North Coast Old Stock Ale

2007 bottle. Hot! The alcohol is kickin’! Hazy copper with a thin tan head, some fair lacing at the brew line. Sweet roasted malt aroma with a creamy caramel nose. Sweet malt flavor with a dry alcohol finish. Warm and full-bodied creamy palate. Needed more balance. Just had the Anchor Old Foghorn which was much more balance and pleasant to drink.

2008 vintage that poured dark brown with a reddish-orange tint. Had a reasonable light brown head. Had aromas of caramel, toasted malt, and chocolate. I picked up some strong flavors of fig and chocolate. It also had a whiskey like finish. Great sipping beer but may be a little too figgy. Otherwise, a respectable brew.

2007 Vintage - Bottle pours dark amber with a thin, rapidly-dissipating foamy head which returns with each drink from carbonated bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Leaves only slight tan lacing on the glass that quickly disappears. Aroma of smoky oak and roasted malts. Initial bitter hoppy bite which lingers on the tongue leaving a sweet fruity taste fading into an oak-aged whiskey finish. Would like to compare this one with older vintages.

2008 vintage, pours a dark ruby/brown with a fizzy off-white head that dissipated fully. Big aroma of malt, caramel, brown sugar, fruit, and alcohol. Taste of brown sugar and caramel, with an alcohol burn for a finish. Mouthfeel very rich and smooth. A great barley wine!!

Vintage 2007. Pour is ruby copper with no head. Aroma is cherry, plum and alcoholish. Flavor is sugary and fruity with alcohol but not overwhelming. Palate is smooth with a slight bitterness. A barleywine that I actually can drink...still the presence of alcohol but bearable.

Bottle from the 2007 release. Biting, yeasty aroma - figs, grapes, and alcohol. Orange and ruby highlights in the body and a quickly dissipating head. The taste is strong and yeasty. There are 2 levels of flavor at work here - a heavy, sweet, bourbon-like malt flavor, and then a hoppy, yeasty mix on top of that. Complex mouthfeel and a tingly finish. This is a heavy, high alcohol sipping ale that is impressive, but may have a little too much sugar and yeast in it. Personally, I prefer Pranqster and Rasputin from North Coast Brewing.

2008 Vintage Pours a dark brown color with virtually no head. It has a scent of malts and some oak, with some alcohol present as well. The initial flavor rapidly progresses from a quick hoppy bite to sweet malts to a somewhat oaken, alcoholic finish. This is a great, top class barley wine, not over the top hoppy like some I have had. The only thing that prevented me from rating this higher was the fact that I could sense the alcohol as much as I did. I am laying down the rest of my 4 pack to age for a while, hopefully it will mellow out and be even better!

Bottle at Novare Res. This stuff is fantastic, I’m starting to think I love barleywines as much as IPAs. Sweet, malty, the hop presence is there though and this is a great barleywine. Toffee and caramel aromas and flavors from the malts. Nice mouthfeel too.