Name: Great Divide: Old Ruffian
Brewed In/Type: Denver, CO / Barleywine
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $6.99 22oz
Dennis: This can now be known as the beer that restored my faith in Great Divide. Between the Hercules IPA mess and walking into their brewery and having them ignore us, I was all done with them. But this barley wine is so well done I have to tip my hat. The aroma has it's typical syrupy overtones, but as with all great barley wines this one has a hop bite that takes it to the next level. For the alcohol content (10%) this is not as thick as you'd expect, and the exhale gives you this wonderful alcohol twinge, with a hop bite and slight malts. Honestly just a damn good beer.
Jen: Okay, Great Divide is back in my good graces with this brew. This Barley wine starts off with a nice whiff of candied dark fruits and piney hops. The taste only adds to the smell. There is a minor backbone of malts, but the prominent flavor is the hops. There is a definite caramel and brown sugar, but what really makes this a good brew is the ass kicking of hoppy goodness at the end. We may have to purchase this again :)
Rating: 4 out of 5