North Coast Old Stock Ale

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

Dark copper. No head. Alcohol nose. Burnt caramel, brown sugar and molasses flavours.

In the bottle at my 2006 Barleywine tasting. This was the 2004 vintage. Pours dark amber with a thin vaporous head. Huge alcohol nose. Some caramel and chocolate to the nose, but mostly alcohol. A semi-sweet malt taste is hidden behind a burning sensation all down your gullet. Very astringent. Has a harsh palate. Slight black cherry taste, prunes and brown sugar. Bitter hop residual finish. update 6/2008: 2008 vintage. reddish amber with a thin white head. nose is fruity and alcohol. has the aroma of paint thinner. lots of heat. burns all the way down. oranges, chocolates, figs, this is a very strong beer. the alcohol is too unbalanced right now and should be put away for a while.

Bottle conditioned. Courtesy of Jacob Lövenlund. Deep chestnut red, thin but persistent off white head and moderate condition. Sweet and malty barley wine aromas with hints of peppery hop resin and citrusy orange notes. Soft and sticky weet in the mouth with warming alcohol, underlying oakiness, some roasted barley bitterness and a touch of smoke. Long sticky finish with sweet malt, burnt toffee, roasted nuts, bitter hoppiness and a lingering alcoholic warmth.

Tan, creamy, medium head. Clear brown body with a red tinge to it. Aroma very like sherry with hop notes; firm and sweet. Deep, sweet, complex taste of caramel and sherry with coffee and licorice notes, quite bitter throughout. Round, oily mouthfeel. Aftertaste is bitter and roasty. Some alcohol heat. Lingers in the mouth. Excellent! Have put one in the cellar; really looking forward to tasting it in a few years.

1/7/2008:
2007 VINTAGE:
Very nice malty (cookie and molasses) and hoppy (pine) aroma. Also detected some tawny port, alcohol and raspberry. Poured a medium sparkling clear amber with a creamy off-white head. Initial flavor is alcohol followed by a long and nutty aftertaste. Mouthfeel is creamy and carbonation is soft. There is a strong presence of alcohol throughout. Will probably improve with age.
Ar: 8
Ap: 4
F: 7
P: 4
O: 15
TS: 3.8
2-16-2008:
2008 VINTAGE:
Wow, as much as I liked the 2007 vinatge, the 2008 was horrible! Shared with ilovedarkbeer. Aroma was raw pumpkin with meelon, cinnamon, alcohol and vegitables. Creamy, off-white head with good lacing. Flavor was bad. Dry texture, lively carbonation and astringent!
Ar: 4
Ap: 4
F: 5
P: 3
O: 10
TS: 2.6
2004 Vintage consumed 5/13/2009, thanks to Lumpy. Pours with a small head over a murky amber body. Aroma of port, alcohol, toffee, maple and plum. Taste is prune, alcohol, toffee, light port, some oxidation and raisins. syrupy mouthfeel.
838415=3.8

Dark amber, small biege head. Sweet aroma of burnt sugar, spices, dark dried fruit, caramel and oily alcohol. Flavour of raisin, spices, burnt sugar, caramel with an alcoholic bite. Long sweet and fruity finish. Beautiful stuff!

Bottle. 2003. Beautiful ruby-brown color with a thin beige head. Sweet malt aroma, with some raisin, fig, and date. Raisin, dat, rich caramel malt flavors. Some alcohol wamring. Just enough hops. This beer has a rich, deep flavor. Great barley wine with a bit of a fruity flavor. Wonderful complexity.

Outstanding aroma. Calvados, light hops, white wine. Red. The beer is highly carbonated, and there is a large head that is gone in seconds. Strange flavor. Very dry for a barleywine. There is some underlying sweetness, dirt, some hops, and lots of bread. It seemed like something was off with this 2003 bottle, but I purchased it at a fine store, and stored in a cool basement for a few months; and the cap was on tightly, so I don’t know what went wrong. Heavy and a serious alcohol kick. I will try a fresher bottle, but even with some flaws it is a fine beer.