Originally Posted by
fuse
For some reason, the love of my life picked up a four pack of 2011 Dogfish Head Olde School.
I have an indeterminate ( or at least I have not looked ) older Olde School from circa 2007, but the mood struck me to try one of the recent vintage.
While it may only be a 12oz bottle, strap yourself in and throw away the car keys, as Olde School clocks in at a whopping 15%. Better yet, find a friend and split the bottle in a couple of snifters.
This outstanding barleywine pours a thick opaque amber. The nose is very boozy, with a syrupy sweetness.
The mouthfeel is very dense, no hop profile to speak of at all beyond an ever so slight bitterness on the tongue. What starts an an alcoholicly cloying sweetness finishes with alcohol heat and a earthy woodiness.
Temperature is important in serving a barleywine, and I am certain when I started drinking it, it was too cold.
There is a maple syrup / birch beer aspect of the flavour profile that is quite nice.
This was a rather silly choice on a warm day, but it actually paired quite nicely with some barbeque chicken and strawberries.
This is definitely a "winter warmer" and would be fun in front of a fire, cozy under a blanket after a long day of skiing. It would also definitely pair well with a fine cigar.
It has been a while since I've wandered into barleywine territory. I have a few nice Anchor Old Foghorns, Sierra Nevada Bigfoots (feet?), and this was a beer style I used to actively pursue.
Highly recommended for a special occasion.
Great review for a great ale. Here's a review I composed from 5/31/11. The reference at the end refers to my continuing to celebrate the 2010 NC, even 13+ months after the fact.
Olde School Barleywine 2007 vintage-Dogfish Head Brewing
Another outstanding ale that continued to benefit from additional cellaring. This was highly drinkable when it was released and was even smoother and richer after 4 years of aging. It was a bit more cloudy but still a deep ruby-brown color and continued to have sherry-like tastes and aromas. The modest bitterness with an IBU around 60-70 had yielded to the sweetness of the massive amounts of caramel and chocolate malts which clock this monster in at 15% ABV, just at the "legal" limit now for brews sold in NC . No food pairings with this. This should be served slightly chilled in a snifter for your after dinner drink or night cap. I enjoyed about 4 ounces of this each of the last 3 nights along with about 8.5 ounces of the SN Grand Cru.
Yea, I'm still celebrating
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.