Old Bounder
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

Old BounderOld Bounder
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
9.6%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.92 | pDev: 13.78%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
41
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 30, 2017
Added:
Jan 17, 2006
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  2
A fisherman of yore, Old Bounder, sought strong ales with a vestige of the past. Upon discovering American barleywine, a goblet was required straightaway. Old Bounder barleywine is a rich, full-bodied beer with smooth caramel sweetness and bold hop character. The warming-alcohol content is exceptional for an after-dinner beverage or dessert pairing. Old Bounder is crafted for those who voyage for the finer things.

100+ IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Prager62
Reviewed by Prager62 from Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A bomber with no date but label states World Beer Cup 2016 silver award. A generous BA sent this to me last year. Poured in a mug for the review.

Look- Pours a transparent amber color leaving a small finger of off white foam. It settles to a thin layer with some sparse lacing left behind. Suspended particles can be seen drifting about.

Smell- Caramel, toffee, some pine and citrus. A bit of alcohol in the back.

Taste- Sweet caramel and toffee followed by some citrus. There's a pleasant floral finish.

Feel- Resiny oil with a slightly bitter hop bite.

Overall- A flavorful hoppy barleywine that still packs a punch a year later. I imagine this would cellar really well given how it's tasting now. I'm glad I had the chance to try this. Thanks beertunes for sending it!
Jul 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by Kurmaraja from California

Jun 06, 2017
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2016-07-10
22oz bottle split between a pair of tulips. 345 D-1 1316 is printed on the bottom, but I don't know what it means. Had it on tap at Boundary Bay a month or two ago, and loved it at the time, and bought a bottle to take home. I'm not sure this is the same year as the one I had on tap, but I thought it was supposed to be.

Pours a dark amber with a slight ruby tinge, a medium to small head, and lots of fine slow carbonation. Smell is rich, boozy, sweet and woody, overripe plums or cherries.

Taste is a nice contrast between sweetness and bitterness. They're there in roughly balanced proportions, but they exist almost separately. This tastes much better than it sounds. There's some coffee bitterness and a strong caramel sweetness, there's woody bite and the alcohol itself (noticeable, but not dominant). There's a strong piney bitterness in the finish. There's more of a fruity sweetness, maybe dates or raisins.

Mouthfeel is thick and comfy. Overall, this is a very good barleywine.
Jul 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.97 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jun 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.64 by mdaschaf from Indiana

May 02, 2016
Photo of Moose90
Reviewed by Moose90 from Washington

3.69/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2014 Vintage served on-tap in 2016, nearly two years old to the day.

A — Pours a leathery caramel hued amber into the glass. There is a creamy beige colored head that forms with some agitation. Manages to leave behind some sticky bits of lace along the inside of the small glass.

S — Smell is slightly sweet, but offers great dark malt and fruit notes, loads of caramel and maple syrup on the nose balanced with a plummy and jammy note as well.

T — Taste is smooth, mellow, balanced and harmonious, big notes of autumn maple, toasted caramel, toffee, pecan, peanut brittle, nougat, dark fruits, plums, dates, figs, jammy.

M — Full bodied, sticky, warming and boozy finish.

O — Fantastic overall, I can only imagine what this same beer would be like if it spent a year (or more), in Bourbon barrels. This beer is rather raw and syrupy when fresh, but man with a couple years on it, fantastic.
Jan 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Dec 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by Erik-P from Canada (BC)

Mar 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by sukwonee from Washington

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by gnaztee from Texas

May 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kopfschuss from Oregon

Oct 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by ezperkins2 from California

Aug 22, 2013
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.87/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: A fast fading head sits atop the caramel colored liquid, turning quickly into a ringlet though the lacing is impressive, with many dots, strands and legs

Smell: Caramel, dark and stone fruits and earthy hops

Taste: Malt forward, with a combination of caramel, fig, pear and nuts; grows more fruity, in the middle, with the hops arriving as well, adding an earthy bitterness; quite brash, after the swallow, with the bitterness a bit too much for the malty flavors

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, with moderate carbonation and some warmth in the gullet

Overall: A nice flavor profile but I think it lacks some depth in the malt and is overrun, at this stage, by the hops (not sure of the bottling date but it is within 6 months old, I would guess); perhaps things will change over time

Thanks, kemoarps, for the opportunity
Jun 02, 2013
 
Rated: 1.5 by boogyman from Washington

May 08, 2013
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
22oz bomber, scooped at the brewery a few weeks back

A relatively standard barleywine - rich garnet body with some filmy lace. Big dark fruits - plum, cherry, apple. Wood, earth, booze. Perfectly fine, but nothing too innovative here. At $6.99 a bomber, kind of hard to complain here.
Apr 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by benbjb from Washington

Mar 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by sloelco from California

Dec 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by Kevlee722 from Washington

Jul 27, 2012
Old Bounder from Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 41 ratings