Old Treehugger Barleywine
Live Oak Brewing Company


- From:
- Live Oak Brewing Company
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- American Barleywine
Ranked #33 - ABV:
- 11.5%
- Score:
- 93
Ranked #2,381 - Avg:
- 4.25 | pDev: 10.12%
- Reviews:
- 35
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 15, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 09, 2006
- Wants:
- 97
- Gots:
- 8
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
3.55/5 rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.55/5 rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Only my second Live Oak beer & it took me forever to land the first, no effort for this one to show up from…somewhere. 12 oz. can.
The pour is an opaque orange-red with only wispy tendrils of bubbles lingering on the surface. Nose comes off fusel with a touch of oil paint (red). Unusual, to say the least.
Old Treehugger kicks the barleywine mold apart. Heavy caramel before things go off script. Pine hits & brings hoppy bitterness riding shotgun along with a severe, almost rusted dryness. So dry. Alcohol not apparent at all. Good serving size.
Interesting twist on the style that didn’t quite touch me right. Good beer.
Aug 15, 2023The pour is an opaque orange-red with only wispy tendrils of bubbles lingering on the surface. Nose comes off fusel with a touch of oil paint (red). Unusual, to say the least.
Old Treehugger kicks the barleywine mold apart. Heavy caramel before things go off script. Pine hits & brings hoppy bitterness riding shotgun along with a severe, almost rusted dryness. So dry. Alcohol not apparent at all. Good serving size.
Interesting twist on the style that didn’t quite touch me right. Good beer.
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut
3.9/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2020 vintage; consumed on 4/29/2022
Pours a clear, ruddy orange-mahogany body capped with a finger and a half of rocky, pale beige foam; mediocre head retention leaves a paper-thin veil of cap, a moderate, creamy collar, and the occasional chunky strand of soapy, webby lacing along the walls of the glass.
Aroma highlights touches of wood varnish grazing expansive, piney resins upfront, with underlying brown bread peaking to robust, slick caramel malts; dry wood is braised in sugary malt texture, leaving residual apricot and grapefruit lingering on the back end for a toasty potpourri overtone.
Taste opens to heavy pine resins with a healthy caramel malt backing, soon finding floral hops over the mid-palate into flambéed apricot on the back end and a lingering woody potpourri note engaging tinges of dehydrated peach.
Mouthfeel offers a medium body with a fluffy, moderate carbonation; slick textures cede to a creamy mid-palate, drying steadily into the bitter back end as a slight stickiness lingers through the finish against a mild residual warmth.
The classic bombastic amalgam of woody hops, dried fruits, and sweet malts are tied neatly together, expansive aromatics and wispy crispness guiding this throwback to its cleverly bitter balance.
Apr 30, 2022Pours a clear, ruddy orange-mahogany body capped with a finger and a half of rocky, pale beige foam; mediocre head retention leaves a paper-thin veil of cap, a moderate, creamy collar, and the occasional chunky strand of soapy, webby lacing along the walls of the glass.
Aroma highlights touches of wood varnish grazing expansive, piney resins upfront, with underlying brown bread peaking to robust, slick caramel malts; dry wood is braised in sugary malt texture, leaving residual apricot and grapefruit lingering on the back end for a toasty potpourri overtone.
Taste opens to heavy pine resins with a healthy caramel malt backing, soon finding floral hops over the mid-palate into flambéed apricot on the back end and a lingering woody potpourri note engaging tinges of dehydrated peach.
Mouthfeel offers a medium body with a fluffy, moderate carbonation; slick textures cede to a creamy mid-palate, drying steadily into the bitter back end as a slight stickiness lingers through the finish against a mild residual warmth.
The classic bombastic amalgam of woody hops, dried fruits, and sweet malts are tied neatly together, expansive aromatics and wispy crispness guiding this throwback to its cleverly bitter balance.
Reviewed by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois
4.34/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.34/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Caramel malts. Light hops to balance. This drinks extremely light for a barleywine and no detectable abv. Best non- barrel aged American Barleywine on this earth.
Oct 14, 2021Reviewed by tjmodica from Texas
4.37/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Barleywine for the OG’s, absolutely perfect, barleywine to style, these original kegs where gold and only got better over time. This beer got me to reset my password for beer advocate. Thanks Live oak
Mar 21, 2021Reviewed by scream from Wisconsin
3.97/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Overall a pretty decent beer. I just thought that it was missing a bit of the punch that I like to see in a barley wine. I would like to explore more beers in this style which I wish were more readily available. That being said I would definitely drink it again !
Feb 28, 2021Reviewed by GreatStoutman from Texas
4.76/5 rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.76/5 rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Love barleywines, and when I stumbled across this Texas legend I was eager to try it at the Live Oak taproom... didn't find out till later it was a 2011 keg. Good lord was it tasty and dangerously smooth. Thick body but drinks kind of light, not too sweet... overall amazing.
This is probably the best non-BA barleywine I've had. I just wish it weren't such a unicorn!
Jan 18, 2017This is probably the best non-BA barleywine I've had. I just wish it weren't such a unicorn!
Rated by BKotch from Texas
4.45/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2011 vintage currently being poured at Houston ' Hay Merchant. So good, and not even a favorite style of mine.
Feb 23, 2016
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!