Old Ruffian Barley Wine | Great Divide Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Great Divide Brewing Company
Colorado, United States
greatdivide.com
Style: American Barleywine
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.20%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with its bold hop flavors and huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character come together to work wonders on your palate.
Added by gbontrag on 11-28-2004
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 2,484 | Reviews: 1,114
4.18/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1.91/5 rDev -54.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
3.75/5 rDev -10.7%
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
4.3/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.69/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.43/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
5/5 rDev +19%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Drinking on a 2 year old bottle that is maintaining a perfect head in my tulip glass. Perfect hoppiness. Best beer in the 10 ABV range I've had.
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look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Drinking on a 2 year old bottle that is maintaining a perfect head in my tulip glass. Perfect hoppiness. Best beer in the 10 ABV range I've had.
145 characters
4.17/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottled 2/1/16 (2 years ago today) poured into a snifter at fridge temp 10.2% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with orange & red highlights. The head is mocha colored and offers some lacing and a nice residual cap. The aroma is burnt sugar, a last bit of fading piney hops and rich malt. The taste is more burnt sugar, with substantial hop bitterness, that mellows into piney, malty heat on the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry. Overall, very good American barleywine. I prefer the more subtle English style but this is very nice at this age. It was purchased warm 5 months ago, so it's treatment could have been better.
683 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottled 2/1/16 (2 years ago today) poured into a snifter at fridge temp 10.2% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with orange & red highlights. The head is mocha colored and offers some lacing and a nice residual cap. The aroma is burnt sugar, a last bit of fading piney hops and rich malt. The taste is more burnt sugar, with substantial hop bitterness, that mellows into piney, malty heat on the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry. Overall, very good American barleywine. I prefer the more subtle English style but this is very nice at this age. It was purchased warm 5 months ago, so it's treatment could have been better.
683 characters
3.86/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.5/5 rDev -16.7%
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
4.34/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
3.75/5 rDev -10.7%
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
4.49/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Comes in a slightly hazy, but mostly translucent and transparent dark amber, almost brown color. The head produced is massive, much bigger than expected, and beige. Retention is very long, and sheets of lacing are left.
The aroma is massive dark fruits; cherry, plum, raisin, date, fig; molasses, tobacco, beef jerky, licorice, gingerbread, pumpernickel bread, orange marmalade, candied orange and grapefruit peels, pine needles, black tea.
The palate follows, huge amounts of cherry, date, fig, prune, and raisin balanced against molasses, toffee, licorice, star anise, and tobacco. There's a huge malt backbone of pumpernickel bread, toastiness, nuttiness, caramel, and fruity, light-roast coffee. The finish brings more spice, such as cinnamon, clove, and star anise; along with fennel, and pine sap. The aftertaste is intensely bitter, pine sap with clove/fennel spice, as well as lingering dried grapefruit peel.
The mouthfeel is medium-full instead of full-bodied, but what it lacks in chewiness or creaminess it makes up for sheer oiliness; with a brisk carbonation that movies it dangerously fast across the palate. It's slick and oozing without being heavy. An awesome greasy bready sensation, with bitter and balancing finish.
Overall, this is a great barleywine. It's nineteen months old, so the hop flavors have faded and oxidation has increased the dark fruits, I'm sure, but, reviewed for what it is, I like this a lot. An excellent sipper for cold nights!
1,487 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Comes in a slightly hazy, but mostly translucent and transparent dark amber, almost brown color. The head produced is massive, much bigger than expected, and beige. Retention is very long, and sheets of lacing are left.
The aroma is massive dark fruits; cherry, plum, raisin, date, fig; molasses, tobacco, beef jerky, licorice, gingerbread, pumpernickel bread, orange marmalade, candied orange and grapefruit peels, pine needles, black tea.
The palate follows, huge amounts of cherry, date, fig, prune, and raisin balanced against molasses, toffee, licorice, star anise, and tobacco. There's a huge malt backbone of pumpernickel bread, toastiness, nuttiness, caramel, and fruity, light-roast coffee. The finish brings more spice, such as cinnamon, clove, and star anise; along with fennel, and pine sap. The aftertaste is intensely bitter, pine sap with clove/fennel spice, as well as lingering dried grapefruit peel.
The mouthfeel is medium-full instead of full-bodied, but what it lacks in chewiness or creaminess it makes up for sheer oiliness; with a brisk carbonation that movies it dangerously fast across the palate. It's slick and oozing without being heavy. An awesome greasy bready sensation, with bitter and balancing finish.
