Old Cellar Dweller
Driftwood Brewery

 

2019 Vintage - one year of cellaring.
Pours a just less than clear apricot amber colour with finger of white head.
Aroma of grainy caramel malt, piney hops with citrus, floral notes, orange peel, and tangerine.
Taste starts with rich caramel malt sweetness, overripe orange, orange peel, resinous piney hops, sugar coated grapefruit rind, slightly earthy.
Full sticky mouthfeel with resinous bittersweetness and lingering piney citrus hops sitting on palate.
Very much to my liking.

November 14, 2017, thanks to leftpaw for bringing this out. There is no vintage on this label, unlike the one in the picture that is a 2008. This bottle says 14% unlike the 11.6% referenced here.

Pours a dark amber color. The head didn't stay on it. Aroma of malty but bitter caramel and hops.

Taste took on those amber waves of grain and caramel and pushed a grapefruit rind bitterness. Slight dallop of prune on it. Mouth feel is full of the alcohol. Bitter C hops. Slightly lower than average carbonation. Plenty of stickiness to it, slightly viscous for a barleywine even. Takes on some darker bread toastiness later on. For me the significant downside of this beer was the alcohol heat that really obscured attempts at discussing any nuance in this beer. Has elements of dark fruit, caramel, toffee and bittering hops through the entire experience, but the alcohol burn seems the most prominent thing about this beer. Perhaps 11.6 would have been nicer than 14%.

2019 vintage at 11.1%.

Appearance - Pours a warm amber with two fingers of frothy white head.

Smell - earthy, leafy, and floral hops, toffee malts, plum, raisin, fig, orange and grapefruit peel, brown and candied sugar, and earthy yeast.

Taste - earthy, leafy, and floral hops upfront. The toffee malts, plum, raisin, fig, orange and grapefruit peel follow suit. The brown and candied sugar alongside the earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes chewy with the all ingredients lingering.

Overall - A bold and dangerous brew. The ABV is well hidden in this one making this one a dangerous treat to drink at the moment.

 

650ml bottle poured into tulip. 2019 bottle.

Pours a clear honey amber with two fingers of beige head that leaves some cool pagoda rooftop lace as it recedes.

Smells of freshly baked dinner rolls, brown sugar, marmalade, sultana raisins, orange flesh, grapefruit candy, and some soft pine.

Tastes of sweet bread, sugared raisins, caramel tarts, more marmalade sweetness, cocoa powder, muddled citrus oils and more pleasant piney hops.

Feels big and chewy. Full bodied with frothy carbonation. Finishes fairly thick.

Verdict: Vigorously recommended. A big feast of a beer.

A lightly burnt orange color, moderate clarity, off white foam with soapy lacing.

Aroma of orange marmalade and wet pine needles.

Flavor follows with tons of orange candy and grapefruit rind. Piney finish.

Smooth, warming, and sappy.

A delicious English style Barleywine which I assume did well in the bottle. This may have been pretty dang hot when fresh.

Huge thanks to Tim for the bottle! Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a clear amber color with a small but persistent head. Upon break there is decent lacing that sticks around the entire time I was drinking. The smell is a quite pleasant, a nice bit of piney hops, some lovely caramel malts, toffee, and brown sugar. Taste follows nose, however the hops come in much stronger, and there is a strong bitter/astringent presence from them. Malts come in second, and seem muted. Feel is quite nice, with a sticky and sweetness, along with a full body and about medium carbonation.

A nice beer, this was a 2015 bottle and I think it has probably changed from what others describe. Still, quite nice, and would definitely seek it out again.