Dogfish Head Olde School - A barley wine style ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Dogfish Head Olde School - A barley wine style ale. This beer was gifted to me by a good friend and since it was bottled in November of 2006 what a gift it was!  I’m getting around to reviewing beers I’ve photographed and taken notes on (that with new beers I can’t wait to review and then those beers I bought on vacation).  I drank this and took notes on this one on July 17^th, 2013.

From the Dogfish Head Brewery website: “Fermented with dates and figs, this smooth barleywine has a unique flavor.

The concept for this beer came from an old cellerman's manual Sam came across (for more on that, check out the video).

At about 15% ABV, this beer is a great candidate for aging. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. Our recommendation? Grab a few bottles when you find it -- enjoy one now, and age the others for a bit. Let us know which you prefer!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a murky copper color with a super thin off-white head and sparse lacing.

Aroma: Boozy and sweet, caramel, toffee, vanilla, dark fruits, slight pine and citrus hop presence, brown sugar, molasses and roasted malts.

Taste: Caramel, biscuit and roasted malts, candied dark fruits, boozy, toffee, vanilla, brown sugar and a slight hop bitterness bite.

Overall: Thick, chewy and boozy, Dogfish Head Olde School - A barley wine style ale is a big beer.  At 15% ABV this monster aged extremely well and I need to source more for drinking now and for cellaring.  I’m a big fan of the style and Dogfish Head Olde School didn’t disappoint. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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