North Coast Old Stock Ale

Aroma: complex. Orange, dark chocolate, raspberries, barley, all immediately dominant; and a subtle undercurrent of vanilla, caramel, and pear. Alcohol definitely present, plus tastes of heavy citrus, floral tones, heavy-handed dry wine, high bitterness but not necessarily from the hops. Spicy. Too strong for my personal tastes but I could see it being an enjoyable beer for a wine buff.

Name: Old Stock
Date: February 04, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Cellar Stock
Vintage: 2001
Appearance: opaque brown, scant head
Aroma: rich fruit aroma hits you nose before you finish getting the top off, but once you do you’re treated to a rich ripe plum and raison aroma
Flavor: all malt flavor, lots of ripe fruit, dates and raisons, a perfect touch of sweetness, no bitterness but well balanced

Name: Old Stock
Date: March 19, 2006
Vintage: 2001
Words: vertical
Aroma: rich fruity malt aroma
Flavor: lots of rich fruity flavor
Overall: warming, smooth

Name: Old Stock
Date: September 08, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar party
Vintage: 2001
thining out a bit, still very rich fruity caramel character, very tasty but may be close to the extent of the age,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4

Name: Old Stock
Date: December 08, 2004
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2002
Appearance: opaque dark amber
Aroma: sweet ripe plum aroma with light floral hops
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of fruity character, lots of alcohol but not too estery, the malt flavor takes on lots of complex ripe fruit essence after it warms and the alcohol fades

Name: Old Stock
Date: March 19, 2006
Vintage: 2002
Words: vertical
hot malt flavor with some nice ripe fruit, a touch of bitterness,

Name: Old Stock
Date: September 09, 2007
Mode: b

’07 bottle. Pours a beautiful mahogany with a head that is a golden hue while it lasted, but dissipated to a thin ring around the top of the glass. Nose was rich with toffee and caramel with a little dried fruit. The flavor is rich caramel, dried fruit and some subtle cherries in mid to back palate, with a slightly bitter finish. The carbonation was just enough to hide the alcohol. Halfway through, I tried with some Gouda, which complimented nicely by bringing out some nuttiness and malt.

Poured from a 2007 bottle. Poured a hazy deep copper color with a thin off-white head that diminished to a ring. Aroma of sweet malts and dark fruits. Caramel and toffee malt flavors with hints of fruit peaking through. The carbonation is just right and it is smooth on the palate. The alcohol is very well hidden, and it is surprisingly drinkable for the abv.

I am growing to enjoy barley wines. This is one of the finer ones I’ve tasted.

Bottle. Rich aromas of caramel for the malt and grapefruit and broth for the hops and yeast. In the background there was all sorts of dark dried fruits, port and brown sugar. The head started fizzy but ended almost immediately, color is that of hazy iced tea. Flavor starts heavily sweet and lightly acidic and ends moderately sweet and acidic and just a touch sour. Palate is medium, between oily and syrupy with lively carbonation and ends a bit astringent and just a touch metallic. Bold aromas and flavors make this my favorite barley wine yet.

This is a real easy review. If you enjoy cognac or port, this is the beer for you. If you don’t ABSOLUTELY avoid this beer at all costs (I cannot stress that point any further). Classic barleywine, well made but not for my palate. Once again, if cognac and port are NOT your taste, please refrain.

2006 Vintage from a bottle - Just finished my last bottle of this. Normally I reserve this for holidays & special occasions as this is a special beer. Tempted to simply write "Wow" and nothing more but this beer was crafted with care and so should it’s review be. Simply put this is a tremendous beer that brings meaning to the words Craft Brewed. Intense to say the least with a complexity that makes you involve yourself in every sip. There are hints of caramel, taffy, vanilla sweet fruits and a nice alchohol warming. Reminds me of the Cognac my father loved so much. Drink this beer almost warm, sip it slowly and appreciate every mouthful as it was brewed by a master, who was proud of what he made.