North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Bourbon Barrel

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

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: JUN 2, 2011 Several pours sampled at Capital Beerfest in Sacramento. This was the 3rd beer of the festival for me. The aroma has fantastic bourbony vanilla notes present with a nice, underlying sweetness. Scant cardboardy oxidation present. The aroma is fantastic, and I could smell this all day. Moderately hazy amber body with a medium white head and great legging present. Starts with a good amount of mild bourbon character, which then becomes a little buttery in the middle. This works, though. A little dryness and mild ethanol comes in late. Finishes with lasting vanilla sweetness. Velvety smooth mouthfeel, and ethanol is fairly minimalized. This is amazing stuff! It’s probably the best beer I have ever had. I need to try a bottle to see if I have a similar experience.-----Re-Rate-& rating above is confirmed. This is the best beer I have ever had in my life, and I think it is worthy of my first 5.0

2009 vintage ceramic bottle courtesy of a PUB’N groupie. Pours turbid ruddy dark brown with 1-finger clingy frothy off-white head. Nose is heavy caramel, bronw sugar, figgy fruit, oaky bourbon...great nose. Tastes very rich with amazing complexity. A big blast of caramel up front, followed by figgy fruit, hops, earthy oaky bourbon notees, some late heat, but well hidden alcohol overall. As it warms, it evolves with more vinous and bourbon flavors, approaching the rare Tripel Point of Beer (TPB, a DocLock trademark) whereupon a beverage exhibits traits from all 3 major ethanolic beverages, namely beer, spirits, and wine. This one is amazing, and I am happy that the PUB’N (Pennsylvania Underground Beer Network) continues to be privileged with these types of rare and outstanding beers. Boo-yah!

Yep. I’m a five whore. This beer is beer Nirvana. Along with a couple other pretty much perfect offerings from Fifty Fifty, North Coast, Russian River, and Mikkeller... this one has the same problem... I simply cannot detract from it. It’s awesome. North Coast’s regular Old Stock is perfect in my book (with a year of age on it, fresh, not so much). This is perfect as well. It just takes a perfect beer, and make a tasteful tweak that makes it different from the original... but still perfect. This beer is a caramel, sweet malt, and bourbon orgy in your mouth. Except it’s a totally hot chick orgy... and you’re on a spaceship, the Niners are winning the Super Bowl, and Pantera is playing in the background.

Holy crap. If you like bourbon beers, this is the best of the best. Tastes like bourbon lite with great malt undertones. I love this.

Acquired at Hunger Mountain Co-Op in March. I believe this was priced at about $30. Enjoyed at Cellar temp in a snifter.

A - 2-finger slight tan head was produced but faded almost instantly. Very solid alcohol legs on the glass. Sort of a dark brown, hint of amber and plum appearance.

S - Hint of sweetness and minor maltiness on the nose. It’s a very unsuprisingly unsweet scent for a barleywine. Then again, this is an aged beer so perhaps this isn’t too surprising. Smokey oak and Bourbon and present but very smooth and not over boozy. The nose overall has a great balance.

T - This is incredibly hard to describe. First, I get some dark fruits like figs and cherries. Followed by a minor sweetness and hint of delicate vanilla bourbon whiskey. The sweetness is a mix of simple syrup and brown sugar. I love that there’s this caramel and candy like taste at the finish.

M - This coats the tongue and numbs it. It’s a mouth numbing beer that has a sort of orajel like feeling when it numbs things. Very heavy body, slick oily texture and vanilla sweetness finish.

O - This may be one of the finest barley wines I’ve ever had. It’s incredible and exceptional in so many ways. It’s hard to not give this beer a 5.

Bottle at Naja’s Place. Pours clear amber with a medium size white head. Aroma is in your face bourbon, caramel, vanilla and more bourbon. Flavor is malty sweet, bourbon, oak, caramel and the finish is vanilla, toffee and warming bourbon. Incredible beer.

She is a beauty. pours dark like maple syrup with a light head that recedes leaving nothing to show. Aromas of french toast, peach cobbler, and graham crackers. Full nectar and unctuous with good carbonation. This lays heavily on the tongue but the bubbles push through effortlessly. This brew is a sipper, like fine Cognac you just want to savor every sip. Flavors similar to aroma with the addition of a pronounced Bourbon essence. Throw in some butterscotch, plum nectar and ginger. Above and beyond, this brew pushes the envelope. High density sweetness balanced by a bit of bittering and alcohol. The finish goes on and on.

UPDATED: NOV 12, 2012 Bottle from Bottle Barn. Holy crap! This beer was the bee’s nuts! Aged Old Stock, sweet barleywine over bourbon. Right up my alley. I drank this one on Xmas eve, and with all the crap going on it shed a little light on the evening. Nice freakin work...outstanding beer. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

500 ml C&C bottle served in a Founders tulip. 2009 Cellar Reserve. A: Pours a semi translucent deep brown and ruby combination with a light tan head forming on the pour. It recedes quickly to a thin ring. No real lace left down the glass, but there are some nice legs. S: This smells incredible. It is barrel forward with some charred oak, smooth bourbon, and semi-sweet caramel. Dark fruits, mostly raisin, but a touch of fig newton is also present. As it warms more of the bourbon comes out in the nose with a touch of alcohol. T: Lots of great flavors going on. Definite oak character with some bourbon, residual vanilla and a definite caramel sweetness. Toffee with some fig and sweet malts. There is a slight nutty quality to it as well and it blends with the overall sweetness nicely. There is some definite heat hitting the back of the throat, but it’s a subtle warming which is very nice. M: Medium to full bodied with a medium/low carbonation level. A touch of warming down throat greets each sip. O: This is a great sipper. I smelled this forever before I finally took a drink. I enjoyed this one immensely and it is definitely in the top five old ales I’ve ever had. The barrel is nicely integrated and helps create another layer of flavor that definitely compliments the base beer. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-22-2012

Beer was probably my favorite beer of all time.beer has a really sweet aroma and a dark brown appearance. Beer tasted great