Woolly Bugger

Bottled, thanks fiulijn! Cloudy reddish brown, no head. FLoral hops over mature caramel. Mid sweet with full body where cushiony caramelly malt provides depth and a soft, yet firm foundation for grapefruity floral hops to build on. Long, really bitter finish. Relaxed and pleasant. A big, nicely balanced warming barley wine.

Bottle courtesy of and shared with omhper who got it from fiulijn (thanks guys!). Dark mist amber body. No head. Perfumey orange-jaffa cakes malty nose, not overbearing, not a trace of alcohol. Slightly soapy orangey hoppy notes dominate, light bitterness. Slighty warming, but not cloying at all, a huge plus. Really drinkable, nice!

Bottled. A dark amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma has notes of mlat, caramel, and bread. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, bread, and alcohol, leading to a dry, bitter, and alcoholic finish. Thanks fiulijn for sharing.

Bottle 18,7 cl. Courtesy of fiulijn. Bottle # 579/1100. Pours a clear, nutty brown with an off-white head. Nutty aroma, overripe fruit and booze. Solid body, lots of overripe fruit, molasses and nuts. Heavy alcohol in the finish, but smooth, warming and pleasant. 180611

18.7 cL bottle, #579, courtesy of fiulijn. Pours clear and golden orange to brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is roasted dark malty and caramelish. Sweet dense malty and caramelish. Light cheesy note. Lingering caramelish and sweet yet dark toffee malty finish.

2021-12-31, can from Lighthouse LRS, Seechelt, 11.8% ABV, 7-5-8-4-16=40
More Strong Ale than Barley Wine, being strong but without the expected malt depth; there's dark caramel, roasted nuts, burnt sugar, pleasant alcohol warmth.

2018-02-07, vertical tasting 2011, 2012, 2013,
2011: 7-4-6-3-14=34
2012: 7-4-7-3-14=35
2013: 7-5-7-2-14=35
The 2013 has more carbonation and has the most dense head, while 2011 and 2012 have larger bubbles and frothy head.
Aroma: 2011 shows light signs of oxidization and not much depth, light olives(7-); 2012 shows more depth and very light signs of oxidization, light fudge and vanilla, light meat/blood (7-); 2013 has moderate depth of malt, some phenols (7+).
Flavour & Palate: the body of 2011 is definitively too thin, very little sweetness left, a bit nutty, very light malt, some caramel, light walnut, light leather; the body of 2012 is also rather thin, stronger than 2011, with more booze; the malt is mild, caramel flavour, a bit nutty, very light leather; the body of 2013 is a tad stronger but not yet in true Barley Wine field, while the booze is also evident, decent malt depth, some caramel and fudge, but also too much of some roasted bitter nuts leading to a partially unpleasant final.
And with this last 3 bottles I guess I'm done with Woolly Bugger; not a beer that can be aged.

2016-08-25, vintage 2010, 6 years old, 7-4-8-4-16=39
Having the 2011 still fresh in mind, actually the 2010 is holding up better; the lack of carbonation is negative, but it's not much oxidised, and it has enough malt epth and hops.
Very nice.

2016-08-22, Vertical Tasting
Vintage 2011, 341ml, 11% ABV, 5 years old, 6-3-7-3-13=32
The carbonation is low, not much head, but softer mouthfeel; it starts to show too many signs of age, oxidization in the nose, milder in the flavor; decent flavor, malt, a bit nutty, but shallow compared to what it was, and weak in the final. A decent drink, on a slippery slope now.

Vintage 2012, 341ml, 11% ABV, 4 years old, 7-4-7-3-15=36
A bit more carbonation, hence more head. Not much oxidization in the aroma, but it has a slight soapy trace, and roasted nuts; later, chestnut honey. Better mouthfeel than the 2011, but not as robust as a Barley Wine should have; malt and dark caramel flavor, mild residual sweetness, roasted nuts, and enough bitterness; basically the Barley Wine elements are there, just not very prominent anymore. Rather than a Barley Wine, it tastes like an old time Westvleteren 12.

Vintage 2013, 375ml, 10.5% ABV, 3 years old, 8-4-8-4-16=40
At this age, it can’t be considered too old yet; it has the right carbonation, nice aroma, rather American, with deep roasted nuts (this takes me back to the late 90’s), the body is bolder, at the lower limit of Barley Wines, the dark caramel and malt flavor have enough depth, and the hopping is quite pungent. Warming alcohol feeling. Very good.


