Old Ruffian
(has 3 batches)
Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.63
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Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at first sniff, with its subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, this deep mahogany-hued ale quickly shows its true character marked by bold hop flavors and massive hop bitterness. Old Ruffian's rich, slightly creamy, caramel malt mouthfeel balances its grapefruit, pine, and floral hop flavors, working wonders on your palate.
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5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
22oz bomber –pours a tan head, color is brown. Aroma is sweet, malt, hop. Taste follows with the finish having a slight alcohol bite.
Tried
on 30 Sep 2005
at 08:00
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottled. Ruby, beige head. Rich grapefruity hop aroma. Plenty of sweet malt with notes of toffee. Concentrated thick mouthfeel, yet overpowered by vast hoppiness. Incredibly bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Sep 2005
at 04:30
7.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Really, really nice looking. A perfect red color, with a 2 finger firm head. Aroma mainly hoppy, earthy and citric. Flavor is bold! A huge rounded caramel front, tingly spicy resiny hops in the middle, heavy palate and bitter finish. Balance? I don’t know. There’s a whole lot of malt there but it seems there’s even more hops. Resiny hops linger in the mouth forever! Tastes more bitter than its 90 IBUs.
Tried
on 18 Sep 2005
at 20:48
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottled
Dark nut brown, small white head. Musty, smokey barley wine nose. Full-bodied. Roasted barley, some licorice. Good beer, could have more character.
Dark nut brown, small white head. Musty, smokey barley wine nose. Full-bodied. Roasted barley, some licorice. Good beer, could have more character.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Aug 2005
at 16:01
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Dull dark amber colour with rich head. Piney, slightly minty hop aroma with breadcrusty malts. Rich, resiny hop flavour. The woody bitterness is balanced by ample whole grain malts, as well as toast and caramel notes. Like most of Great Divide’s beers, this is easy-drinking and well-structured while maintaining stylistic integrity.
Tried
on 12 Jun 2005
at 03:59
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Very malty aroma, some hoppiness. Unclear dark brown colour, small head. Strong peppery flavour with much aromatic and bitter hoppiness. Slightly astringent aftertaste. Good body, slightly syrupy mouthfeel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 May 2005
at 16:10
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
(Bottle 65 cl) Clear, deep amber with a small beige head. Sweetish, malty nose and sweetness in the first sip. But then you’re immediately hit by the hammer of hops - an absolutely wild and extreme hoppiness making you pretty much suffocate. Plain and simple. 90 IBUs is extreme by any standard, and admittedly too extreme for me. But a great experience nevertheless. 210505
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 May 2005
at 16:42
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours a murky orangish-brown color with a thick beige head that retains the shape of where the beer was poured through. Thick, clingy lacing. Sweet aroma of malt and fruit. Rich body, and the first sip literally gave me the chills it is so tart. Lots of citrus and hops up front. The caramel and malt catches up pretty quickly though, making for a pretty enjoyable brew. The finish is citrusy with some pine. Overall I liked this one after the initial shock wore off.
Tried
on 25 May 2005
at 11:45
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Dark orange. Aroma is powerful with hops. Flavor is sweet but with hop bitterness. Very thick and heavy. I didn’t pick up the floral elements. Bitter aftertaste.
Tried
on 13 Mar 2005
at 13:53
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Nice clearish red-orange body, medium/thick tan head. Pine and grapefruit hops were abundant in the aroma, which also contained caramels. Plenty of caramels and dark sweet fruit in the body complemented the big piney, grapefruity hops nicely. Sweet and a bit rough on the palate, finishing with alcohol notes. Would be a nice beer to age, but I liked it as it was. From the vast cellar of John (JCW).
Tried
on 13 Feb 2005
at 22:13