Old Ruffian - Barrel Aged
(has 4 batches)
Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.80
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This special release of our acclaimed, hefty barley wine has been aged for over 9 months in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels. The process tempers Old Ruffian’s edges for a mellowed version with heady whiskey flavors and subtle oak notes. Each limited edition, individually-numbered bottle is special in its own right. This rounded wonder clocks in at 85-90 IBUs.
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8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle at THE Barley Wine Tasting, London. Thanks to Jack! Pours moderately cloudy ruby-gold with a fine, tan foam head. Caramelised dark fruit aroma, dark bread. Big sweet flavor with loads of fruit and caramel, brown sugar, fruit cake, booze, toffee. Full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Warming finish with lots of brown sugar, caramel, faint boozy tang, some figs. Nice, strong.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Dec 2012
at 03:33
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle shared by Marcus. Pours very ruddy brown with a transient head. Aromas of light bourbon and alcohol. Med + body. Flavor is cola, bourbon and some oak. Vanilla is hard for me with this one. Finishes towards dry with oak astringency. Good ale!
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Nov 2012
at 16:01
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
A lightly hazed copper amber ale with a thin creamy mocha head. In aroma, beautiful vinous malt with wooden notes, soy sauce, earthy celery salts, floral hops, licorice and alcohol. In mouth, a vinous malt with dark fruits, vanilla, wood, licorice, alcohol and fragrant hops. Tasted with GRM, Puskinwow, Boutip, Ian, Mike on Sept. 7 2012.
Tried
on 02 Oct 2012
at 18:46
8.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle: Poured a bright copper color ale with a medium size head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of whiskey is nice end very enticing with nice balanced sweet malt notes. Taste is a great balance between some whiskey notes with dry grain notes and a solid malt backbone with sweet caramel and light toffee notes. Body is quite full with medium carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I really enjoyed this one which I find had great balance between whisky and malt.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2012
at 13:10
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle, thanks to Jack at THE Barley Wine Tasting, August 2012. It pours opaque dark brown, with a very thin off-white head. The nose is leather, wood, varnish, dark fruit and light roast. The taste is caramel, toffee, cherry, cola, alcohol warmth, toasted malt, charcoal and coffee, with a dry, warming finish. Full body, fine carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. Very well balanced and pretty delicious. Definitely on the top tier of the barley wines we tried that fateful night....
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Sep 2012
at 04:33
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
21/07 RBESG Grand Tasting, 0.75 l bottle. It poured hazy copper body with medium sized head. Very nice dried fruit and caramel aroma, touch with a medicinal scent, but just a little bit. Sweet flavor, ripe fruits, caramel, vanilla sugar, tobacco and hint of chocolate. A bit crude also, alcohol is quite present, making it also slightly bitter. Medium bodied with long, warming, sweetish finish. A nice barley wine, but it would be interesting to see how it would taste matured.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Aug 2012
at 13:53
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle picked up at the brewery from a recent Denver visit and drank at home all for me! Bottle No 0850 of the 2011 vintage. Little scare when opening. Peeled the foil back to find a layer of rust around the bottle top but only on the outside and no impact on the beer! Dark amber to reddish brown in colour with a half finger of off-white head. Dark fruits on the nose - prunes/figs and pinch of vanilla and the Stranahans whisky is a background aroma. Dried fruits in the taste, also sensing cherries and a little bitter chocolate. Sugary and another hint of the whisky. Whisky again in the background and not taking over which is great by me. Low carbonation, great mouthfeel, the alcohol/whisky taste is spot on.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Aug 2012
at 12:47
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle, RBESG 2012 grand tasting. Medium dark brown colour. Aroma earthy, sweet, raisins, peat. Taste almost heavy sweet, cognac, caramel, peat, smoke, wood, alcohol. Alcohol well hidden in the complex taste. Finish is medium bitter and sweet, alcohol warm. Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jul 2012
at 08:32
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Poured a misty dark red body with an off white head. Sticky nose, dried cranberries mostly. The taste is sticky too, but nice, honeyish, slightly peaty. Figs, rosewater?, vanilla, warming alcohol - a lovely sweet barleywine!
Tried
on 22 Jul 2012
at 03:01