Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine
Inspired by a tale of a cask doctor who brought sluggish ales back to life by suspending a fig in them. Brewed from 100% Maris Otter pale ale malt, a blend of fine hops and conditioned on dates and figs. User Instructions: open bottle, pour contents into two snifters. Enjoy. ALTERNATIVELY: Walk hand-in-neck with bottle into the middle of the woods. Use shovel to dig 2x2 hole three feet deep. Seal bottle in plastic bag. Place in hole and pack with dirt. Memorize location and leave. Return exactly one year later. Dig up bottle, open and enjoy.
3.7
1361 reviews
Milton, United States
Community reviews
October 2017 - Bottle share in Hackney. Big thanks to Kenny. As 'Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine', a mere 15%, 2005 vintage. Hazy orange, still, foamy off-white head. Aroma is orange and resin, also a little oxidised. Body is smooth, soft to low carbonation. Taste is sugary, some orange peel, rich malts, alcoholic finish. A little oxidation showing up in the middle. Hard to escape that at 12 years old but still very drinkable and an enjoyable beer. (6-4-7-3-15=3.5)
Intense caramel, molasses, dark, sweet malts. Hazy born, no head. Heavy sweet. More caramel, sweet grain malts, molasses, soft carbonation, full bodied. Very nice Barley Wine, aged not too bad. Bottle shared at Leighton's - thanks to madmitch76!
Bottle shared at Bodney Road, 23/10/2017. Many thnaks to Kenny for this one. A nice hazed amber orange coloured pour with a halo of beige head. Aroma is mint, toffee, light oxidised. Flavour is composed of minty, toffee, nutty, jammy, strawberry jam, age. Palate is medium sweet, slightly oxidised. Chewy. . Mellow age. Little dusty.
Bottle shared in Hackney - many thanks to Mitch. Vintage 2005. Pours unclear amber with a small, foamy off-white head. Meaty aroma, some caramel, oxidation, bread, fruitcake. Big sweet flavour with lots of ripe, meaty berries, caramel, low bitterness, just a little earth, figs. Full bodied, super thick and chewy, oily, with fine carbonation. Warming finish, lots of sticky toasted sugars, ripe berries, dates and gigs, cherries, fruitcake. This has aged reasonably well. Pretty damn sweet. Great fun.
Bottle at LKS. Vintage bottle - 2005. Thanks to Ken. It pours hazy warming amber - brown with a small beige head. The aroma is rich, oily, meaty, brown bread, leather, musty, toffee, burnt caramel, oily and cake. The taste is bitter, oily, slick, meaty, heavy sweet, honeycomb, slick, banana bread, spice, wood, dried fruits, fruit cake, brown sugar, light alcohol and banana split with a sweet, oily finish. Full body and fine carbonation. Aged, but still enjoyable.
Got this beer in a 4 pack absolutely awful, not drinkable. Got it because it was 15% did not realize how shitty would be.
Murky dark amber color with a weak light tan colored head of soft foam. Rich dried dark fruit rampant all around with a candied citrus and subtle dry pine finish. Alcohol is noticeable but not distracting. A big boy barleywine.
Really big beer that drinks deceptively easy. Aromas of fig, booze, soft malt and other dark fruits. Beautiful color and a small color. Smooth and weighty.
Aromas of brown sugar, dark fruits, apricot juice, candied caramel, odd yeast,sugared plums, figs and aged malts. Pours deep crimson/copper with an extremely thin foam and no lacing. Taste brings extremely sweet malts, sugared tangerine, figs, dates, raisins, plums and alcohol sugars upfront. Mid palate offers caramel, brown sugar, toffee, sugar coated caramel, apricot and vanilla. Finishes extremely sweet with tons of dark fruits, deep malt funk, molasses and amber malts. Overall, this is unique yet, overly sweet with lots of booze to it. B+ rating
Bought at mcscrooges. $24.99 for 32oz. Picked from a list, tried, growler tender states very good. Drank July 4-5 2017
Hoo boy. Quite a beast we’ve got here, a barleywine’s barleywine, big and boozy with a mean hoppy streak only surpassed by the malt tsunami on the pint’s front end. Loads of caramel and honey and fig, whisky and cherry and mild candied orange, pepper and gunpowder and bad intentions. Grows brutally bitter on the finish, and the alcohol warmth only accentuates how badly this beer wants to be grain alcohol. Giant honey-caramel aroma, and the pour comes out a lovely red-brown with a slight head and little lacing. A bit too big for my tastes, but good split between a few friends.
2016 bottle to chalice. Aroma of alcohol, sweet orange, almost Grand Marnier ish. Copper color. Dark citrus and dark dried fruits and caramel flavor. Warming alcohol. Moderate bitterness. Lightly carbed.
How have I never rated this ... multiple times I have had this. This one from 2013 Vintage on tap at Capone’s. Poured a deep amber / orange color with a thin sized head. Caramel, some nuttiness, dark fruits, toasty, and some sugary sweetness. Aged not too bad.
