Lost Coast Old Ale

Brewed by Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe
Style: Old Ale
Eureka, California USA

Draft... Clear orange ale with a mid-sized, creamy, white head. Excellent retention. I got almost nothing at all out of the nose - couldn’t pull a thing at first – then, just a rumor of honey - middle-of-the-road by default. Full-bodied and a bit creamy with lively carbonation. Very sweet flavor – honey and toffee laden. Low bitterness; light acidity. Some pale graininess. Lengthy, bittersweet (more bitter than sweet), boozy finish.

Draft at redlight redlight. Pours a clear dark orange amber. A small, fizzy, off-white head diasipates quickly, leaving a skinny film behind. Delicate ribbons of lace circle the glass. Aromas include toasted bread, light caramel, and hints of orchard fruits, with mild floral hops and some stale grain notes. Flavors follow suit, bready and grainy with sweet tart apples and caramel. The palate is medium full and syrupy, with alcohol showing on the finish. Meh.

On draft at redlight. Pours a hazy yellowish orange color with a small white head that quickly settles to a thin film. The aroma shows brown sugar, caramel, some citrus fruit, and honey. The flavor follows and is very malt forward with the brown sugar, caramel, and molasses. Some citrus and earthy hops balance things out with a good amount of bitterness. Medium-light bodied and pretty thin on the palate with a long and sweet finish. Almost had a musky kind of taste. Pretty interesting take on the style, but not what I look for.

draft @ redlight redlight. Malty sweetness with caramel on the nose. Pours blonde with an orange tint with a thin white head. Malty upfront with caramel and honey with a solid dose of hops to balance it out. Not bad, not my favorite for the style or the brewery.

On tap @ AZ Strong Beer Festival. Equal parts gold and copper in the pour with eggshell head and a little bit of sticky lacing. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, and molasses. Flavor is honey and aspertain, with a hint of citrus. Not at all complex, doesn’t really taste like anything else in the style (where is the dark fruit???), and is extremely thin. Like everything else from this brewery...FORGETTABLE.

On tap at Papago. Pour is light brown, thin initial head, near nil lacing. The aroma was dark fruity, molasses, caramel. The flavor was dark fruity initially, roasted semi-chocolate type malts, caramel, finishing with a substantial hop presence, especially for an old ale. The flavors overall didn’t work great together for me. Mouthfeel was thin.

tap @ papago...malt, honey and brown sugar on the nose along with the floral citric hop aromas. flavor starts out malty with caramel/maple spice and finishes with a sweet grapefruit hop kick.

Tap at Papago in Phoenix: Pours nice with a dark brown hue and a light cream head. Nose of caramel and malt, with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Rich and savory up front with strong cocoa and caramel notes, but finishes clean with hoppy character and a tinge of citrus. HIghly recommended!