Old Ruffian
Great Divide Brewing Company

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
by Sigmund from Norway

1 pint 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.2%. Dark orange to brown colour, hazy. Big and lasting pale orange to beige head. The sweetish aroma has notes of pine, ripe fruits, raisins and molasses. Full and warming mouthfeel. Rich flavour with loads of malty sweetness, notes of raisins, caramel, molasses and udefined fruit, while the high IBU makes itself known towards the end, through a substantial and resinous hoppy bitterness.

Mar 20, 2021

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
by MesaDan from Minnesota

Nov, '20 bottle aged since 1/28/16: Good nose of sweet dark fruit; Amber hue with tan head & good lace; medium mouthfeel w/ smooth effervescent carbonation; taste is bitter raisins and dank fig/date; dry quenching finish that retains bitter bark notes. For me, I would like to see a bit better balance with sweet to bitter, but my review reflects what the brewery says about their beer.

Nov 18, 2020

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by stevoj from Idaho

Barley wine bottle share on 1/31. Poured a crimson/ruby red w/ a thin soap like head. Aroma of hops, fairly astringent. The palate was smooth and slickly The flavor was bitter hops followed by sweet citrus and malts..Incredibly good and tasty.

Jul 19, 2020

4.06/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
by Nass from Florida

Vintage 2016

I like most of their yeti imperial stout variants so let's see how their barley wine goes & hopefully the 90 IBU's have mellowed out . The pour is umber brown color into the snifter glass. On the taste i'm getting some hops but they have mellowed out somewhat, some dark cherry, black currant, malts, caramel, pine, & burnt sugar. It's a really good Barleywine & it leave a nice lacing around the glass but I still favor Yeti variants. cheers! A-

Jan 10, 2020

4.94/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
by Peach63 from New York

Pours dark amber to brown. 1/2 inch yellowish tan head. Thick lacing. Moderate carbonation.

Aroma of roasted & caramel malts, oak, molasses, toffee.

Tastes is sweet and bitter. Rye, oak, toffee, vanilla, molasses, dates, whiskey.

Full bodied, creamy mouthfeel, very rich.

One of the best barley wines I've had so far.

Oct 04, 2019

4.29/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
by Samlover55 from New York

12oz bottle into perfect pint
Bottled on 1/29/15
Pours a dark brown with cream colored head
Aroma of sweet rich malt, candied hops
Taste follows real mellow, with the just the right amount of hops
Smooth creamy feel, no hint of the alcohol
Overall it aged really well, this was a superb barleywine

Jul 28, 2019

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by Viaduck from California

Chestnut brown with a modest head. Very pretty aroma, caramel covered malt with a hint of hops. Taste is salty bitter & very little of the sweetness promised by its aroma. Complex flavor, hoppy, pine, resin, raisin, malted barley, molasses & a strong pepper finish. Silky smooth & fairly thick, not much alcohol flavor but plenty of numbing effect. Fun to drink & delicious!

Jul 19, 2019

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by harrypowers from Massachusetts

Poured from a 12oz bottle dated Jan 2016 bought in 2019. This was a well aged bottle ! And it aged well.

A great sipping beer with a sweet start and a big bitter hoppy finish. The high alcohol level is well hidden.

Mar 12, 2019

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
by Roguer from Connecticut

Crystal clear caramel ale, topped with a cream-colored, firm head. Good production, and excellent retention. An absolutely beautiful ale.

Nose is fairly subdued, but you can certainly discern the hop presence.

On the palate, this brew is impressively bitter, with waves of pine, caramel, resin, earth, pepper, and a touch of citrus. This is exactly what an American Barleywine is supposed to represent: hoppy caramel malt soup at it's best.

Jan 30, 2019

4.29/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by hman43 from North Carolina

Look: It pours medium brown with reddish hues. The head is light brown. Head retention is excellent.

Smell: Strong malty notes the feature caramel and toffee. It also has some raisin and bready background notes.

Taste: It has a strong malty flavor highlighted by caramel and toffee. There are some orange and citrus elements supporting the malt presentation. There are also some floral elements. Alcohol is noticeable, but very smooth.

Feel: It is full bodied with a bittersweet finish. Alcohol warming is very pleasant and smooth.

Overall, this is a good balance between the malt and the hops with the malt being a little more forward.

Dec 30, 2018

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
by GratefulFC from Arizona

Pours a cloudy dark copper color. Smell is caramel, vanilla, raisin. Taste is hops, malt, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, plum, raisin. Slight fruit. Says it was bottled on January 29, 2015. Ages well. This is an outstanding beer.

Nov 19, 2018

5/5  rDev +19%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
by OliverWilde from Oklahoma

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.

Feb 09, 2018

4.17/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by jkblr from Indiana

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.

Feb 01, 2018