North Coast Anniversary X Ale

Formerly brewed at North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
Fort Bragg, California USA

Date: November 14, 1999
Mode: Bottle
Source: Belmont Station, Portland
Appearance: dark hazy brown, whispy tan head
Aroma: slightly fruity rich malt aroma
Flavor: rich and malty flavor, touch of chocolate, well balanced with a nice bitter finish

Date: January 09, 2004
Aroma: rich aroma with oaky character
Flavor: rich smooth malt flavor, well blended, nice rich fruit character, no bitterness, big oak character

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Score: **4

The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

(750ml bottle) Creamy beige head atop an opaque brown body with sediment. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel/toffee/butterscotch, oak, vinous. Taste is medium sweet, toffee, some caramel, light butterscotch. Finishes with nice oak. Medium body, somewhat watery. Delicious beer that has aged remarkably well -- whatever hops qualities that once existed are long gone, but no complaints whatsoever.

750ml bottle. Thanks to dickinsonbeer for inflating the auction price on this for me (and in the end, he gets to try it for free!). Poured a deeper orangish / brownish color with a small sized off white head. Some big floaters. Aromas of caramel, dark fruits, wood, smoke, and chocolate. Tastes of caramel, chocolate, wood, and dark fruits. Some oxidation is setting in, but still holding up OK.

Sampled from a bottle thanks to kp on 7/2/06: Pours a slightly hazy copper amber with a thin ring of off-white head. Complex aged caramel malty aroma has a light fruity character. Body starts with a mild, oxidized caramel maltiness thinning toward a more watery, warming finish. Seems to have lost a lot through aging, but still has some complexities and is very drinkable.

1998 Vintage. Poured a hazy amber color with chunky floaties and no head. Sweet fruity malt aroma. A little sugary. Aged malt. The flavor matched the aroma. The flavor was still pretty thick and sweet. the malt aged nicely. Medium bodied.

This bottled brew poured a medium sized head of fine to large sized light brown colored mostly lasting bubbles that left behind a good lacing. The body was sediment filled making it very hazy, carbonated and dark brown in color. It had a brown malt mild vinous aroma and a tingly smooth caramel brown beer malty mouth feel. It had a mildy vinous caramel malt brown malt mildly doughy flavor. The mouth feel burns more as it warms up.

Poured a murky red brown color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of sherry, wood, nuts, vanilla, light caramel, and dark fruits. Taste of caramel, nuts, light cardboard, dried fruits, and a bit of alcohol in the finish.

750 ml corked and caged green bottle poured a clear brown with garnet highlights and a small diminishing amber head. Aromas of oak, plum, carmel, toffee, sherry, dates, pepper and vanilla. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, toffee, sherry, plum, light oak, light vanilla and light smoke with a smooth lingering fruity, woody finish. This beer has held up amazingly well for it’s age and only 7% ABV!