2015-04-02, bottle, vintage 2010, 4 years old, bottle 583/1100; 7-3-7-3-14=34
The nip bottle uses a screwcap, this was not the best choice for aging beers, hence the beers pours flat; murky brown color. Malty aroma, dark fruits, raisins, but also unmistakable signs of oxidization, chocolate, dust. Sweet, with good malt and caramel flavor, a bit of fudge; the bitterness is lowering, it seems more nutty than usual, and it lacks of depth.
Declining, aging.

2014-06-12, draught at Alibi Room, Vancouver, vintage 2013, 7-5-8-4-17=41
10oz
Hazy dark amber color with compact beige head. Mild malt and caramel aroma with light nuttiness; later, some aroma of cereals and country bread (7+). Good body strength, not heavy, with round mouthfeel, and moderate sugar content; dark caramel flavor with notes of roasted nuts and hazelnut brittle; strong bitterness, well integrated, with some hop resins, not aggressive as other American examples; nutty final. Balanced, harmonious, easy to drink.
Such a good beer, every time.

2014-01-10, bottle from Boundary Crossing, Vancouver, vintage 2013, 10.5%, 8-5-8-4-17=42
The new bottle, 375ml, is very nice with old style graphic. It pours a dark mahogany color with Medium sized creamy head. Aroma of treacle, roasted nuts, leather. Full bodied; nutty caramel flavor, correct sweetness, with strong bitterness (75 IBU); there is some leather feeling; long final.
It confirms itself as one of the best Barley Wines in British Columbia, and the best one for this year.

2012-12-28, draught at St. Augustine's, Vancouver, vintage 2012, 6-4-8-4-16=38
Dark brown color, with small creamy head, but wrongly served in a tall tumbler. In such glass the aroma doesn't come out easily, there is some roasted malt and roasted nuts. Full bodied, with moderate carbonation; the main flavor is given by the caramel, with some dark caramel, and mild roasted nuts; it has a moderate sweetness, with some better maltiness coming in, and more nuts; quite high bitterness level.
Very good, and definitively better than last year's draft samples.

2012-12-24, bottle from Firefly, Vancouver, vintage 2012, 7-5-8-5-16=41
Beautiful color, dark amber to brown, bright, with medium sized creamy and persistent head. The aroma takes a moment to develop; there is some dark caramel, dry wood, a hint of aniseed and celery. Good body strength; the mouthfeel is round; the flavor of malt, caramel and darker caramel is very good, with strong bitterness, moderate but evident hop resins, and a light nutty touch in the end. A beer with strong flavor and yet an excellent balance.
Very good, better than last year, ready to drink, and probably not really necessary to cellar.
It's a bit too expensive.

2012-01-21, draught at St. Augustine, Vancouver, vintage 2011, 6-4-7-3-12=32
Dark mahogany color; small creamy head. Anonymous aroma, some nuts and caramel. The body is lighter than expected; caramel flavor, with some chocolate; correct bitterness, with roasted nuts and roasted malts in the final; there is some alcohol warmth, but not too evident. Indeed, not exciting.

2012-01-14, bottle from Liberty Wine on 10th, vintage 2011, 7-5-8-4-15=39
Beautiful dark mahogany color, with creamy head, but short retention. Aroma of nutty caramel, hint of grains and chestnut honey. The mouthfeel is smooth, the body structure is average, more was expected; very good dark caramel flavor, malt, with roasted nuts; quite strong bitterness. Elegant, balanced; more English style than American.

2011-01-11, draught at St. Augustine's, Vancouver, 7-4-7-3-13=34
Red, dark amber color, with small creamy head. Caramel aroma, with some fudge, maybe buttery, and some cereals. Good body strength, with caramel flavor, some sweetness; there is maybe some butter and phenol; correct bitterness. Imprecise.

2011-03-20, bottle #574 from the brewpub, vintage 2010, 7-5-8-4-16=40
Clean dark amber color with red shades; small creamy head; no sediment in the bottle (filtered). Mild aroma of malt, caramel and toffee. The body is not too strong, but the mouthfeel is well balanced; very good and calibrated caramel and malt flavor, with a pleasant nutty touch; the sweetness level is not exaggerated, just right to pair well with the quite high bitterness and the alcohol warmth. Long final.
Overall, a beer appreciated mostly for it's great balance.

Cloudy light brown,lasting beige head.Great molasses brown sugar nose.Big bodied,but quite mellow malt/molasses/treacle flavor. Well masked alcohol, huge lasting hop finish