Old Cellar Dweller
(has 1 batch)
Driftwood Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.21
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This ale shows huge malt body, with notes of caramel and toffee, complemented by ample hop bitterness to support it. When young, it is a hoppy treat with plenty of citrus and pine; cellared for a few years and Cellar Dweller gracefully ages into a rich, round reward for patience, hinting at flavours of tawny port.
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6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
22oz bottle of the 2012 vintage pours a murky amber with some creamy, white head. Nose has a mix of orange, malt, candy sugar, some sour wood notes, a little absinthe in that way, some raisin, mild booze, some floral notes. Flavor follows, sweet, toffee, caramel, some booze, some mild tropical fruit, some candy, a little worm wood, some pine and orange, maybe a little soap, raisin, some melon. This vintage may be caught in a weird down period. The hop is gone, so is the booze. What’s left is some oily alcohol and candy sweetness. Lacks the leathery character of further aged barleywines. If you’re still holding a 2012 then I’d say hang on to it for at least two more years. If you’re holding the current version then drink it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2014
at 20:35
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
2300th review! 22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2011 vintage. Pours lightly hazy deep ruby red color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, orange peel, floral, grass, pine, herbal, and floral/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and citrus/floral hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, caramel, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, orange peel, floral, grass, pine, herbal, and floral/toasted earthiness. Fair amount of floral/pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, caramel, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, toffee, orange peel, floral, grass, pine, herbal, and floral/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity and balance of dark/bready malt and citrus/floral/pine hop flavors; with a great sweetness/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a smooth and moderately slick/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barleywine. All around great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and citrus/floral/pine hop flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2014
at 20:32
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle: Poured a dark copper color ale with a medium size foamy head with OK retention and light lacing. Aroma of residual sugars notes with some warming alcohol notes and some light caramel and toffee notes. Taste is also dominated by caramel malt with light woody notes with port and some light warming alcohol notes. Body is not as full as expected with good carbonation. Well brewed thought maybe a tad too much alcohol is apparent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Mar 2014
at 20:25
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle thanks to Matt! Pours a clear gold with a white head that lasts through the beer and laces nicely. Aroma has a good amount of sweet grains with a slight bit of earthiness and notes of caramel. Flavor starts sweet grains, has a bit of light fruit and a good amount of caramel backing. Bottle at RBWG 2014, thanks! Pours a clear gold with a tan head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has sweet grain and earthy bread with a bit of oak. Flavor has sweet grain with a bit of caramel, light hops and an earthiness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Feb 2014
at 13:31
4.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4
RBWG14 Trip Rating #43. Bottle shared at the Friday Night Downtown Inn Bottle Share. Pours a clear amber color with a medium sized white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of pale crackery malts, floral hops and a chemical note. The taste is toffee, candied fruits and a bitter hop finish. Medium bodied, very hot and boozy, really disjointed. A disappointment.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Feb 2014
at 16:09
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle - Vintage 2013 - Fresh this is very hoppy and bitter, which is normal for a west coast Barley Wine. I think fresh though it is a bit rough and age would do it well. Still pretty decent though, just not as good as I think it should be.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Feb 2014
at 09:52
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Poured from 650mL bottle (2013 release - cap reads bottled Dec 13, 2013). Clear orangey yellow with dissipating white head. Quite hoppy aroma with only a touch of sweet malt. Same taste with hint of alcohol. Medium-Light body.Based on the reviews from past years’ releases, I’m a little disappointed. Tastes more like a weak DIPA (in flavour, not alcohol) than a barley wine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jan 2014
at 23:56
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22oz gold waxed bottle, big thanks to dcschiller for sharing this beauty of a barleywine, pours with a coppery deep amber body that supports a tan head. The aroma offers up malts, malty pine hops, sticky malts and then some booze into the end of the draw. The taste is rich with hoppy notes creating a pleasing balance with the musty sweet smooth dark fruity esters, malt sticky sweetness and resiny bitter pine and floral hops. This is a terrific sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Aug 2013
at 10:07