North Coast Old Stock Ale

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

Nice amber, slighty ruby color with a medium tan head. Aroma is of rich caramel, some raisins, a slight alcohol bite. Flavor is rich with pears, caramel, raisins, but with a generous dose of hops that kick the bit of sugars off your tongue in a hurry, leaving a slightly nutty lingering finish. This one is sure to age well - I hope I fare so well!

rerate (11/20/08): Another ’07, not nearly as much fruit in the nose, more brandy, raisin, brown sugar. Almost peaty in fact. Flavor is alcoholic, lots of malt, caramel, and sugar, but a little watery. Palate is still intense, though rather short-lived and a little too carbonated given the malty overtones in the flavor. It’s far boozier than the first time I remember, and I think that I prefer the nose this time around. 848415.
(7/11/08) Pours dark red-amber with small white-yellow head. Clean aroma with caramel, banana, fruits... spring rain? Some say cognac, and I’d agree to that, especially with the alcohol buried in there. Flavor is WOW. This kicks me over even with an inflamed face. Beautiful balance with strong hop contributions playing off of sweet sugars and a generous alcohol backbone. Aggressive palate to compliment the taste, and even a little sticky just for marks. I’m still reeling. 849518.

2007 Bottle. Pours brown with a thin tan head. Very nice complex fruit aroma with a touch of caramel. Flavor is on the malty side with a dry finish. Taste is more vegetal than fruity. Noticeable alcohol. Good, not great.

Bottle (’07 vintage): Poured a reddish amber color with almost no head. The aroma was sweet, fruity and malty. The flavor was just the same, VERY sweet and VERY malty. Overall, a very good beer with the potential to be a great beer with a couple of years of cellaring.

bottle with ethereal 2007 vintage. Wonderful floral and fruity nose, apricots, dried pineapple, fresh figs and plums. Ruby colour, fine lacy head. Flavours of treacle, honey, caramel and quince. Beautifully dry with a strong sweet, almondy back. Good plum liqueur aftertaste, quite alcoholic, but sweet. lovely, and very drinkable, develish.

12oz bottle, 2007 vintage. Deep amber, thin fine bubbled head, slight spotty lacing. Smells fantastic, fruity with light esters, caramel/toffee, bread pudding. First sip unfolds in perfect form, rich but not cloying malt body flows over the tongue with authority, fading to a tingling hop profile with nuances of root beer and spice cake, alcohol slowly wafts out the nostrils. Has some characteristics that you might consider belgian. The best barley wine I have had yet, truly delicious, I will buy more more more.

12 oz. bottle 2008. Pours a reddish-brown with an average, fizzy, off-white head. Aroma is sweet malts, a tiny bit hoppy, and a little plum. Flavor is sweet with a bit of a bitter finish. It is very warming on the palate with light alcoholic finish. Warms very well, first barley wine. Good experience.

2005 Vintage. Red amber color with a slightly tan head; head slowly recedes but still leaves some lacing. Smell of sweet caramel and some dark fruits, even a bit vinous. Taste is sweet (caramel and toffee), alcohol is present, but not overpowering. A bit earthy as well, improves tremendously as it warms; when its cool, its a bit metallic and lacking, when you warm it up it transforms into a solid beer. Higher side of medium carbonation, full bodied, a bit sticky on the tongue. An excellent sipper, but even though its a year old, it still has plenty of room to become the shining star its destined to be.