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.

Sampled on tap at 1702 on 4/23/2009. This old ale pours a medium orange gold color from the tap. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, fruity, touch of brown sugar/molasses. A medium bodied old ale. The malts are caramel, fruity and sweet. The hops are floral and earthy. Touch of orange and orange peel flavors throughout this beer. Nice balance. Good carbonation. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

On tap: Aromas of caramel, toffee, chocolate, and grapefruit. Transparent dark amber with a small off-white head. Very malty up front with caramel, chocolate, and hints of banana bread. Big grapefruit hopped finish. Very similar to some of the hoppier barley wines.

Sampled at 1702; April 2009
This beer arrives from the tap with a frothy, one-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is a hazy amber hue that has a touch of gold to it. The aroma has a sort of soapy note to it, it is quite malty, with perhaps a touch of mustiness and what seems to be a light tartness. This has an interesting aroma, and certainly not exactly what I was expecting.

The beer has a softness to the mouth-feel up front, but it is backed by a bit of a prickly carbonation-derived texture. The beer tastes sweet and fruity with notes of raisin and red table grapes being most noticeable. It gets a bit herbal in the finish and also has a light bitterness there as well. This is actually quite fruity tasting and the straight malt character plays a secondary role; the malt does provide some light caramel notes and a touch of biscuit like maltiness. This definitely has a nice texture to it with a medium fullness that isn’t too heavy.

This is a nice beer that has a nicely balanced character of fruit and herbal notes; it could use a touch more malt character though, but it is still nicely enjoyable.

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.

Golden with a creamy white head. Musky caramel molasses and toffee aroma and taste with a sticky sweet 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 tap @ 1702 - Had this several months ago, but finally entering the rate now. Shit, I wish I had taken better notes. Anyways.. Pours a hazy amber color with a thin white head. Aroma has a hint of tart esters. Flavor is malt and tart esters. Medium body. Kind of an odd beer.