Ol' Fog Burner - Glenora Barrel-Aged
Garrison Brewing Company

 

Got this one from mom last summer. Thanks a bunch!

From a bomber into a snifter
Cellar Series
Vintage: 2016
Aged in Glen Breton Rare Single Malt Whisky

APPEARANCE: Pours a three finger, somewhat looser looking, crackly off-white head with decent retention. Foamy as well. Perfectly clear rust orange body with minimal carbonation evident. Head crackles down to a decent cap and leaves some foamy lacing on the glass. Splotchy wisp remains until the end leaving lots of sticky lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Definite oak and whisky on the nose, with caramel and toffee, vanilla notes, wood and alcohol. Some piney hop resins are still there as well, with a touch of red berries. Medium strength.

TASTE: Boozy up front with oak, bourbon, caramel sweetness and a woody quality. Some alcohol at the swallow, moving into a big and lingering finish of bourbon, wood, caramel and toffee sweetness, some light vanilla flavor and some decent hop bitterness. Boozy as well.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. A little lighter on the palate than some, a touch foamy too, goes down fine with a decent burn and finishes a bit drier for the style. A decent amount of heat lingers.

OVERALL: This is alright I guess. I have no idea what the final gravity ended up being but it seems to be a touch lighter than other barrel aged barleywines. This one is enjoyable enough but doesn’t quite have the big, sweet, bold base that the style really needs. From my notes I enjoyed the regular version more. In many ways, you could call this an easy drinking barrel aged barley wine, if there ever was such a thing. Thanks again for the beer, ma!

Drank this with a touch over two years of age on it. The age has taken much of the harsh boozy notes and has let the flavors meld nicely. Big rich nose; deep, rich flavor; smooth and quite easy drinking considering the 11.6% ABV. Looking forward to what another year or three will do!

Had the 2010 version, bottled 2011 at an Ol' Fog Burner vertical tasting at the brewery, 2015/01/30. We were told that this is actually 14%.

It drinks incredibly smooth, even compared to the non-barrel 2010 which I found slightly too solventy. The oak contributes just a hint of vanilla to the base beer, which is fairly fruity (orange or apricot), has some anise or licorice, and nice caramel. The whiskey taste hides in the background until the finish where it shines.

Really loved this beer. Bought 3 more bottles after tasting it.

 

Bottle #57 in barrel June 3, 2011 and in bottle March 2, 2012 from pushkinwow. Thanks! From notes.

A - Poured ruby red and hazy with a pillowy two finger off white head. Bit of haze in the body with good carbonation. Spotty lace and a film of retention.

S - Rich dark fruit, wood, sugar, vanilla.

T - Much richer in the malt department with dark fruit. Lot's of sugar and alcohol. No heat, just obvious barrel spirit presence. Vanilla.

M - Very smooth with a boozy raisin dry finish. Mild carbonation, nice full body.

O/D - Nicely done. Barrel wasn't too intense but obviously present and a nice addition to the base. A little boozy, but overall pretty nice stuff.

 

 

Bottle #337. Put in barrel May 17, 2012; bottled March 1, 2013. Glen Breton Rare bottles.

Beer is a clear reddish-amber with a moderately-sized beige head. Decent retention.

Nose is quite nice. A mix of sweet caramel malt, light fruits, oak, vanilla and a nice scotch scent. The scotch is quite well integrated- present without dominating.

Taste is interesting, but not quite as good. Caramel, oak, vanilla and scotch. Vanilla is surprisingly strong. The scotch somehow results in a bit of a fruit scent. Again, the scotch is quite well blended into the base beer, but there is a fair bit of alcohol heat.

Full bodied, moderate to strong carbonation level. A fair bit of heat.

Overall, quite good. An unusual barrel-aged barleywine, quite different from any other I have tried. There is something about it, perhaps the vanilla, that gets a little hard to take, and detracts from the otherwise very enjoyable flavour.

 

Aged in Glenor Barrels. Bottle #506.
In barrel: June 3, 2011
In bottle: Mar 2, 2012

Poured in to snifter.

A - Dark amber; only slightly translucent with a thin layer of cream coloured head.

S -Sweet caramel, toffee and brown sugar are prominent with lighter whiskey and oak aromas.

T - Big caramel, toffee and brown sugar flavours are present as the beer beer surprisingly dominated the barrel flavours. Lighter oak, whiskey and some very light peaty notes are present. A warming alcohol presence throughout.

M - Medium body, almost full at time. Chewy. Light carbonation.

Bottle from cjbmcdon a hella long time ago. 500ml into a tulip, bottled Jan 18/2011 - bottle 129/500.

