Is Oskar Blues Old Juicy Bastard Barleywine a secret beer? Did I get a secret beer? There’s nothing listed about it on the brewery website, and I’ve never seen it here in Georgia despite the fact we have an Oskar Blues brewery close by in Asheville. There’s not much information about it on the web, other than a few sites quoting the brewery as follows:

This Barley Wine is an amazing blend of an English Barley Wine combined with the hop flavor and bitterness of an American Barley Wine. It has vibrant copper color and a deep malt sweetness that smooths into hops and a pleasant bitterness. Add a touch of heat from the alcohol and you get the perfect winter beer.

That sounds good! Luckily for me I got a can from good old Dale Roberts of Colorado, who lives not far from the original Oskar Blues brewery. I socked it away in my beer fridge where it sat for a good 8 months until I noticed it was Dale’s birthday, so I decided to pop it. Toasting an old juicy bastard with an Old Juicy Bastard-what’s better than that?

The label tells me Old Juicy Bastard has an alcohol content of 10.5% by volume. That’s all I know. Well, the label says the beer is "Wicked Hawd". Sounds like an endorsement from Maine.

Oskar Blues Old Juicy Bastard Barleywine pours to a murky orange amber color with a thick creamy head of foam and a lush sweet malty nose. Taking a sip, the beer is full of thick, chewy caramel malt with doughy notes of fresh bread, citrus, and a slightly sweet to balanced finish with warming alcohol.

I love these kinds of barleywines with thick, chewy, bready caramel malt balanced by citrusy hops. This one is big and malty like Bigfoot I think though less resiny and more citrusy. It was likely hoppier earlier, but I do enjoy aging barleywines to allow the malt complexity to emerge and the hops to fade a little. This one is a keeper my friends!

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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