North Coast Old No. 38 Stout

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Dry Stout
Fort Bragg, California USA

12oz bottle. Pours a dark deep brown with a small, short lived, dense, tan head. The aroma is of sweet caramel malt, cocoa, and some roastiness. Taste is lead by roasted malts, then chocolate and coffee and a long lingering hopiness with some herbal spice. Body is thin with medium carbonation.

Thoroughly enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a pub glass. The beer pours a nearly jet black color, with a small and relatively quickly disappearing light tan head. Low to moderate carbonation, which is positioned just about right between an English pub ale and an APA. Notes of caramel, bready malt, prunes, and cherries dipped in chocolate come through in the aroma. Very inviting, and perhaps evidence of not only the recipe, but also a careful hand with selecting a proper English yeast strain. There are also some almost acidic and sour characteristics, but they are somewhat restrained by the darker more roasty notes. The palate is surprisingly light across the mouth, but certainly not insipid. A complex interplay of the bready/biscuity characteristics of Maris Otter base malt, paired with some caramel, a dose of chocolate, and then the aforementioned dark fruity/slightly sour character. The finish is semi-sweet a bit roasty, leaving the yeast’s character to dance on the palate for a few moments. Overall, extremely interesting, unique, and well-crafted.

Boy am I glad I got around to trying this one! I should have figured stout brewed by North Coast=good. Anyway, this beer pours very thick and black for the style, with a light brown head. The aroma is very fetching with notes of chocolate, coffee, and molasses. The flavor is very dry and smooth with licorice and coffee on the palate. There is some hints of smoke in the finish. Simple, yes, but very pure and very good.

From a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Pours with about an inch of thick head which dissipates over time. Aroma is of licorice, coffee and cough syrup. Taste is of pretty much the same with a little tingle from the alcohol and carbonation as well as some soy sauce and skunk thrown in. Speaking of which, it’s pretty heavily carbonated, especially for a stout. Overall, not a bad stout but there are better ones out there. I really didn’t like the soy, licorice and cough syrup taste, pretty much turned me off.

Pours black with light brown head. Aroma of slight dark chocolate, slight smoke, roasty malt, slight coffee, with slight hop spice to finish. Very well balanced in the amount of roast and hops. Thick body and no bitterness in the aftertaste. The balance is especially noticeable in this one. Does not taste like I just ate a campfire like some stouts can.

2009 Bottle - Pours a thin dk brown with a small tan head...aroma is coffee and grain, light roasted malt...flavour is similar, watery coffee and cocoa, minerally finish, thin with seltzer like carbonation...meh...

Bottle - pours a dark brown, almost black with a tan head that thins fairly quickly. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt and coffee. Nice smooth chocolately taste with a roasted coffee finish. Very nice brew - will definitely drink more of this as the winter progresses.