Year Old Anchor Old Foghorn

Been raining all day here with a high right now of 42F which sounds like an opportune time to try a new beer. Ok I've had Anchor Old Foghorn before but in a small sample, and it was about a 4 year old vintage, AND it was after having some Pliny the Younger. I remember really liking the Old Foghorn but my perception of it may have been fogged due to all the aforementioned factors. I don't usually drink barleywines and can off the top of my head name the ones I've ever had- Sierra Nevada Bigfood, Stone Old Guardian, Old Foghorn, Alesmith Old Numbsull, and an infected Green Flash Barleywine. But it's been quite a while since my last, so I've been looking forward to this one I've been stashing away for a rainy day.

This beer was bottled on April 2nd, 2007, as per the code on the back of "7AB." It's a moderate 8.8% ABV. The aroma contains a nice amount of fruit... apples are the specific thing I pick up as well as a little bit of cherry. And there's a lot of sugary stuff in the background. The taste has a nice smoothness to it. It's very clean tasting and bitterness is almost absent. It's pretty simple at least as far as what I'm getting in terms of fruit and a little bit of caramelized malt. I wonder if they use a ton of Marris Otter as their base malt? As I sip on, I get pleny of raisin.

This is a really good cold weather sipper as I get through most of the glass here. Very fruity and raisiny when it warms up. Highly recommended.