RogueXS Old Crustacean Barleywine

[GunNut76]

What can I say about it...hops, hops, hops, malt, hops, hops, carbonation, hops, hops, alchohol. Did I mention hops? 120 IBU...WARNING: DO NOT GUZZLE THIS BEER!!! I forgot what it was for about a second and took a big 'ol swig...after I came to I promised never to do that again. If you like bitter this is for you. I liked it.

[sallad]

finally tried this one, but it followed my very first 120min IPA.. not to belittle old crusty, but the 120min kinda does...

anyway, one of my friends described as tasting like motor oil. now, i've never tasted motor oil and maybe he has, but i found this to be a very good beer.

a very nice color - deep coppery red, somewhat cloudy, with a big, lasting bitterness that really stays on the tongue through out the sip. a little carmely, maybe hints of roasted/toasted/chocolate. didn't notice much alcohol, but that has to be because of the 120min IPA i'd just finished.

can't wait to try another with a more "cleansed" palate!

[tavernjef]

Ahhh, Old Crusty, a fantastic barleywine!

This stuff is extremely raw and hugely hopped up when first released. This is one the better BW's to show what aging can do the hop profile of most other hoppy BW's. I had purchased many of these when first released earlier this year and opened one right away and boy was it young and pushy like a teenager who thinks they know everything. Opened another from the same batch not all that long ago and found within only a 6/7 month period it made a nice turn around and had matured to a proper adulthood with a mellowed down hop profile, not by much that it was wiped clean, but from what my notes and memory gave way to, is that aging this for a only a short half year span made this one the best BW experiences I've had to date with the exception of a few 2000 Bigfoots that aged nicely over time as well.

Here are my notes:

2002 bottling - Color is a murky deep mahgoney with a very thin fizzy, dark ivory head, leaves a thin ring and minimal oily spotty lace. Smell is heavy, dark and earthy malts and juicy hops with a heavy tangyness and strong alcohol late. Taste is heavy, hefty amounts of dark roasty malts, smacked of dark, fat, earthy hops with solid tang and quick bitterness of woody pine and lingering heavy dryness. Full bodied and heavy, with sharp hop tones and texture. This may be a little young yet, I have three bottles left and I'll let em age some before opening the next, a definate revisit.

Revisit 11/16/2003 of 2002 bottle - aged wondefully, hops more abundant in both smell and taste, much smoother drinkablity. Still hefty, load of wondefully mixed thick, heavy, chewy malts; hops have a darkened, dry bitterness, earthy, heavy pineyness with a mellower tone and balance. Ohh sooo nice...
Glad I decided to open it!

One bottle left from 2002, I'll hang on to it for a while longer.