Driftwood Brewing Co. – 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine

Driftwood Brewery 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine Review

Rating

4.1 out of 5
Appearance
4.4 out of 5
Aroma
4.3 out of 5
Flavour
3.8 out of 5
Palate

Total

4.2
4.2 out of 5

Overview

  • Brewery: Driftwood Brewery
  • Beer Style: Barley Wine
  • Pros:

    A smooth Barley Wine with big tropical fruit hop flavours

  • Cons:

    No the typical profile for a Barley Wine

  • Conclusion:

    A big hopped, big flavoured Barley Wine

Driftwood Brewery 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine Review Driftwood Brewing Co. – 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine Review

The Old Cellar Dwellar is a sought after seasonal brew from Victoria’s Driftwood Brewery. This Barley Wine Style Ale is a massive 11.4% alcohol and is extremely ageable. If you buy a bottle, do not be afraid to keep this beer in a cool dark place for a few years. It will likely improve with time. From the wax topped bottle the beer pours as a golden colour and is topped with two dense fingers of heavily lacing head. The aroma is strong with tropical fruit hops, a slight booziness and distinct lightness for the style. The aroma is almost more that of an Imperial IPA than a Barley Wine. Tasting the beer the Barley Wine aspect becomes more apparent but the Mango, Passion Fruit and Pineapple hop tones add a very pleasant fruit-sweetness to the flavour. The big Barley-Malt tones add to the ensemble and give a big, smooth body to the beer that finishes with a lingering hop character and a warm, boozy sensation at the back of the tongue. For being a Barley Wine this beer is very fruity in its hop tones and verges more on being an Imperial IPA. If you give it a year or two to settle however those hop tones will begin to fade and it is likely that a richer, more sherry-like character will begin to emerge.

Alcohol – 11.4%
Size – 650ml
driftwoodbeer.com

 

Driftwood Brewery 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine Review Driftwood Brewery 2015 Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine Review

About Author

Dustan Sept

Dustan Sept is the founder of Beer Me BC. His passion for craft beer drove the creation of beermebc.com in 2012. To learn more about the beermebc.com editorial team visit beermebc.com/the-beer-me-bc-team/.

Comments

  1. Mike
    Mike 23 January, 2016, 10:50

    I wish they would rename this beer as it is quite toasty and bring back the real Old Cellar Dweller. Being a massive fan of the Barleywine style I want the flavours back. There is room in the market for a new imperial IPA and a Barleywine.

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