Old Ruffian

The last time I enjoyed this beast of a brew, I was with my good friends TJ and Ryan in Redondo Beach, CA.  It was gifted to me by the best beer shop owner ever, Geoi, of the currently closed "South Bay Drugs" (I wonder if the new shop will bare the same name in honor of the old location or have a new name? Only time will tell - move info).  At the time, Great Divide was not available anywhere in CA, so getting the bottle was a pretty awesome.  In addition, sharing with TJ and Ryan was a nice treat, as they are two of my favorite, and I don't see them as often as I would like to.  Plus, it helps that both have pretty great taste in beer (FACT, not opinion).  

TJ and I have been drinking beers together, both good and bad beers, for a long time, and I think our best beers days are ahead of us.  My first trip to Beer Disneyland (Stone Brewery) was with TJ, and that may have been the moment I knew I couldn't drink anything else besides craft brew (unless a game of Beirut - Beer Pong to those who call it by the wrong name - gets started) We'll be sharing a Marron Acidifie by The Bruery and Cigar City (Woo!) in May, which I cannot wait to try.  I may have a few more tricks up my sleeves (the amount of tricks I have won't fit up just one sleeve) for that visit, but I don't want to give away all my secrets

Once upon a time, Ryan and I shared a Cable Car by Lost Abbey (Mmmmm) at Toronado with our friend James.  I went to the bathroom and came back to find the earth shatteringly delicious wild ale Cable Car waiting at our table.  A great bottle of beer for a great visit from two fellow UC Davis alums.  I can still taste it as if it were yesterday.    

On to the beer in my glass:      

That first bottle of Old Ruffian** was pretty damn tasty, so I was excited to open up another bottle today.  A part of me wondered if this beer would live up to the memory I have of it, as I have had many world class barleywines since that time (1, 2, BEST, prior to infection) and a few beers I used to hold near and dear to my heart just haven't stood up to the test of superior products (see: ALL Lost Coast beers, many IPAs, etc.).   

Let me tell you, this beer IS damn good but not world class.  I drank it over the course of an hour an a half or so, and I definitely recommend letting it warm up a bit. The flavor got better and better over the course of that time, peaking around the 45 minute to hour mark (Two things: 1. Yes, I know that sound nerdy 2. I realize the 10.2% alocohol could have been telling me it tasted great at this point)  It tastes of caramel, hops, and the IBU bitterness  shows; it is what you should expect from an American barleywine, and Old Ruffian lived up to its categorization.  However, to be perfectly honest, while it is better than Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, it is not worth the huge price difference (Old Ruf is ~$8 a 22oz bottle, Bigfoot is ~$11 a 6 pack, aka 72oz).             

**Old Ruffian Stats: American Barleywine, 10.2% ABV, 90 IBUs, Seasonal (Winter)

Next Up: A trip to the store, we'll see what I come home with.  I am thinking Ace of Spaces by HUB.