XS Old Crustacean | Rogue Ales
Brewed by:
Rogue Ales
Oregon, United States
rogue.com
Style: American Barleywine
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.50%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Formerly "Old Crustacean"
8 Ingredients:
Hugh Baird Carastan and Rogue Micro Barley Farm DareTM & RiskTM Malts; Chinook and Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution & Freedom Hops, Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.
25º PLATO
110 IBU
83 AA
57º Lovibond
Added by BeerAdvocate on 01-03-2001
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,302 | Reviews: 716
3.79/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a reddish-brown, darker and leaning more towards the brown. Head is creamy, pillowy, leaves behind some nice lacing. Smell is molasses and pine, fairly faint. Taste is bready malt, molasses, pine, caramel, and dark fruits. Medium body. Really benefited from warming up, at first the bitterness from the hops was quite powerful, warmth allows for the softer fruit and sweet notes to come out.
397 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a reddish-brown, darker and leaning more towards the brown. Head is creamy, pillowy, leaves behind some nice lacing. Smell is molasses and pine, fairly faint. Taste is bready malt, molasses, pine, caramel, and dark fruits. Medium body. Really benefited from warming up, at first the bitterness from the hops was quite powerful, warmth allows for the softer fruit and sweet notes to come out.
397 characters
3.75/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.75/5 rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.27/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2016 bottling
Appearance: Pours a tawny burnt orange color with a rocky two finger ecru head; good retention and plenty of lacing action
Smell: Resinous pine tones abound, with notes of char, molasses, raisin, cherry and cocoa
Taste: Resinous, with cocoa and molasses forward; the raisin, cherry add a fruity dimension; through the middle, an earthy/piney bitterness builds powerfully as the 105 IBUs take over and dominate the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation
Overall: Not in the very top echelon of barleywines I have tasted but not far off, either
583 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2016 bottling
Appearance: Pours a tawny burnt orange color with a rocky two finger ecru head; good retention and plenty of lacing action
Smell: Resinous pine tones abound, with notes of char, molasses, raisin, cherry and cocoa
Taste: Resinous, with cocoa and molasses forward; the raisin, cherry add a fruity dimension; through the middle, an earthy/piney bitterness builds powerfully as the 105 IBUs take over and dominate the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation
Overall: Not in the very top echelon of barleywines I have tasted but not far off, either
583 characters
4.25/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A rich amber mahoganny hue which captures an array of glowing autumnal radiance. There's a thin veil of pillowy lace that rests atop. Has a strong note of diesel on first whiff which develops into a burnt caramel sweetness. The sip is reminiscent of an oaked cognac with flavors that dance on your palate.
305 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A rich amber mahoganny hue which captures an array of glowing autumnal radiance. There's a thin veil of pillowy lace that rests atop. Has a strong note of diesel on first whiff which develops into a burnt caramel sweetness. The sip is reminiscent of an oaked cognac with flavors that dance on your palate.
305 characters
4.89/5 rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This is the 2013, in my cellar for five years. And it is sublime, a really heavenly beer drinking experience. It is only fair to say though that after five years in the bottle it’s not very beautiful. It does have a nice head, even after this long, and a nice orangish barleywine glow, but it’s a bit muddy at this point. But the aroma is a different matter entirely, one of the most wonderful I have ever encountered. Sharp with hops - again, even after five years - rich with honeyed malts, it is so powerful that is just explodes into my olfactory senses. And the taste is just as amazing, so complex that it is different with every sip. There are berries and caramel and smoke and brown sugar and tart apples and much, much more. The feel is excellent, with balanced body and carbonation. Fabulous, one of the best beers to ever come out of my cellar.
Update: tonight I cracked another that had been in the cellar for two years (though dated 2015). It’s excellent, but not nearly the equal of the 5-year-old. I’d give it somewhere in the 4.3 range.
1,071 characters
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This is the 2013, in my cellar for five years. And it is sublime, a really heavenly beer drinking experience. It is only fair to say though that after five years in the bottle it’s not very beautiful. It does have a nice head, even after this long, and a nice orangish barleywine glow, but it’s a bit muddy at this point. But the aroma is a different matter entirely, one of the most wonderful I have ever encountered. Sharp with hops - again, even after five years - rich with honeyed malts, it is so powerful that is just explodes into my olfactory senses. And the taste is just as amazing, so complex that it is different with every sip. There are berries and caramel and smoke and brown sugar and tart apples and much, much more. The feel is excellent, with balanced body and carbonation. Fabulous, one of the best beers to ever come out of my cellar.
