - A nice offering, but not my favorite Big Sky brew. Recommended to Barleywine fans.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2011 04:31:47 | More by mikedrinksbeer2

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 1/22/11 notes. Thanks to Lunch for sharing this one; thanks Paul, been wanting to try it.

a - Pours a mahogany brown color with two inches of frothy white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of caramel malts, fruit, oak, bourbon.

t - Tastes of strong bourbon, roasted malts, oak, and caramel malts. Little bit too much alcohol in the taste; a bit harsh.

m - Medium to full body and moderate carbonation.

d - A nice barleywine but a little harsh in the taste. Probably would be better with some age on it. Would like to have again with some time on it.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 02:56:19 | More by mdfb79

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Foiled 750ml bottle, #1575/1800. Big thanks to ritzkiss for bringing this rare one to the epic barleywine tasting.

Pours a lightly hazed reddish brown, some orange, thin off white head forms, settles down to a thin ring, a few lace spots stick.

Smell is nice, caramel and brown sugar, big sweetness, buttery, oak, vanilla, bourbon, some citrus, very fruity, raisin and alcohol, barrel character is quite nice.

Taste is nice too, vanilla and wood jump out, bourbon, caramel/toffee, brown sugar, raisin, lots of dark fruit, lots of alcohol, a bit of a rough wood character, but nice stuff.

Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied with low carbonation, some warmth going down. A pretty enjoyable BA barleywine. Thanks Preric!

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 19:11:14 | More by Viggo

oberon

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2010 bottle number #1976 of 3000.
10.5% ABV.
Poured a fizzy brass tinged medium brown,again a rather fizzy one finger off white head atop.Toasty oak and vanilla aromas with a bit of caramel,mainly all barrel aged aromas here,flavors are toasty with heavy vanilla and caramel,just a slight drying earthiness in the finish.As the beer warmed more malt nuances came into play like dark fruit and some cakiness.Its a bit sharp in the mouth but not to annoying,its pretty good but a little one dimensional with the barrel aging really taking over the beer.I dont think its worth the big price paid.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 23:18:54 | More by oberon

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

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

Shared this bottle with ThePeskyDingo and DerrickBerg.

Bottle 1190/1800.

Poured into New Belgium Globe Glass.

Doesn't pour much of a head, but is slightly off-white. Still leaves some lace rings. Color is a deep cloudy burnt copper. Very appealing.

Smell is of booze off the top. Dark dried fruits. Molasses. Dried cherries. Bready malts. Some pine hops, a very complex aroma.

Taste is very malty at first. Bready, boozy, dried fruits (mainly cherries), molasses. I am having a hard time picking out all of the flavors because of the alcohol. Slight licorice flavor. Very complex flavor. I got the vanilla flavor out of it after I read the bottle. This beer also has a wood/bourbon flavor (similar to that in BCS).

Mouthfeel is smooth but way too boozy. Goes down easy but leaves a mouth full of alcohol for an aftertaste. Feels like I just took a shot of vodka. But it is clean.

Overall, this was a very boozy barlywine. Way different from the previous two I had, which were very hoppy. If you can find this, it is worth a shot, but have some good buddies to share it with.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 03:47:19 | More by mothman

caskstrength

Minnesota

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

Another bourbon barleywine, a style I generally like. . 2010 bottle. 2000 something out of 3000.

Holy carbonation! Too much, but an aggressive pour and lots of swirling gets it normalized. Bottle conditioned, not sure if that ultimately helps this beer or not.

Nice dark orange appearance. Head all over the place. Smells boozy, spicy, fruity. Hops if you're looking. Young, I think.

Tastes fruity (apricots, yellow raisins) and boozy. Hops at the end. Some oak. More "in your face" booze, less of the vanilla/wood complexity that's in the best barrel aged brews. But it's still there, a little.

This beer needs some time alone.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 00:00:30 | More by caskstrength

bum732

Maryland

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

2011 vintage

S: Slight bourbon and oak, caramel and toffee sweetness

L: Cloudy, brown, big light tan head with great retention and lacing.

T: Rich maltiness up front with a sweet bourbon backbone. Medium herbal bitterness with some hints of dark fruits. Some caramel as well, but not too sweet. Finishes semi-dry with some earthiness and slight alcohol.

M: Medium high carbonation, medium light bodied.

Not bad, nice blend of bourbon and malt. Don't know why the wanted the carbonation to be so high. Really detracts from the flavor, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 04:22:13 | More by bum732

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.91/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.5

750ml corked and caged bottle. 2012 bottle marked 2856 of 3240. also says it's 12.0% ABV.

Great cloudy ruby look, silky off-white head. Smell is very wooden and reeks of rubbing alcohol. Also lots of dark fruits; raisins, prunes, fermented grapes. Taste is much better thankfully: sweet woody malts, the dark fruit, hint of cheap bourbon. High amount of carbonation for the style, and the bourbon sticks around on the tongue.

I'd love to have another for aging.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 05:55:10 | More by jimmah120