North Coast Old Stock Ale

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

2006 bottle courtesy of jastack poured into a snifter. Pours a dark, slightly hazy reddish amber with a large creamy off-white head that lingers as a cap for ages and leaves some decent lacing on the way down. The aroma is super sweet with tons of caramel malts, toffee and brown sugar. Lots of dark fruit, especially raisins adding even more sweetness to the mix. Hints of booze in the nose as well, especially brandy. Taste is a bit more musty than the aroma with the same massive sweetness of the caramel malts and dark fruit. There is even more of a brandy presence than in the aroma with a big booze burn in the finish. There is a faint, faint hop presence that I couldn’t pick up in the nose. The mouthfeel is sugary sweet and almost syrupy but with plenty of carbonation that makes up for it. I enjoyed this one a good bit and I’m extremely impressed by the way this one has aged. Highly recommended!

Pours hazy reddish brown with a thin tan head. Aroma is big and malty, with sweet caramel and brown sugar coming through. Taste is also sweet and malty, with a slightly bitter finish, very good. 2008 bottle.

2008 vintage. Reddish amber in colour with no head and barely any carbonation. Sweet, prune and barley sugar aroma. Flavour was very sweet and syrupy, with toffee, raisins and some spice and a raw alcohol finish. Ok.

On tap at Flossmoor Station. Poured reddish brown with yellow off-white head. Aroma is sweet malt, dark fruits, citrus, caramel and some hops. Flavor is dark fruit, hops, sweet malt, caramel, molassas and touch of citrus. Nicely balanced for high ABV. Really solid barley wine.

Bottle 2008 vintage consumed late Feb 09. A bit spicy. I noticed no yeast in the bottom of the bottle - a bit surprising for a bottle designed to age. I wonder if it’s pasturized.I may try buying a few more and aging them.

bottle of 2008,red color..easy to drink..barley flavour throughout...Mild flavour..

Poured from a 12oz bottle (2008 vintage) and served in a snifter. This barley wine poured a beautiful reddish copper brown with a thin, lasting cap of light tan foam. A small amount of slippery lacing was left behind. The aroma was loaded with fruits. Rum-soaked raisins, caramel apples, pears, dates, and also some light orange peel. Mildly boozy. The flavor included raisins, red apple skins, thick caramelized sugar, and a hint of citrus. Very warming on the way down. The mouthfeel was full-bodied, but very clean and drinkable considering the ABV. Very well done!

Props for barley wines still kicking asses. I have to say the 12.5% is the best thing about this beer. It burns the flavors into the palate like warm lime juice. Lots of roasty warm flavors in this one, helped copiously by the high abv to make them sting and stick to your palate. Grapes, cherry, apple skin, plum skin, flower buds, and brandy. Thin mouthfeel thanks to the astringency. This one is slightly hot, but that’s what distracts at first yet keeps it going with every new sip. Thumbs!!