Olde School
(has 5 batches)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Rotating Out of Production|
Score
7.32
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Fermented with dates and figs, this smooth barleywine has a unique flavor.
The concept for this beer came from an old cellerman's manual Sam came across (for more on that, check out the video below).
At about 15% ABV, this beer is a great candidate for aging. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. Our recommendation? Grab a few bottles when you find it -- enjoy one now, and age the others for a bit. Let us know which you prefer!
For more on the Olde School Barleywine (and our potential Olympic bid... yeah, there really is no connection, but it is in here anyway!), check out our Quick Sip Clip.
The concept for this beer came from an old cellerman's manual Sam came across (for more on that, check out the video below).
At about 15% ABV, this beer is a great candidate for aging. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. Our recommendation? Grab a few bottles when you find it -- enjoy one now, and age the others for a bit. Let us know which you prefer!
For more on the Olde School Barleywine (and our potential Olympic bid... yeah, there really is no connection, but it is in here anyway!), check out our Quick Sip Clip.
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8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled in 2010A. Pours hazy reddish copper color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, pear, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toast, toffee, brown bread, light herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good complexity and balance of big fruitiness and dark/bready malt sweetness; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, pear, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toast, toffee, brown bread, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Slight earthy/peppery bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, pear, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toast, toffee, brown bread, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity and balance of fruitiness and dark/bready malt sweetness; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a smooth, fairly crisp, and lightly slick mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barleywine style! All around great complexity and balance of fruitiness and dark/bready malt sweetness; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Aug 2014
at 18:30
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Walks a rare line that marks a drinkable good barley wine without being excellent or a horrible mess. Sweet malt, some bitterness and some booze. Good balance. Syrupy sweetness at a tempered level, light citrus, of which this beer would do better with a light touch more, but otherwise good. On tap at DC Summerfest.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 May 2014
at 12:13
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draft - Vinous and acetone with some crazy sugary sweetness. Clear copper with a thin beige head. Caramel crazy sweetness with a nice bit of booze. Vinous and as it sits and you drink it, it gets better. Maybe the huge ABV gets you drunk so it tastes better? Bad start, nice finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Apr 2014
at 13:50
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
From notes, consumed on 6/26/13. Pours caramel orange with not much off-white head. Head fades quickly leaving a half finger ring. Aromas of caramel, candied fruit, dark fruit, toffee, apples. Tasting notes of dark fruit, candied fruit, apples, white fruit, caramel, toffee. Boozy semi-dry finish with a medium body.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Mar 2014
at 22:52
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Tap at Macgregors. Malty English style nose, oranges, honey. Pretty, deep orange color with a low head. Tangy orange flavors, honey, biscuits, dark fruits, a good bit of tartness. Creamy, full body. Lovely.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Mar 2014
at 07:11
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
2 year old bottle. Dark plum appearance. Wow the nose smells great! like a dark fruit salad, oak, caramel and rye. Thre’s a ton of fruit presence in this beer. dark fruits, molasses, maple syrup, candy corns and cotton candy. resinous pine from start to finish. Huge back bone but at 2 years old, the ABV is far less noticeable and that’s a good thing. I would’ told this longer than a couple of years though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Jan 2014
at 12:08
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Rcvd in trade. She pours a gentle hazy orange/amber/brown color and leaves the same color body with a slim half finger white foamy head with some light lacing that tries to cling but slides for the most part. The smell has a light citrusy juicy hops along with some earthy honey, figs, and dates that manage to come across really well. The taste is sweet and sticky through a smooth flavored honeyed hops, sweet sticky aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one wants to be a sipper, but comes across fairly sessionable, carbonation is slightly smooth and good for the style, perhaps maybe not as harsh as some American Barleywines, but hey good stuff. Overall, I say this is a wonderful American Barleywine that I would have again.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Jan 2014
at 15:00
7.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draft Three Penny Taproom. 2010 vintage in a 10 oz. snifter. The nose is all kinds of dark fruits and overly sweet grapes. And still light tones of booze. Full bodied and warm smooth syrupy sweet palate. Good lord this is sweet! Over ripe grapes, deep caramel malt, prune juice, Belgian candy sugar and a light floral hop still hidden in the background. This is meant to age. Why would anybody drink this with less than a 2 years on it?? After this amount of time it’s a real enjoyable sipper.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Jan 2014
at 15:27
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Keg at the Ginger Man, NYC, 23/11/13. Clear amber with a good sized beige head. Nose is stewed dark fruits, brown sugars, steeped prunes, dates, rich cake mix all masked with a boozey-do cloak. Taste comprises dark toffee fudge, stewed dark fruits, light spice, raisens, woody tang, caramelised sugars, booze is not too shy but not over cooked. Full bodied, fine carbonation, warming alcohol in the conclusion. Decent barleywine, you know it has a kick but is ever so drinkable for the ABV, well integrated - you’d take a stab at 10%. Nice work.
Tried
on 12 Dec 2013
at 14:34