North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Brandy Barrel

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

[1910-20081219] 375mL bottle. Sweet malty sherry sugars aroma. Hazy, dark red brown body with a quick head. Sweet sugary brandy continues in the flavour with a long aftertaste and lots of oaky barrel notes throughout. Full sweet body. Very enjoyable but must sip, nice to share.
Overheard: "I think a bottle to yourself could kill you."
(Vintage 2005; w/ jerc, tupalev)

I split this with a couple of friends. Poured dark brown with a white head. Amazing aroma of brandy, vanilla, and fruit. Vanilla and brandy swirl with some fruit in the finish. God I wish this was a regular.

Dark brown in colour with a thin tan head, light lacing with some alcohol legs. The aroma is of toffee and chocolate, vanilla, oak, candy sugar, dark fruits with a bit of light alcohol. The flavour is very rich and chewy, smooth, sweet with lots of chocolate, dark fruits, caramel and a bit of alcohol. Warming mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes long, sweet, smooth.

This is an incredible Barley Wine, so smooth for 15%. Pretty much a masterpiece in my mind, the best barrel aged beer I’ve have had.

375ml bottle obtained in a trade with TheCheeseMan, thanks Dan.
Opened on December 5, 2008.
Vintage 2005.

bottle thanks to bman1113vr. this stuff is simply amazing. pour was a cloudy amber with a beige head. aroma was made my nose dance with caramel, dark fruit, vanilla, and bourbon. flavor was candi sugar, dark fruit, cinnamon, and alcohol. slick body with no carbonation. hope i get the chance to try this one again. this was simply amazing.

Bottle (2005) sampled March ’09

After reading about everyone having a good time over at the Hard Liver Barleywine festival and me not being there, I had to crack this one open out of the cellar. Beautiful glowing mahogany pour with zero head, and an absolutely sensational nose of brandy and barleywine, raisins, quite woody. Splendid. The taste is also excellent but doesn’t quite measure up to the expectation; it’s lovely but just a notch thin after the mind-blowing aroma, and there is no getting around both the flavor and mouthfeel aspects of the 14.7% that this one carries. Still, wow - the peppery wood and the chocolate caramel, the raisin filling from baked apples and a swig from the vanilla extract bottle, a cognac nightcap followed by a piece of milk chocolate, the drying tannins lingering long on the aftertaste.

Indeed a splendid beer. Very glad to have had the chance to try this one.

Bottle thanks to BMan1113VR. Dark amber in color with a small beige head. Aroma is of prune, brandy, wood, caramel, vanilla, toffee, raisin, grape, and coconut. Taste is malty with notes of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, light roast, brandy and wood. Thick and smooth going down with a light burn. Delicious.

Bottle thanks to BMan1113VR via fordest. Pours a deep tawny color that is hazy and has no head. Nose is marshmellow, booze, toasted coconut, tons of wood and splinters, vanilla. Taste is more wood and coconut, with lots of dark fruits, vanilla, and a bit of brandy. Very good. Long lasting finish that is both smooth and thick.

2005 Bottle. HUGE thanks to fordest for bringing this back for me. Shared with the Dallas crew. DAMN this stuff is awesome!!! Pours with a large, foamy light brown head that resides and recedes over a hazy amber body. Great lacing and legs left behind. Aroma is incredible with dark fruits, brandy, madeira, alcohol, port, plum and wood. Taste is caramel, plum, raisins, brandy and madeira. Layers upon layers of complexity and joy. Syrupy mouthfeel, slightly oxidized. Amazingly great beer!!