Update: tonight I cracked another that had been in the cellar for two years (though dated 2015). It’s excellent, but not nearly the equal of the 5-year-old. I’d give it somewhere in the 4.3 range.
1,071 characters
4.19/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.5/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.5/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.43/5 rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
2013 edition
L: pours clear bronze color with a finger of off white head
S: sweet caramel and raisins with slight bitterness
T: big bitterness throughout, a touch a caramel sweetness.
F: thick, but with lots of carbonation and a dry finish.
243 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
2013 edition
L: pours clear bronze color with a finger of off white head
S: sweet caramel and raisins with slight bitterness
T: big bitterness throughout, a touch a caramel sweetness.
F: thick, but with lots of carbonation and a dry finish.
243 characters
3.68/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a rusty brownish amber color, the malty tones, the 1/4" light tan head, more off white I guess. Aroma of booziness and caramel maltiness.
Taste drops a substantial amount of that foresty pacnw Chinook hop when you have this one fresh. This one transforms similar to Bigfoot when aged. Sticky caramel malt and maris otter draped all over this one. While it is plenty warming, the alcohol doesn't stay too heavy for too long. A very slight impression of wood from the malt tone. I figure this one clocks in around 90 ibu. This one drinks somewhere between old school barleywines like Old Foghorn and Bigfoot. Not as sweet as the Anchor, but not as hoppy as the Sierra Nevada.
689 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a rusty brownish amber color, the malty tones, the 1/4" light tan head, more off white I guess. Aroma of booziness and caramel maltiness.
Taste drops a substantial amount of that foresty pacnw Chinook hop when you have this one fresh. This one transforms similar to Bigfoot when aged. Sticky caramel malt and maris otter draped all over this one. While it is plenty warming, the alcohol doesn't stay too heavy for too long. A very slight impression of wood from the malt tone. I figure this one clocks in around 90 ibu. This one drinks somewhere between old school barleywines like Old Foghorn and Bigfoot. Not as sweet as the Anchor, but not as hoppy as the Sierra Nevada.
689 characters
4.24/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L - murky brown with some clarity near the bottom and around the edges with a large tan head that sticks around and leaves a decent amount lacing behind.
S - Sweet bready malt with bitter hops - otherwise a really faint smell.
T - Sweet bready malt and barely up front followed behind by bitter hops. Intermixed are notes of caramel and dried fruits as well as some citrus.
F - Medium to full bodied with a light to medium amount of carbonation. Somewhat chewy.
O - A really nice standard barelywine - everything seems pretty spot on and done very well with nothing crazy or over the top.
592 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L - murky brown with some clarity near the bottom and around the edges with a large tan head that sticks around and leaves a decent amount lacing behind.
S - Sweet bready malt with bitter hops - otherwise a really faint smell.
T - Sweet bready malt and barely up front followed behind by bitter hops. Intermixed are notes of caramel and dried fruits as well as some citrus.
F - Medium to full bodied with a light to medium amount of carbonation. Somewhat chewy.
O - A really nice standard barelywine - everything seems pretty spot on and done very well with nothing crazy or over the top.
592 characters
3.54/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
4.01/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Served in a snifter glass from a fresh 2017 bottle.
Appearance: dark amber color coming off with medium bubbles creating an orange tinted white head rising just about two finger's length off the body. Lacing not sticky at all, drops quickly after the first sip.
Smell: light malt scent not exactly super strong.
Taste: Softly bitter and touch of honey consisting of floral and citrus. Hybrid brew which crosses the plane of IPA and barley wine.
Mouth: sticky brew which I'm painting with chips and you feel that after taste just linger.
Overall: Very good brew but deceiving in regards to the name. Not exactly barleywine, but still a pretty good beer. Always in a glass and I say if you see it on a shelf grab it. Salud!
731 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Served in a snifter glass from a fresh 2017 bottle.
Appearance: dark amber color coming off with medium bubbles creating an orange tinted white head rising just about two finger's length off the body. Lacing not sticky at all, drops quickly after the first sip.
Smell: light malt scent not exactly super strong.
Taste: Softly bitter and touch of honey consisting of floral and citrus. Hybrid brew which crosses the plane of IPA and barley wine.
Mouth: sticky brew which I'm painting with chips and you feel that after taste just linger.
Overall: Very good brew but deceiving in regards to the name. Not exactly barleywine, but still a pretty good beer. Always in a glass and I say if you see it on a shelf grab it. Salud!
731 characters
3.5/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.27/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.06/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
XS Old Crustacean from Rogue Ales
Beer rating:
4.01 out of
5 with
1,302 ratings
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