Great Divide Brewing Company Old Ruffian 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 Great Divide Brewing Company Old Ruffian Barley Wine Style Ale - bottled on 12-13-2013.

From the Great Divide Brewing Company website: “OLD RUFFIAN is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with its bold hop flavors and huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character come together to work wonders on your palate.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown/amber color with a good beige colored head and nice lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Lots of hop scents up front, pine and citrus, caramel, toffee, roasted malts, some chocolate and dark fruits.

Taste: Sweet caramel, toffee, dark fruits, pine and citrus hop bitterness, slight cocoa and bready malts.

Overall: Thick and balanced, Great Divide Brewing Company Old Ruffian Barley Wine Style Ale is delicious and tremendously drinkable. This 10.2% ABV offering is boozy, but in the best way possible. If you’re a fan of the style this is a must try.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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