North Coast Old Stock Ale

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Fort Bragg, California USA

On tap at Prime 16: Pours rusty chestnut brown/orange/amber w/pillowy head (fair retention). The strong alcohol feel in the aroma is a little off putting, but let it sit or get used to it and you can smell a bouquet of berries and ripened fruit (notably apple), as well as plum, pipe tobacco and must. Flavors of aged leather, sappy malt, figs, pine, brandy, and a hint of coffee. Drinkability: Full bodied, bittersweet, alcoholic burn. Rebuy: Yes. #204 on 21112009, DG.

2008 12oz. bottle. Pours ruby/brown with a small off-white head that retains a covering down the glass, some light lacing. Big fruity aroma, cherries, grapes, dark fruits, chocolate, vanilla, toffee. Wonderful to inhale. Flavor is very malty, caramel, chocolate, brown sugar, and dark fruits. Quite sweet but not cloying. Mouthfeel is wonderful, very rich and full. Medium carbonation. Potent alcohol content, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t hot going down, quite subdued, one year of age probably helped a lot in this regard. A wonderful brew, gonna pick up the last 4-pack at my store tomorrow and age a number of bottles.

Pours a beautiful dark color with a bubbly head that diminishes rapidly. The aroma is delicious!! There are rich plums and dates come through, a bit of caramel and browned sugar, maybe a touch of molasses as well. Oh man, the flavor is as rich and savory as the aroma. Rich malts with plums, dark fruits, loads of caramel and brown sugar. The finish is delicate with a medium length. An absolute beautiful beer!!

Vintage 2008. Serving date: 2009-01-18. Served in snifter. 355 ml bottle. Freshness date on label (Best before August 2010). The label says "limited release", but i don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. Dark, ruby-colored with a cappuccino-colored small head that dissipates quickly. No actual lacings - just a minimal ring of foam around the edges. Primarily sweet caramel malts coupled with ripe fruits and raisins in the nose. Some notes of chocolate, and perhaps faint notes of saffron. Alcohol becomes present with deeper breaths. The smell is really appealing. Nice. The taste has sweet caramel malts are up-front. Then pleasant fruity flavors - ripe apples and raisins - appear, coupled with chocolate and nougat. Coffee flavors are also present, which creates a sensation of chocolate coated coffee beans together with the taste of chocolate. The finish is slightly bitter, and perhaps even a bit tart. The well hidden alcohol provides a nice warming feeling. The aftertaste of this one is very long. It leaves a nice, sweet and sticky film in the mouth that lingers on way after the beer is finished. This beer tastes amazing; it’s heavy and bold with big and rich flavors balanced very nicely. Very complex. If I would mention something on the negative side, I would have to say that it maybe is a little too sweet and therefor becomes a bit too heavy to handle (at least in larger quantities) Smooth and chewy, medium-bodied leaning towards full. Medium carbonation. The alcohol is certainly present, but hides nicely between the rich flavors. This is a really good beer, with lots or aromas and nicely balanced flavors. Definitely a sipper. It’s actually reminiscent of a brandy, with its rich and balanced - almost luxurious - overall character. One bottle is enough for one night, though. However, I would definitely like to have it again. NOTE: ABV-level is 12,5% according to the label. --- 2009 vintage. ABV: 11,5% Brownish amber with a minimal off-white head that quickly fades away. Minimal lacings. The smell is malty with note of caramel, fudge and vinous fruits (currants, blackberries, plums and raisins). The taste is sweet with a whole range of malty flavors - caramel, fudge and dark bread. Hints of coffee and leather. Quite a lot of vinous fruits. The finish is mildly bitter with a leafy hop note, wood and sweet and warming alcohol. Medium body, semi-smooth texture (could have been smoother). Gentle carbonation. All in all, a good bber, but will probably get better with age. Not as good as the 2008 vintage. Grades: 7; 3; 7; 4; 16. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

12oz bottle from Brewery Creek, 2008 vintage. Pours a dark amber with foam so light in carbonation that it looks like a thin, tanned top of a latte. Aroma is abundant with caramel, toffee and figs. Taste is mildly sharp with hops but then surrenders to chewy, coffee like malts with a tinge of hop bitterness carrying through to the lingering finish. Alcohol is warming but very well integrated for such a high ABV. One can only wonder how spectacular this would become given time to age. Very, very good and a good value at $4.50.

[bottle - 2008] Reddish brown and clear, thin head that disapates quickly. Fruity, sweet alcohol notes. Caramel and some dark fruit flavor. Medium bodied and warm on my tongue. It could use some aging but overall it’s a good beer.

7th July 2008. Dark brown clear beer. Very strongly flavoured. Brandy and port tones. Quite effervescent. Dry spirity finish. No bitterness.

Needs at least a couple of years to show its true potential and to land right on the palate. Flavour is sweet of caramell and toffe, raisins, figs and other dark fruit. Some cellar notes will also reveal itself after some age and compliments a otherwise rather simplistic but nice malt foundation very well.