Barrel Aged Old Toad Barleywine
Bullfrog Brewery

Barrel Aged Old Toad BarleywineBarrel Aged Old Toad Barleywine
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Bullfrog Brewery
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.28 | pDev: 7.71%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
36
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 04, 2013
Added:
Jan 27, 2009
Wants:
  52
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

Feb 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Jan 09, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by afksports from New York

Apr 24, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by whallgren from Pennsylvania

Dec 30, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Dec 10, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by deapokid from Pennsylvania

Nov 25, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by jh1982 from Nevada

Nov 24, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by sideshowe from Pennsylvania

Nov 16, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 4.5 by orangesol from Pennsylvania

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of JAXSON
Reviewed by JAXSON from Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
2009 rate. 750ml bottle poured into a snifter. I probably should have more fully gotten over my cold before I drank this one, but I think my rating is legit. Really malty on the nose with a whiff of bourbon. Pours a really pretty clear garnet with a thin ring of tiny bubbles. Weird cobweb shapes persist after the head fades. Really pretty to look at, like most Bullfrog beers. Heavy malt presence, and a very rich, lush tone. Not overly fruity, but nuanced and refined. Really good, especially as it warms. Cherry skins come to mind. I wish the malt character was somewhat softer, and maybe more thickness in the mouth, but overall this is another great beer from Bullfrog. *In retrospect this beer was much better fresh (2009) as the malt was more prominent and the body more complex.

Late 2010 rate. Downgrading this a bit as the caramel malt has fallen off a bit. This is a bit more disjointed now, though still pretty nice. Released the same time as Wooden Hell and on par with it initially, the two beers have gone in opposite directions. Some leafy oxidation in the finish that's distracting.
Jun 15, 2011
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

3.72/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to iceicebaby for sharing this one. Served in a tasting snifter.

A - Pours with minimal carbonation - a thin ring of bubbles and a few wisps floating on top, with some microscopic dots of lace left behind. Hazy dark ruby-brown color.

S - Apples, treacle, toasted grains, some fruity and estery alcohol, leather, and a little too much oak for my liking. Not very much bourbon/whiskey character at all.

T - Caramel apples, oak, alcohol, and a somewhat unpleasant bitter and astringent finish. Not sure if it's from citrus hops or oak (or both), but it verges on walnuts for me.

M - Low carbonation, sticky and full-bodied, light but appropriate alcohol heat, and a tannic oaky finish. Pretty good for the style.

D - Not a bad beer, but finish is overly bitter and astringent and oak tends to dominate in general. It's not a bad beer by any stretch, but doesn't compare favorably to the other barleywines we sampled - even the overcarbonated 6-year-old BA Old Salty. I'd give it another shot to see if oxidation and storage conditions played a part, but I wouldn't actively seek this out again.
Apr 18, 2011
Photo of BigMcLargeHuge
Reviewed by BigMcLargeHuge from Arizona

4.2/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Tasted at the big "SeaBass has got to go" tasting and big thanks to askofficerfriendly, over on ratebeer, for this one. Pours kind of amber with ruby copper hues and off white head. The aroma is a bit of grapefruit hops, some spicy hops, sweet malts, mild caramel and some molasses too. The taste has a tasty mix of prunes and molasses and then going toward sweet bourbon and just an hint of wood about midway. To the finish I get the addition of muted aged pine hops, some sugary sweet malts, more bourbon and a sense of oak where the bourbon begins to get a bit harsh but still totally in control and largely smooth and yummy. Deep into the after taste notes of caramel candy, pine hops and grapefruit linger on and on and force you to go back from another taste.
Feb 13, 2011
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks for sharing this, Jeff.

Cloudy, muddy copper. Low carbonation, no head.

Leather and tobacco on the nose; lot of oxidation, but in a very good way. Fruitcake, dates, mildly mineral and metallic, pleasantly so. Plenty of musty oak barrel, but just a touch of bourbon.

Tastes very good. Molasses, dates, prunes. Really nice port-like oxidation. Some mineral-metallic flavor in the finish. Medium-full body. Brash oak in the finish, subtle bourbon flavors. Little bit of pleasant tannic astringency. This is certainly one of the better Bullfrog beers out there.
Feb 10, 2011
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

4.52/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Review from notes taken on 11/26/10. On tap at Capone's black Friday event amongst a few other BA's like Foofaa, murren and stormking47. The consensus between a few of us was that we made this trip pretty much exclusively for this brew and whatever else might have been on tap was an added bonus.

Poured into a wine glass, this brew appears a lightly hazed brown color that has reddish hues. There is little to no head outside of a few tan bubbles that appear when the brew is swirled. Faint spotty lace clings to the glass.

The aroma of this brew is vanilla and fruit. Lots of vanilla sweetness and a pungent amount of alcohol. There are light woodsy notes, a bit of rasins and just an overall candied sweetness that is very pleasant.

The taste of this brew includes a bold amount of whiskey accented alcohol with oak notes and a smoothness of vanilla that is a bit sweet. A contrasting moderate bitterness is included tasting earthy in the finish with the hops and oak lasting. The aftertaste of this brew has a faint nuttiness and a touch of oxidation.

This is a medium to full bodied brew that is light in carbonation. A very bold example with enjoyable depth and complexity. The fruity alcohol taste was very enjoyable making this easy drinking. A mighty fine sipper that I would love to have again.
Dec 13, 2010
Photo of StormKing47
Reviewed by StormKing47 from Pennsylvania

4.62/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
The one I traveled to Capone's Black Friday event with cmurren25 and stakem. Unbelievable, but I traveled 2 hours to try it. Enjoyed this masterpiece on tap. Here goes...

