North Coast Old Stock Ale

Review of the 2001, I was lucky to get this in a beer exchange. APPEARANCE: Pours a dark reddish brown color with a small tan head that dissipates quickly. No noticeable lacing. AROMA: Strong smell of sweet malts and dark malts along with the heavy scent of alcohol. Rum raisin comes to mind. FLAVOR: Raisin and sweet malts. There are hints chocolate and it finishes with a coffee flavored bitterness. Reminds me of a raisin bran muffin. Amazingly smooth but there is a slight burn from alcohol throughout. MOUTHFEEL: Full bodied beer with syrupy consistency and soft carbonation. Slight spicy pepper finish from the alcohol. DRINKABILITY: A lot smoother than I expected. If it wasn’t for the alcohol burn I could drink a lot more. NOTES: BBCSD-0812 Geoff

Must have changed their label. I have one with a yellow label. Wish I could find one of those aged ones, but this is still pretty good. Huge malt aroma. Very pungent. I do wish I could smell more hops, but it still smells nice. Nice dark brown with a thin head that doesn’t go away. Nice creamy texture, with a slight hop bitterness hitting the tongue. I mainly taste the hops, and the alcohol is WELL hidden. I have had barley wines with a little bit better of a balance between hops and malts, but this one is all about the malt taste.

08 vintage. Poured into a goblet. Dark opaque orangish-brown color. Small tan head that fizzles out quickly, probably due to the huge alcohol content. Aroma is cocoa powder with a touch of roast and some deep dark fruitiness. Flavor is hot cocoa with a stewed raisin character and some peppery alcohol. A kiss of caramel and a dry slight bitterness make up the finish. Full flavor with enough body to back it up. Alcohol isn’t horribly evident, but it is there. Good beer.

88 in catigory, who the hell rates this? Sounds like someone needs to let their brew warm a bit. This stuff is just wonderful. Lots of roast, dark fruit, some wood. This balances the overwhelming heavy dark fruit character in most barley wines very well. It stands out from the crowd. A very underrated prefected brew from a very underated brewery.

2007 bottle. Pours a reddish brown with a tan head that fades quickly. Sweet-smelling, with dark fruits, maple syrup and caramel corn on the nose. Hops come through in a big way in the flavor. A sweeter, oakier side - like a port wine - gives way to sharply bitter hops and a bit of alcohol burn. Brown sugar as well. It’s very thick, as well, and I can imagine it aging beautifully. Nice!

Red color with a decent head. Aroma is of brown sugar, caramel, and maple. Strong in alcoholic content. Complex flavor with notes of caramel.

2008 bottle. Pours a clear dark amber with a one finger light tan head with decent lacing. The nose is dark fruits, burnt caramel and alcohol. Taste is brown sugar, toasted toffee, dark fruits and alcohol with some bittering hops in the finish. Medium mouth feel. Good stuff. Very warming. I’d like to try one with some age on it.

(Bottle (2007) from Julio’s Liquors, cellared for 11 mos. after purchase) Pours dark reddish amber with only about 1/8" of head. Aroma is sweet and candy-like with a bit of pine along with some sweet fruitiness. Mouthfeel smooth, only lightly sticky, about average thickness for a barleywine. Only very light traces of lacing with a bit of a syrupy film inside the snifter. Flavor is fairly sweet, reminiscent of rock candy and maybe a bit of caramel and wisp of smoke. Light piney bitterness overlays. Finishes a bit hot. Tasty and fairly elegant for sure but a bit lacking in complexity and density of flavor. I look forward to the brandy barrel version.