North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Bourbon Barrel

Formerly brewed at North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Fort Bragg, California USA

EBF 08. This one seems much more harsh and has a more pronounced bourbon character to it- even the vanilla and oak come through more here. Light fruity esters, good thick sweet malt profile syrupy with some maple hints, light floral qualities- maybe from the alcohol burn? Toasted almonds in the flavor, more sweet bourbon- light charr and burnt marshmellows with a smooth lingering bourbon finish wiht just the right amount of burn for a high abv beer.

375ml caged and corked bottle from irishboy. Thanks Richard !Like the brandy barrel release, there’s plenty of beer/spirit/wood interaction. Not for everyone’s palate, but it works well for me. Heavy wet, charred wood, toasted caramel, vanilla, raisins and plums and alcohol on the nose. Like the brandy barrel, after the head dies, the beer looks still; dark, dark brown, nearly opaque with some rich amber highlights. Sweet caramel, toffee, alcohol, wood, a touch of smoke, vanilla. Heavy barrel presence. Medium to full bodied. Slightly sticky with medium carbonation. As with the brandy barrel, heavy on the alcohol notes but it works for me.

NorCal Feb ’08 - Not sure who brought this to the tasting, but thanks. I’ve got 2 bottles at home and I’d like to compare what a little age does to them. Right now, the beer is really nice. An aroma of Play-Doh, bourbon, oak, caramel, vanilla and subtle tobacco notes. Flavors are caramel meltaways, dark fruits, bourbon, vanilla, with a little too much alcohol right now. I’m willing to bet some age will do wonders for this beer. Still, a great beer that will only get better.

Poured a slightly hazed amber with a thin off-white head. Doughy and bourbon aroma. Also some fruity and woody notes. The flavor had big vanilla with bourbon and caramel. Woody notes. Very warming with a medium body.

Bottle shared by EDA. Big, buttery, bourbon aroma, vanilla, lacking complexity. All oak. Hot and boozy, huge bourbon again, super buttery and dirty vanilla. Why do I keep using the same words in all these bourbon barrel reviews? God damn. I remember a couple years ago when I was having only my 2nd or 3rd bourbon barrel aged beer and I was still enjoying the new flavor that was coming with it. Now it’s almost torture to drink these things, every beer that goes in to the barrel is different and everything that comes out is the same. Where is the originality or finesse?

375 ml bottle that fordest brought for a tasting. I liked this a lot. The flavors of bourbon were present but not overpowering. Very good.

375 ml bottle shared during a fun tasting with padrefan and stefanje. Murky brown with just a bit of head. Aromas were wood and dark dried fruits. Flavors were similar with a nice bourbon flavor and more dark fruits. Alcohol was noticeable, but not too hot. Lots of sweet and dusty, earthy flavors on the finish. Pretty good.

Courtesy of fordest. Bottle shared with fordest and padrefan. Poured an amber-brown color that sort of looked like a cola. The head was small and quickly disappeared. The aroma was rich with Bourbon (and not rot-gut bourbon either, good stuff like Makers Mark). The flavor, like the aroma, is equally rich with good bourbon. In fact, my first reaction is that some madman carbonated a whiskey. Besides the bourbon, other big complex flavors present are oak, sweet malts, vanilla and raisins. The mouthfeel is a bit syrupy but holds up well. The finish is long with a slight sour character lingering. Overall: A first rate beer, I’m glad that i got the chance to try it. Highly recommended.