Olde GnarlyWine
Lagunitas Brewing Company

amazing beer name! a true beauty here, from way before barleywine was "life" among the beer nerds. simple in all the right ways, fully american in its composition, a little more hot and dry than the english ones, and certainly more hoppy. also very little from the yeast on this, so its pretty straightforward beer. i like it a lot fresh, when the hops are front and center, but this also ages as well as just about anything lagunitas makes, mellowing out well, and seemingly taking on complexity in the cellar. a glowing low reddish color in the glass, near clear, with a frothing inch plus of white head, more lively in the glass than a lot of these look, and with a pretty distinctive crimson shade too, not just light amber, unique. the nose is kind of basic when its fresh, a specific type of crystal malt, not too rich or sugary or toasted, more dry and kilned to me, with light floral honey to it, and then the hops, which hit bitter, piney, and a little spicy, oily and robust, almost imperial west coast ipa vibes. the flavor is more balanced, the grain is pretty sturdy, its earthy and only slightly sweet, it has baked warmth to it, hiints of red apple, golden raisin, and faint toffee. the hops are there the whole way, weedy and dank through much of this, but with light citrus and even juniper on the finish, bitter enough for this to be balanced. in the older bottles, the hops keep their bitterness but lose that fruit and herb thing, so this becomes more about the malt, and it takes on a little more of a layered thing, some dry earthy grain, some concentrated long boiled character, a little fig and date aspect, its great in both phases. the alcohol is always present in this, never burning too intense, but its warm the whole way, even in the really old bottles, not out of place in the style, and it kind of carries the flavor along with it, i dont mind it at all. this is not the kind of beer lagunitas is known for, but this is a classic in their lineup and a beer i hope comes back again someday, been awhile since we have seen some of these original beers of theirs...

 

Looks pretty awesome, deep dirty amber almost rusty in color. Nose is plum, fig, caramalt, maybe some oxidized hops, a hint of cocooa, orange peel. Some booze too, likely a headiness that catches you when you inhale a second too long.

Tastes great, I really do get a lot of dutch processed cocoa upfront. Just big booming chocolatey bitterness. Then it coats the palate in velvety brown sugar, sweet malt character and hits this like medium finish of cocoa and sweet, syrupy maple. Temp is probably right around 50 odd degrees, so it's not ice cold. Yeah, maybe some very subtle citrus, but this one's carried by a ton of cocoa up front.

Psssst this is like 5 bucks for a bomber. Not 20 odd, with wax, only available if you know the Instagram code...

 

A bottle from 2018

This thing has mellowed out considerably, as it is an extremely hoppy ale when fresh. As it stands the main flavors are dark malt notes: coffee, dark fruits, leather, booze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle into Tulip
2017 vintage
Pours Auburn with thin head
Caramel, toffee, booze,
Burnt carmelized sugar, toffee, herbal medicinal hoppy finish
Feel is medium bodied and syrupy, alcohol hidden well
Overall this is a great Barleywine and cheap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as far as barely wine goes, this is pretty much as good as it gets for a 5$ bottle

 

 

 

 

A: poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass, red copper colored with a short tan head that dissipates leaving some lacing, clear

S: heavy on sweet malt, warm boozy smell, lots of heavy alcohols, bitter lemon hops

T: smooth and sweet up front, caramel, toffee, ending hits with heavy alcohol flavor and bitter pine lemon hops

M: thick and full

O: good American version that mellows nicely with age, this bottle was aged 3.5 years from purchase date

Bomber poured into stemware.

Appearance: Clear amber with a 1.5-finger-width eggshell head. Medium carbonation.

Aroma: White wine, dark fruits, booze, grapes.

Taste: Vinous character is there along with raisins, bread, and some nice herbal hops.

Mouthfeel: Boozy and strong. Slightly heavy.

Overall: I was skeptical of this beer because it seemed kind of high risk. It all comes together though. A fairly hoppy, flavorful "big" beer. Does not taste like paint in the way BWs sometimes do. Big and boozy, but a nice, approachable effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look is a deep amber with a lovely thumb of head. Retention is alright, but you are left with a lovely cap and collar. Some lacing.

Smell is deep caramel malts and fruits, followed by a blast of hops. It really works nicely.

The taste continue the aroma. Those malts and fruits are still there, as is a bit of molasses. But then the hops. Not overpowering, but just right.

Feel is really nice smooth and full with a good standard carbonation. The booze is well hidden and the finish is one that lets you enjoy the fruitiness.

Wow, a damn nice beer for $6. I find this a bit closer to an English barleywine than an American, however that may just be me. I highly recommend this beer,for the price,I am not sure there is something better around.