Muddy mahogany/deep red, cream coloured head with a film of retention and a couple spots of lace. Nose has butterscotch, caramel oak and general whiskey barrel character, although I'm guessing it's less prominent now than when fresh. Some dark fruit character, and even a bit of slice perhaps. Taste has some whiskey soaked dark fruits, caramel, butterscotch and some earthy notes. Fairly sweet on the ablate, but finishes much drier and moderately bitter. Thinner medium feel and lower carbonation. Decent barreled barleywine, but not outstanding.

Big props to my BA in crime andrenaline for getting this at the brewery and including it in our most recent trade, perfect for my 800th official review. This is bottle # 236, bottled March 2, 2012, and not this one is labeled 11.5% ABV
A - slightly hazy deep copper, finger of head settled and a consistent cover
S - big notes of creamy butterscotch and molasses, a little bit of earthiness, and a touch of oaky vanilla, very smooth and mellow aromas
T - caramel and molasses with a significant amount of vanilla barrel flavour, light earthiness and a touch of spicy whiskey, the big booziness is surprisingly mellow flavour wise but you can definitely feel it
M - creamy smooth and sweet, the high octane alcohol has some bite towards the finish but nothing that is a turn off
O - this is an oustanding example of barrel aging as well as how a high octane brew can be very smooth, maybe this has mellowed in the 7 months since bottling because it is a deviously drinkable 11.5%

In barrel June 3rd, 2011.
In bottle March 2nd, 2012.
Bottle #493 purchased at brewery.

Copper with a light tan head.

Aroma of sponge toffee, vanilla, wood and peat. Not overwhelming, but probably more scotch-like than any other beer I've had.

Initially I thought there was too much residual sweetness, but it does balance the alcohol over the bottle. The 'Scotch' flavour is actually MUCH nicer than the first Glenora release I have. Alcohol is not at all harsh.

For a such a big brew, I'm surprised I like it more and more as I get through the bottle... flavour really opens up as it warms.

 

A treat procured at the brewery, bottle #42.

A - Pours a dark brown colour with an amber hue, finger of tan head with some retention and no real lacing.

S - Caramel and toffee malts, burnt sugar and hints of vanilla and peaty oak.

T - Boozier than I remember, caramel, molasses, toffee all come through. The ABV heat is strong and a bit of a turnoff, but not to be interpreted as bad. I just remember the regular fog burner as a lot smoother. If I had an extra bottle to age, I'd imagine it would be a bit smoother. The flavors are loud and the barrel aging definitely adds a unique scotch flavour that lingers on the finish.

M - Medium bodied, abv heat coats the mouth and throat, and the finish is sticky.

O - A bold brew, not for the weak. Be prepared for a memorable experience. A worthy treat and definitely worth trying to get your hands on a bottle. I definitely think aging would improve the drinkability of this one, but I certainly enjoyed it as is.

 

bottle from cjmcdon poured at hosers 17/7/11

A clear dark amber with just a little thin film leaving no lace

S sweet spicy toffee with some vanilla like the label says but not as much as I expected after 11 months, I like the toffee side of things but a boozy nose concerns me

T what I smell but with burnt brown sugar and its rather sweet, the booze cuts through everything and takes away from it, there's some hops in there right now but by the time I drink my second bottle they will be long gone

M its thick enough but a little too much heat, a little sticky on the lips

O good but that's where I draw the line, just too boozy and I liked the regular version better

I'm stoked that I have another bottle because I could see this improving greatly once the booze mellows out, I almost didn't want to drink one fresh simply because there's so few of these. at least this way I have a reference point but I'll be saving my other bottle for several years

Bottle Date : Jan, 18th, 2011
Bottle #: 173/500

Pours a dark brown color with two fingers of thick, tan head. Head settles down after a minute. Little to no lacing left on the glass.

Initially after cracking open the bottle, there was plenty of oak scent. After a few minutes, it is more of a light vanilla with toffee and a slight amount of alcohol.

There is a a lot of brown sugar sweetness up front. A hint of vanilla and some caramel flavoring is present as well. Finish consists of a slight alcohol burn. More mellow than the regular Ol' Fog Burner.

Somewhat milder in flavor than the regular fog burner, but the end result is pretty much the same, quickly flushed cheeks and a pleasant alcohol warmness. Give it a try when foggy. Either it will live up to its name, or by the end of it you won't mind!

Bottle: Poured a deep copper color ale with a medium size foamy head with light retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of vanilla and light boozy notes is very warming. Taste is a nice mix between some caramelized sugar with notes of bourbon and vanilla. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Nice BA barleywine with balanced sweetness and proper use of barrel-aging.