Third Coast Old Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

12oz bottle poured into a tulip glass produced a light frothy tan head with dark amber body. Aroma of citrus and caramel. Flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, and the sweetness of cotton candy. Lots of sediment and floater were present. Nice warming ale.

A 12 oz. bottle courtesy of "hannont". Colour... garnet-amber with no head. Nose... sweet with hints of dried stone fruits and muscovado sugar. Palate... sweet, sirup-like, hoppy, with loads of candied fruit, raisins, dark currants and ..."bring us some figgy pudding, yes bring us some figgy pudding" and a helluva long finish!

Batch #9358 Bottled Sept 23rd, 2009. It poured a dark mahogeny brown with an orange tinge and orange highlights around the edges of the glass. The head was a light tan and about 1", but it went down to just a film rather quickly. There were bits of sediment suspended in the glass. There was a good earthy roasted malt aroma, with some alcohol, a faint bit of chocolate and some dark dried fruit scents as well, The texture of the beer was thick, creamy and smooth. The flavors were many, molasses, chocolate, raisins, plums and a good warming alcohol flavor. The beer mellowed on the finish with a good lasting flavor and a touch of a hops bite and the warmth of the alcohol. Excellent beer for a winter night.

Pours a glowing amber if you hold it against the light, with fairly large yeast sediment swirling around my pint glass from the 12oz. bottle: Nose is of caramel and bitter, dark chocolate, brown sugar, dark fruits, and a hint of hops. Flavors are similar. Thick mouthfeel, but incredibly smooth. The sweet malts, rather than overwhelm, complement a mildly bitter finish. Characteristically spicy after the swallow. Drinkability: Complex, balanced and thoroughly enjoyable. Best barleywine I’ve had to date. #237 on 04122009, DG.

Pours very thick and brownish orange. The aroma is pretty complex with notes of chocolate, orange, caramel, molasses, and maple syrup. The flavor is very sweet with orange, prunes, caramel, maple syrup and a touch of cocoa in the finish. Not really all that bitter to me. The sweetness overpowers everything else, but it is complex and chewy. Really a classic example of the style.

Bottle approx. 5 years or older. pours a rich brown amber, Aroma of molasses and burnt sugar cotton candy sweet. Too malty sweet for me but the beer is what its supposed to be.

12 oz bottle, 5-6 years old, no batch number or date on bottle. Beautiful deep reddish brown, tan head. Aroma of molasses, caramel, raisins, and burnt sugar. this beer is huge. Big caramel sweetness, deep flavor. This is a special occasion beer.

BATCH #8727 (September 25, 2008) Man, I love Bell’s Brewery, and I’m glad to finally get the chance to try this one. Super thanks go out to VandenBossche for hooking me up with this. Pours a hazy, medium/dark brown color. A lightbulb will get the edges to show a golden glow, but little else. One-finger head od truly tan colored foam. Retention is okay. Lacing is spotty, but fairly decent. Nice level of maltiness comes through, surrounded by a big presence of breadiness. Raisins and dark fruit jamminess. Slight earthiness mingles with a nice hint of maraschino cherries (!). Loads of sugarey sweet caramel notes. Definite brown sugar notes. Smells like a decadent dessert brew. Butterey french toast, covered in cherry syrup. Big yeasty bread notes, nice sweet caramel presence, slight hints of warming spices and a top-off of sweet cherry flavor. A different taste than I’m used to expecting from an Olde Ale, but I certainly like it. Smooth and creamy, which is nice, but I expected it to be a bit more ’lush’. Especially after the nose. (Yum!) So, it could have done better, here. The ABV is undetectable, by me, so I’d say, drink ’em if it suits ya’. It suits me quite nicely, thankee sai. I just wish I had regular access to Bell’s and didn’t have to rely on trades, or out-of-town trips, to aquire them.