North Coast Old Stock Ale

2007 bottle. Pours dark orange with minimal head that disappeared quickly. Aroma was sweet and malty. Drank 3 bottles about 7 months ago and saved this one. When I first tried it the alcohol was overwhelming. Time has mellowed the alcohol and it is much smoother. Thick, malty and sweet, this one goes down easily for 11% abv. I think I’ll buy anothr 4 pack and age it a while, should be good. Another quality brew from North Coast.

June 2006 - 2005 version - Methinks this beer is a tad overrated. Beer poured brownish cider color, minimal head and lacing. The aroma was unpleasant...alcohol with some metallic foulness. Fortunately, that didn’t carry over to the flavor. Flavor was rich...super caramel with some cherry-like flavor. A modest amount of hops round it out...but it was just a tad too sweet for my liking.

2007 bottle. Pours mahogany with a small head. Aroma is sweet caramel. raisin and alcohol. Mouth feel is thick, almost syrupy with little carbonation. Flavor has a hop bite to it with caramel, brown sugar and a hint of roasted coffee. Finish is not what I’d call smooth but not too harsh. A nice alcohol burn follows every sip. Potent stuff that I’m sure will age exceptionally well.

2007 Bottle. Pours deep brown with a modest creamish tan head, no lacing. Smells of malt and rasins. Thick bodied malt is pronounced with alcohol finish.

Bottle from Canals. Sampled with Dennis Bell (My Brew Master) 2007 bottle( 11.7%) . Ok a brownish coppery pour with complex aromas. We think we smelled raisons, caramel and sweet malt. Flavor was bitter on the tip of the tongue with hints of raison, alcohol and caramel. On the back and mid points of the tongue their was a toasted, yeasty flavor and then the burn in the chest. It was complex but freaking amazing. The cerimonial humping of the bottle will be preformed.

12oz bottle, Vintage 2005. Pours a cloudy reddish brown color with minimal light brown head that dissipates quickly, leaving no lace. Smells a bit like bourbon, lots of booze and some malt. Tastes boozey, lots of alcohol. Kind of an alcoholy malt taste towards the finish. Doesn’t taste bad, just strong. Surprisingly vibrant mouthfeel. Good carbonation, even with only minimal head. Not too thick even with all that alcohol. One’s good for me.

A Mes rate: Bottle at HogTownHarry Fest ’08
A 2006 big abv version thanks hugely to Harry. Beautiful amber colour with a head that dies all to quickly but the high abv doesn’t give it much to hold onto. Really enjoyable cheesy alcoholic funk in the aroma with sweet dark malt underneath. Really sniffable. A proper barley wine flavour. Chunky, spicy and lots of chewy malt. Alcohol is obviously there but not at all over powering. Palate is excellent. Creamy and full giving a wonderful warmth as it slips down. Wood, cardboard, leather and all sorts of other aged stuff. Lovely soft mouth feel. A real malt celebration and bloody enjoyable. Much more like an English BW than an American one in my opinion. Great stuff and surprisingly under-rated for a US beer.

Pours a medium brown with a small tan head. Light but complex aroma of fruit and alcohol. Very nice sweetness. Good but alcohol comes through too much.