Olde Bluehair Barley Wine
Big Sky Brewing Company

Olde Bluehair Barley WineOlde Bluehair Barley Wine
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From:
Big Sky Brewing Company
 
Montana, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
Ranked #126
ABV:
12%
Score:
90
Ranked #10,185
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 10.97%
Reviews:
134
Ratings:
366
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 20, 2024
Added:
Jan 24, 2009
Wants:
  64
Gots:
  95
75 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by thinwhiteduke:
Photo of thinwhiteduke
Rated by thinwhiteduke from Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jan 08, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.96/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle: Poured a deep black brown/black color ale with a small dark brown foamy head with OK retention and some light lacing. Aroma of caramelized malt with some sweet dates and toffee notes. Taste is also a mix of sweet caramelized malt with some dates and toffee with some residual sugar notes and some bourbon notes. Body has an oily texture with good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes. Abit too sweet but solid BA barley wine.
Feb 20, 2024
 
Rated: 3 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Oct 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.73 by Vylo from New Jersey

Jul 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.01 by NodakEric from Minnesota

Sep 07, 2020
 
Rated: 3.94 by 5EKF from Illinois

Jun 05, 2020
 
Rated: 4.06 by Fishwhisperer from Michigan

Feb 05, 2020
Photo of BenHoppy
Reviewed by BenHoppy from Michigan

5/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2015 vintage served in snifter @
room temperature:

one of the best beers I ever had with flavors of oak, bourbon, figs, prunes, black licorice, sugar cane, wet basement, leather, wet cardboard, molasses, toffee, chocolate, and brown sugar that reminded me an awful lot of JW Lee's but at a cheaper price.
Aug 19, 2019
Photo of Avitra
Reviewed by Avitra from California

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Not to many dimensions but still quite nice. There is a lot of summer fruit here, peaches and apricots. A tiny little hop and a bit more but still little chocolate. A lot of different flavors in a soda feeling mouth but somehow the blend while move doesn't necessarily add up. Still pretty good
Jun 01, 2019
Photo of bushbeer75
Reviewed by bushbeer75 from Michigan

4.17/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
poured from a 1pt. 9.3 fl. oz. caged and corked brown bottle - bottled 2015, 0619 of 3300

Big Sky Olde Bluehair poured a copper color and atop sat a 1 1/2-finger bubbly off-white head that held well. A fair amount of lacing was left on the walls of my snifter. The nose was surprisingly sweet [i.e., toffee], some light fruit, and a little alcohol. The upfront taste was of light fruit and a little sweet. Then there was a noticeable light hop presence - light for an American Barley Wine more like an English Barley Wine.. A light hint of bourbon was evident with a nice light [for the ABV] alcohol warming at the back of the palate. Mouth feel is full bodied. creamy and a little sticky.

This bottle of Olde Bluehair is approximately 4-years old and I am sure that age has smoothed out this high ABV Barley Wine - making it very drinkable. Nice job Big Sky Brewing.
Apr 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.27 by Sauced4life from Michigan

Jan 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.62 by drunkenmess from Michigan

Aug 28, 2018
Photo of polloenfuego
Reviewed by polloenfuego from Canada (NB)

4.06/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2015 bottle 367/3300

Pours a lovely copper gold with a slight amount of cloudiness. Nice thumb of off white head that lasts for days. Some nice lacing too. The smell is quite appealing with dried fruits, caramel malts, oak and mild bourbon. Taste has many of the elements of the nose, including a lesser caramel, raisin, some vanilla, and especially oak. The hops are present, but have, I suspect, subdued over the last couple of years. Feel is a little thinner than many barleywines I have had, but still medium fullness and lighter carbonation with a fairly hidden alcohol makes for a nice sipper.

My first beer from Big Sky, I am pleased that it was this 12% ABV monster. This is a good barleywine, but I think it may lost a step or two over the last couple of years.
Sep 30, 2017
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.72/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
$ 16.95/750 mL cork and cage
bottle including discount and tax ($ 0.630/oz) at Oppermann’s Cork ‘N’ Ale, Saginaw, MI.
2015 vintage bottle, 2463 of 3300, stored at 42 degrees and served at 60 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – caramel malt, a hint of oak. The caramel fades but lasts, the oak is ephemeral.
Head – average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive pour), high density, off white to tan, good retention diminishing to a one to two mm ring and partial layer. Head retraction leaves some clots and scars of tiny-bubbled lacing.
Lacing – other than that from the initial head retraction, none.
Body – medium brown, initially opaque. Chill haze lessens and the opaqueness diminishes to translucence.
Flavor – initially, caramel and toffee, sweet, followed by an alcohol burn. Allowing it to warm in my mouth releases massive carbonation but otherwise doesn’t affect the flavor. The bourbon barrel is conspicuous by its absence. No hops, no diacetyl.
Palate – medium to full, creamy, soft carbonation.

Not the best barley wine I’ve had, but still very drinkable.

Appearance 3.25, Aroma 3.75, Flavor 3.75, Palate 3.75, Overall 3.75.
Sep 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by lupercmda from North Carolina

Jul 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Mar 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by Muss42 from Michigan

Mar 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by gratefulbeerhead from Indiana

Dec 26, 2016
Photo of Marius
Reviewed by Marius from Netherlands

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle shared at August THT. Vintage 2012. Clear dark ruby pour with no head. Notes of dried fruit, sherry, cherries, raisins. Medium body, smooth texture.
Dec 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by Fordcoyote15 from Pennsylvania

Nov 25, 2016
Olde Bluehair Barley Wine from Big Sky Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 366 ratings