North Coast Old Stock Ale

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

2007 vintage. Murky mahogany pour with a little tan film on top that is persistent. Aroma is beautiful! Brown sugar, some raisins and other dark fruit, the slightest hint of hops and lots of caramel malt accents...very well done! Flavor mimics the aroma and is full of malt sweetness, brown sugar, dark fruits, some molasses/maple syrup and is capped off with a strong warming finish that you can feel all the way up in your nostrils...not for the weak or faint of heart! Mouthfeel is a bit high on carbonation and full-bodied. This truly must be a wonderful beer to lay down for a while...can’t wait to crack open some of the ’03s in my basement!

2007. Caramel in color with amber hues and little head. Aroma is sweet malts, floral, spices, and alcohol. A bit weak in the aroma dept. Full bodied. Molasses, sweet malts, cinnamon, dark fruits, and noticeable alcohol. Dry, liquor-like finish. A real nice barley wine.

Pours a dark reddish amber with a significant small bead off-white head. Aroma is simply sweet malt and a little spice. Taste is assertive. There’s toasted malt sweetness, licorice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a little dried dark fruit. After the swallow, alcohol warmth makes its presence known. This is really robust, chewy, and alcoholic (in a good way). I’m amazed that something so flavorful has next to no aroma. This stuff is good!

Thin head but amazing aroma like someone baking a pie - but it’s beer! the color is cloudy caramel amber. Mouth feel is not as full as you might expect from an 11.7 ABV, but you really don’t taste the alcohol. It tastes alot like a dubbel. You get that belgian wiff in the aroma and after taste bitter. You get alot of caramel malt balanced with a grassy dry bitter. It’s a unique Barley wine and it’s very good. I like it better than the Old Rasputin.

2007 Batch, 11.7% alcohol: (2) singles from a newly discovered store in my home town. Sparkling yet hazy rich amber color with a copper highlight. Lasting, thin, foamy tan head and very minimal lacing. Calm soothing aroma of strong red wine and figs. Cherries, mild strawberries, and butterscotch with caramel and an assortment of fresh cut flowers. The aroma isn’t too prominent, but it’s complexity lies in it’s strong subtleness. All these scents are in there, you just have to go searching for them. With roughly a year of age the mouth feel is sweet and smooth with a medium body. A sharp hint of alcohol is still present along with some mild bitterness. Not as rich as I prefer, but still drinks very nicely. Flavor mimics the various aromas. A lot more floral aspects in the taste. Fruity, sweet, with lots of miscellaneous fermented items. A nice bouquet of malts, fruit flavors, and aged hops. Reminiscent of many other great American made Barleyines, but a touch more subtle and mellow. Nice beer to be found.

My first beer from NC......quite delicious. Very nice aroma...rich and warm, very inviting. Notes of caramel and maple....rich vanilla and then undertones of fruits, possibly orange, fig, maybe candied apple. Flavors of warm alcohol, vanilla, oak, nuttiness (maybe hazelnut?) and underlying dark fruits. One of the best barley wines Ive sampled..definitely worth a try.

Bottle. Mahogany with lasting one-finger head. Quite lacy. Aroma of navel oranges, pineapple, & obvious alcohol. Flavor seriously sweet, becoming warmly alcoholic (a bit much, I must admit), then woody w/hops. Might need aging. Lovely mouthfeel--not too thick, and perfect, medium carbonation.

2007 vintage, aged about 8 months. Pours a cloudy, murky, brownish-amber body. A small, foamy, off-white head settles quickly to a swirly film with a slightly pronounced edge. Virtually no lacing noted, though a swirl of the glass leaves behind runny, sheet-like legging, indicating a substantial body. The aroma is rich, warm, and alcoholic. Rich caramel and maple syrup malts are intensified and enhanced by copious amounts of vanilla on the nose. A deep inhale reveals underlying fruits and nuts, specifically candied apples and pecans. Moderate alcoholic heat completes the aroma, making this feel like a fruit custard or pie spiked with both vanilla and hazelnut liquors. The flavor follows suit perfectly, just as rich and decadent as the nose. A slight burn up front fades quickly, with malty goodness left behind to soothe the palate. Some spicy hops emerge, joining forces with the moderate carbonation to tickle the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The hefty vanilla component is reaffirmed, as are the hazelnut and pecan. A thick, nearly full mouthfeel isn’t as syrupy or cloying as I was expecting. For such a young barley wine, I am thoroughly impressed, though I’m sure this will only get better with age. Overall, this is a great winter warmer or dessert beverage, perfect for sitting by a fireplace or completing a good meal. I can’t think of a more perfect base beer upon which to base the bourbon and brandy barrel aged versions, both of which are also magnificent.