A- Appears right on for a beer of this style. It is a simple dirty looking light brown with a reddish tinge that is reminiscent of I hate to say it mud. Does not have the right away noticeable redder color that many thinner barleywines have. This one looks extremely full bodied that is accompanied with a very thin white head. Very odd and enticing.

S- Boom, right away an explosion of vanilla, oak and fruity esters like raisins and some fruit sweetness. Cannot believe that it smells this amazing, has a ridiculous sweet smelling of a deep vanilla from the oak and big malt profile. The fruity tones I am picking up are of raisins and others that are difficult to pick apart because I am overwhelmed with the explosion in my nose. I am going to say plums, darker skinned fruits and almost a brown sugar. Smell is unbelievable.

T- Wooowwweee. I cannot believe I missed the bottle release of this beer. After having Wooden Hell, this is as close as I think I will ever get again to that one. It is ridiculous how much of the in your face oak, caramel and vanilla taste blend with the fruity undertones. I cannot get enough and want to order another as soon as I am done. The warming I am experiencing from the high abv are noticeable, but welcomed in my opinion. The flavors are blending well the oak earthiness, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, plums, raisins and a little faint hop subtlety are all pleasant experience and create a masterpiece.

M- I am honestly in disbelief. It coats my mouth like syrup and covers your entire tongue so you can taste everything. The carbonation is wonderful, the full body is present and it just wants to stay in your gums, cheeks and under your tongue so it reminds you of how much of a masterpiece it is. All this from a simple oak barrel is blowing my mind.

D- The high abv of this beer is masterfully hidden, I want to drink more and more of this one because it is so god damn tasty. It's similar in taste and complexity to Wooden Hell which I will probably catch shit for, but anybody who has had both can attest it really is a wonderfully drinkable high abv barleywine.

Fantastic job Terry, please bring this masterpiece out of retirement for all to enjoy. If Wooden Hell is the prom queen Barrel Aged Old Toad is the prom queen's smoking hot freshman sister. Can you make that choice?
Nov 28, 2010
Photo of jimbomill
Reviewed by jimbomill from New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this on-tap at Capone's yesterday for their Black Friday extravaganza. It was my first beer of the day and it was a winner as early as I saw it coming - a nice but light reddish tinge to the eyes was co-greeted with a clear nose indicating 'barleywine'. Taste was slightly crisp, a bit of a surprise I found it to be.
The mouthfeel matched the taste and was delicious, finish hinted at some fruitiness, perhaps raisin?
I fought off the desire to stick with this Bourbon Barrel aged offering as there were many other fine selections on Matt's On-Tap list.
Nov 27, 2010
Photo of BARFLYB
Reviewed by BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On Tap at Capone's for their annual black friday event, is there anything this man cant procure, it's baffling me.

Old Toad came to me looking dark brown, or extremely burnt copper that is dead on for the style, much darker than the Gratitude right next to it. Just a bit of white whisp on the top which is nice to see in a wood aged 11 percent monster. No lace. Smell is a boatload of toasted malt coupled with caramel and bourbon scents that's knocking my socks off. If this tastes half as good as it smells, i'll be sitting pretty. My god, the taste is just LARGE. The bourbon is strong, yet not overpowering. The vanilla is up there and Im smiling. Oak as well with some figs, plum, a small roast, and a small, extremely small hint of past hoppings. Barley and a hint of alcohol. At this point this is more English in nature, but brewed here in the keystone state, dagnambit. Feel is above medium approaching full, smooth and not really hot at all. It's a sipper for sure, so gulping is not really an option. It coats up the mouth for a few afterwards as well, all in all a winner. I only had one glass of this and seriously considered another. If your holding bottles of this right now, get to drinking, cause this is gggrrrreeeeat.
Nov 27, 2010
Photo of koopa
Reviewed by koopa from New Jersey

4.37/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On tap at Capone's Black Friday event yesterday.

Appearance: Pours a caramel brown with a small 1 finger khaki crown that displays moderate retention and lace.

Smell: Caramel, brown sugar, oak, and a hint of vanilla. Very nice.

Taste: Same as nose but with figs, a hint of bourbon, and a bit of plum to add some fruitiness.

Mouthfeel: Light side of full bodied with a slightly hypnotic creaminess.

Drinkability: Very good despite the abv. This brew was a pleasant surprise on tap.
Nov 27, 2010
Photo of oglmcdgl
Reviewed by oglmcdgl from Pennsylvania

4.52/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at capones on black friday.

A- no head just a small ring around the glass and a bit of stick on the sides. Slightly hazy deep copper orange in color with a touch of a red glow.

S- loads of vanilla and toasted nutty malts. The wood comes through and with it some brown sugar sweetness.

T- caramel and vanilla, peaches and plums with bruleed sugar on top. Toasted oak and cashews. Some earthy hops make a move in the middle and add a depth that helps bring it all together. The oak is just beautifully done in this brew.

M- on the fuller side of body with a creamy small bubbled carb that work so damn well with this brew I'm blown away. Some heat does start to claw its way in as it warms but on this cold black friday surrounded by good people its a welcomed heat.

D- a masterfully constructed brew and some of the best use of oak I've ever come across. Blown away by this one.
Nov 26, 2010
Barrel Aged Old Toad Barleywine from Bullfrog Brewery
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 36 ratings