Old Ruffian Barley Wine
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at first sniff, with its subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, this deep mahogany-hued ale quickly shows its true character marked by bold hop flavors and massive hop bitterness. Old Ruffian’s rich, slightly creamy, caramel malt mouthfeel balances its grapefruit, pine, and floral hop flavors, working wonders on your palate.
A mind-numbing 90 International Bittering Units (IBUs).
Alcohol by volume: 10.2%
Accolades and other buzz on Old Ruffian Barley Wine:
- Gold Medal, Great American Beer Festival, 2006 – Barley Wine
- Bronze Medal, Great American Beer Festival, 2005 – Barley Wine
- Regional Champion, United States Beer Tasting Championship, Winter 2007 -- Barley Wine
- Grand Champion, United States Beer Tasting Championship, Winter 2006 – Barley Wine
- Honorable Mention, Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival, 2006 – Barley Wine
- Regional Champion, United States Beer Tasting Championship, Winter 2005 – Barley Wine
- Ranked 6th of the Top 10 Beers in Colorado by Ratebeer.com – RateBeer Best, Summer 2005
- Rated a “97” by Ratebeer.com – Winter 2004
- Ratebeer.com taster Hopscotch of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, exclaims, “This beer rocks!... The flavor is decently balanced by a very aggressive hop addition. Big notes of alcohol and grapefruit; full-bodied and oily with lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter finish. Great, world class stuff!” (01/02/05)
- Eyedrinkale, a Ratebeer.com taster describes Old Ruffian, “It’s a whopping, massive tongue buckler. The up-front flavors of citrus (tangerine, grapefruit and orange) along with floral hops make you think your drinking an IPA. But right behind that, is a massive malt backbone and warming alcohol... A fantastic beer.” (12/02/04)
- Ratebeer.com taster Howie, of DeForest, Wisconsin, exclaims, “’Hop-forward’ is right. The aroma is absolutely huge. ‘Seemingly mellow at the start...’ Wha? There’s nothing mellow at all about this. Deep amber with a high, somewhat lasting head. Huge citric, resinous hop aroma with a deep dark fruitiness that’s really striking. Sweet juicy maltiness balances the huge hop flavors very well... I’m going back for more. Great candidate for cellaring.” (12/03/04)
Suggested food pairings:
- We savor Old Ruffian Barley Wine with Stilton, a creamy, rich, British blue cheese, served with walnuts and dried figs or dried tart cherries