Much aged raisin and figs all around, alcohol potency just too high to be completely hidden, but still very smooth despite this....
My bottle was from 10/27/2014, and all I got to say is that guy under me was almost right: since this beer is sold as a 4-pack, you really have no choice but to drink 1 bottle w/ hearty supper & a second w/ Death by Dessert (possibly sharing these w/ special companion?), then cellaring the other 2 as he stated. At least thats what I would have done if my wifey was able to drink strong beers!
This beverage packs a punch. Tons of flavor and 15.1% alcohol, and you taste it all immediately. It has a hint of sour to it, but overall it's balanced fairly well and not overpowering on alcohol or sour. The first taste is an assault on your senses, but the smooth, boozy finish makes you wanna get assaulted again.
12 ounce bottle. Pours a luminous copper color with a brief white head. Aroma is sweet toasted malt with a big boozy bouquet. Intensely bittersweet flavor with dried fruit and cognac notes. Warming alcohol hits you in the upper chest cavity, like a sucker punch. This is a real sipper. This is a bit young, so it should mellow and smooth out with some aging. Very well done. Buy three bottles; drink one and cellar the other two.
Aromas of caramel, figs, sherry, alcohol, and pine tar. Taste is caramel, graham crackers,figs, pine tar on the finish. Strong alcohol warming in the chest.
15%ABV. Barleywine.
Tapped out amber. 12ºSRM.
Nose is boozy, brandy, figs, sweet sherry.
Mouthfeel is boozy. Palate has honeyed figs, toasted grahams crackers, pie crusts. Some of the hops are resinous with woody finish.
Finish is medium, scented wood and incense like.
Aroma is dark fruit, caramel malts and fruit/expected alcohol. The flavor is caramel malts, fruit/dark fruit, very mild nuttiness and an alcoholic/medium sweet finish.
A copper color with a white head. The aroma contains some figs, toasted nuts, citrus, caramel, and toffee. The flavor is rather sweet with some caramel, molasses, figs, toffee, and some earthy notes. Some alcohol can be detected in the finish but expected at this ABV. Overall a very nice English style barleywine.
Very boozy. Oddly not a lot of flavor. Nothing objectionable, just weirdly doesn’t seem to taste like much of anything.
Boozy dark fruit aroma, pours a hazy reddish-amber with a thin light tan head. Big bold flavor, with enough alcohol to let you know it’s there. Slightly sweet flavor, with the fruit notes coming through. A bit thinner body then I was expecting with this beer, but this is a fine sipping beer.
Amber-mohagany pour with ring of tan. Aroma is mysterious with a syrupy malt seeming to be balanced by a strange bitterness. Wow that innocuous smell is deceiving, the flavor is full-blast with alcohol ruining it all. There are hints of various good tidings such as the sweetness of fig and date, as well as brown sugar. Unfortunately the booziness quality - almost whiskey-like, dominates and ruins for me. I’ve had plenty of 11-13% brews where the alcohol is well-hidden and barely noticeable. At just a few percent higher this stuff unravels, and likely requires extensive aging.
Clear , chestnut color. Big , yellowish head. Caramel malt , figs , dark fruits and hint of alcohol in aroma. Sweet, malty taste. Flavor of dark fruits and malt . Warming alcohol at the end.
Deep amber with a small cream colored head. Aroma is nutty and a bit phenolic. Lots of raw almond flavor with a huge alcohol hit quickly followed by a surprising hop bitterness. Thought letting it warm up a bit would bring out more sweetness and malt complexity - but it was simple bitter and medicinal. The alcohol strength here need the balance of more unfermentables and less hops.
2016 12oz bottle poured into a tulip glass. Reddish brown pour with a minimal white head. Nose is typical barleywine. Taste is same, pine & floral hops, very good. The alcohol burn is definitely there, but not too bad for 15% ABV.
Bottle from Ian into a pint. Aroma is heavy with figs, malt, and some. Just too sweet for me.
Aroma: Yeasty smell of leather and heavy alcohol aroma
Appearance: Dark beautiful red, hazy, and minimal head
Taste: Intense bitter taste, characteristics of salt and medium sweetness afterbirth.
Palate: Heavy - full body, oily, creamy, and think. Soft carbonation but still bursting with flavor. Long finish.
Overall: A unique beer that is a treat to the palate on occasion.
Pours a coppery iced tea brown with a thin off white head. Light carbonation with lots of lacing. Pleasant aroma of caramel and dark fruits. Smooth with a light syrupy body. Nice taste of caramel and dark fruits. Some warmth but not as much as I expected from a 15% ABV. Hides the alcohol well. Smooth finish with a lightly sweet lingering aftertaste of candy corn. Not overly boozy. Nice Barley wine but not the best I’ve had. Fairly enjoyable.
strong malty aroma, faint stone fruit and booze. red and clear in color with nice head. taste is strongly of roasted caramel malts, raison, plum, and cherry. Definitely needs to be aged out a little, a bit boozy.