2004 bottle at Julio’s Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. Dark brown, caramel-amber, with some darker maple-brown-auburn hues and a large, well retained yellow-beige head. Quite pleasant looking, though clear and filtered (but that’s Lagunitas for you). Aroma of musty English yeast, light sour plums, prunes, raisins and dry toffee, with a bit of sticky molasses and caramel. Quite doughy and dry, but yet in a good, not-too-sweet sort of way. Flavor is quite similar, with a distinct, fresh, warm dough flavor, cinnamon, maple, molasses and light caramel. Low hops apparency, some dry alcohol on the end (not unpleasant). Quite a well-made American-English hybrid, though there is still no excuse for the filtration. The body, while not watery, is just sort of there. Not terribly creamy or challenging, due to the filtration. I hate how I sound like a broken record saying the same thing about every Lagunitas beer, but it’s how I feel. Low to moderate carbonation, light yeast and bread notes on the end. Honey and brown sugar aftertaste, with a touch of oily/earthy bitterness.

Reddish amber,lasting off white head.Molasses nose.Blended malt/molasses taste,well hopped. Chewy with harsh alc heat

[draught] Not the most stand out barleywine - cloudy copper, minimal head - syrupy sweet, almost cloying - dark fruits and toffee that seem more to be fighting for control, rather than working together - a little out of balance, and there is this doughy flavor that could just as easily pass for play dough as it could for cookie dough - not recommended.

Bottle. A dark amber color with a little bit of red and a beige head that quickly falls. Hops make a great flavor thats backed up with a little caramel sweetness finishing with a mild pine hop bitterness. Aroma isn't overly strong, but there's an earthy hopiness to it. At first sip it feels like a heavy body, but its not thick at all. Medium finish that leaves yiou wanting more. Very good beer that hides it's alcohol until about half bottle. and then just adds a warming touch. Very nice all-round balance on a well made beer.

Amber-foxy; thick yellowish head, collapsing. Nose of preserved (confits) dessert fruit, sugared oranges, Mandarine Napoléon. Hop punch, about an inch below the beltline. Malty underbuild, roasted malt. Liqueurish flavour, aperitif wine. Dry and sweet at the same time. Hops keep going on. Quite good. But for a barley wine, I could do with some more spiciness and dark malts, something plumpudding-like…