Old Vixen
Lovejoy's Taproom

Had this one on tap at the Toronado at the turn of the decade; this review is taken from an old notebook I am slowly adding to my reviews. Poured a medium rusty color, with a slight white cap of foam. Aromas of wood, whiskey, dark fruit and maple syrup. On the palate, this one was medium bodied and full of booze, with raisins, prunes, vanilla beans and Tennessee whiskey. I was surprised to see this one on tap, and was glad I got to try it.

Drinking a half pint at lovejoys as i write this review. served in a snifter.

A: its a reddsih brown color with decent head. head is off-white color, and stays for about half the glass.

S: can smell earthy bready yeast, slight hints of dark fruit, kinda smokey.

T: can definitely taste the wood, has a nutty flavor throughout. bready kinda yeasty taste.

M: little thicker than most barleywines, i guess, but it really works for this beer.

D: this is a dangerously drinkable beer. be careful, you might just drink this all night. (and end up taking a cab home).

This beer is really nice, you can tell they aged it in oak barrels. Pretty damn cheap too, 2 dollars per half pint. They say the alcohol is between 10 and 13 percent.

Appearance: Rather clear reddish amber color with a moderate off-white head, which retains quite well, lots of thick glass-coating lace.

Aroma: Sweet aroma that is reminiscent of old Port with dark fruit, wood, earth, smoke, bread yeast.

Taste: Begins slightly sweet with lots of alcohol, again more than a bit like Port, towards the middle of the taste well-moderated citrus hops appear. The finish has a complex nutty and woody quality, not doubt due to the fact that this beer is aged in oak barrels. An undercurrent of mildly sweet malts and alcohol are present throughout the taste.

Mouth feel: Smooth and rich, although not quite as dense as some barley wines that I have had.

Drinkability/notes: A stunningly complex and superb barley wine, among the very best that I have ever had and a new favorite. At 11% ABV, moderate and careful consumption is a must. Sampled at the Texas Craft Brewer’s Festival on June 7th, 2003.