North Coast Old Stock Ale

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Fort Bragg, California USA

Thick healthy pour with no head. Amber colored. Very sweet to the nose with molasses and raisins. Taste is sweet malt with caramel, dark fruits and some nuttyness. Would have been great in a large snifter in front of a blazing fireplace.

Red-tinged amber color with head hanging around. Malt burst, some alcohol warmth in aroma and flavor, cardboard tinge. Nice fruitiness, but reserved, not quite the complexity one might expect or want. Austere malt and fruit flavors leave one unsuspecting to the potency of this brew. After reading reviews, I did pick up on the almond notes in flavor and aroma--a nice amaretto melding. This was a 2008 label so I expect a future tasting would likely yield a better rating.

2007 bottle at home with renffisch, 25th June 2008. Deep orangey red with a dried apricot aroma. Tastes even better than it smells, with apricot and pineapple flavours at first and then almond, grapes and warming alcohol coming through. Very smooth, not too clunky and extremely enjoyable.

A good barley wine with grainy/cerealy aroma. As you hold it up to the light, the body turns ruby red with low cloudiness. The flavor is sweet and tasting of cognac with a long finish. This beer does a great job of hiding it’s high alcohol content. The palate is very oily full bodied with light taste of alcohol. Great job for a barley wine.

Nice amber, slighty ruby color with a medium tan head. Aroma is of rich caramel, some raisins, a slight alcohol bite. Flavor is rich with pears, caramel, raisins, but with a generous dose of hops that kick the bit of sugars off your tongue in a hurry, leaving a slightly nutty lingering finish. This one is sure to age well - I hope I fare so well!

rerate (11/20/08): Another ’07, not nearly as much fruit in the nose, more brandy, raisin, brown sugar. Almost peaty in fact. Flavor is alcoholic, lots of malt, caramel, and sugar, but a little watery. Palate is still intense, though rather short-lived and a little too carbonated given the malty overtones in the flavor. It’s far boozier than the first time I remember, and I think that I prefer the nose this time around. 848415.
(7/11/08) Pours dark red-amber with small white-yellow head. Clean aroma with caramel, banana, fruits... spring rain? Some say cognac, and I’d agree to that, especially with the alcohol buried in there. Flavor is WOW. This kicks me over even with an inflamed face. Beautiful balance with strong hop contributions playing off of sweet sugars and a generous alcohol backbone. Aggressive palate to compliment the taste, and even a little sticky just for marks. I’m still reeling. 849518.

2007 Bottle. Pours brown with a thin tan head. Very nice complex fruit aroma with a touch of caramel. Flavor is on the malty side with a dry finish. Taste is more vegetal than fruity. Noticeable alcohol. Good, not great.

Bottle (’07 vintage): Poured a reddish amber color with almost no head. The aroma was sweet, fruity and malty. The flavor was just the same, VERY sweet and VERY malty. Overall, a very good beer with the potential to be a great beer with a couple of years of cellaring.