Overall, this is a great barleywine. It's nineteen months old, so the hop flavors have faded and oxidation has increased the dark fruits, I'm sure, but, reviewed for what it is, I like this a lot. An excellent sipper for cold nights!
1,487 characters
3.84/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
(12 oz bottle, 10.2% abv, bottled on: Jan 18 2016, purchased dusty 4-pack this past weekend... poured into my Chouffe tulip)
L: rather clear, burnt-sienna-red liquid... puts up a tall stand of tan foam that recedes slowly... leaves quite a bit of lace, but foam thins out to a messy collar
S: med-dark caramel, hint of fig; caramelized grainy bread crust, almost pretzel-like... not really any bold 'hoppy' qualities left; alcohol is pretty mellow... overall decent potency
T: beefy caramel jerky and heavily dark-bready malty; mummified, grapefruity hops that play nicely with notes of sultana from the malt/booze; still quite a punchy, powerful, herbal bitterness that lingers long, exposing little residual sweetness; mellow spice in aftertaste... very much an American profile for the style
F: kinda plumpy plush and foamy - no real curvy definition in its body... low-volume heat in the finish... thin, soft blanket of residual gummy resins left behind... wish it had a little more snap-off in the finish, but this otherwise feels cozy and comforting - great for its age
O: pretty much what I look for in an American barleywine - reminds me a bit of Victory Old Ho, in this state... glad this seemed to have held up very well, not knowing what conditions in which this had been kept at the store (bought this at a store I hadn't been to in maybe as much as 5 years) - probably ought to go back and by the last 4-pack... shame if they are discontinuing this
1,466 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
(12 oz bottle, 10.2% abv, bottled on: Jan 18 2016, purchased dusty 4-pack this past weekend... poured into my Chouffe tulip)
L: rather clear, burnt-sienna-red liquid... puts up a tall stand of tan foam that recedes slowly... leaves quite a bit of lace, but foam thins out to a messy collar
S: med-dark caramel, hint of fig; caramelized grainy bread crust, almost pretzel-like... not really any bold 'hoppy' qualities left; alcohol is pretty mellow... overall decent potency
T: beefy caramel jerky and heavily dark-bready malty; mummified, grapefruity hops that play nicely with notes of sultana from the malt/booze; still quite a punchy, powerful, herbal bitterness that lingers long, exposing little residual sweetness; mellow spice in aftertaste... very much an American profile for the style
F: kinda plumpy plush and foamy - no real curvy definition in its body... low-volume heat in the finish... thin, soft blanket of residual gummy resins left behind... wish it had a little more snap-off in the finish, but this otherwise feels cozy and comforting - great for its age
O: pretty much what I look for in an American barleywine - reminds me a bit of Victory Old Ho, in this state... glad this seemed to have held up very well, not knowing what conditions in which this had been kept at the store (bought this at a store I hadn't been to in maybe as much as 5 years) - probably ought to go back and by the last 4-pack... shame if they are discontinuing this
1,466 characters
4.25/5 rDev +1.2%
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
4.25/5 rDev +1.2%
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
4.27/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tasted with 2.5 years of age on this one
L -- Pours a very dark filtered amber with a two-finger light tan head produced with aerated pour. Surprisingly good retention and lacing given the ABV and age
S -- Molasses, barley, oats, brown sugar, maple, booze, dark fruit, and caramel
T -- Good amount of molasses/caramel tasting malts. Decent tea-like hop bitterness in the background, alongside bourbon, berry, and grass
F -- Big mouthfeel, medium- carb. Fairly silky with a long-lasting, bitter finish
O -- An excellent candidate for aging. The hops mellow wonderfully and continue to complement the malt character
86/100
667 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tasted with 2.5 years of age on this one
L -- Pours a very dark filtered amber with a two-finger light tan head produced with aerated pour. Surprisingly good retention and lacing given the ABV and age
S -- Molasses, barley, oats, brown sugar, maple, booze, dark fruit, and caramel
T -- Good amount of molasses/caramel tasting malts. Decent tea-like hop bitterness in the background, alongside bourbon, berry, and grass
F -- Big mouthfeel, medium- carb. Fairly silky with a long-lasting, bitter finish
O -- An excellent candidate for aging. The hops mellow wonderfully and continue to complement the malt character
86/100
667 characters
4.27/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Yumm bozzy bourbony raisin juice.
33 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Yumm bozzy bourbony raisin juice.
33 characters
3.94/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Old Ruffian Barley Wine from Great Divide Brewing Company
Beer rating:
4.2 out of
5 with
2,484 ratings
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