North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve Brandy Barrel

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

bottle @Noogfest4.0-thanks JohnC–pours a light tan head that bubbles and hazy copper /red color. Aroma is sweet medium malt-brandy. Taste is sweet medium malt-brandy, some bitter hops, slick mouth feel, alcohol.

Bottle at Noogfest 08 thanks to John C. Pours a muddy amber with a pale beige head. Very pleasant aroma of brandy, caramel, and vanilla. Medium bodied with a fine tingly texture. I would have loved to dissect this beer a bit more, but I had this in the early stages of Noogfest. In my opinion, I thought the brandy dominated at bit too much. Finish was a tad hot and yeasty. I liked this, but not as much as the Bourbon Barrel Version. Funny thing is I like brandy more than bourbon. Oh well. Too each his own.

5-28-08 bottle thanks to Miketd!!
Murky red amber brown with no real head at all. Smell is so many things - figs, raisins, spices, pumpkin, cherries, vanilla and brandy. Flavor is sticky raisins and figs. Not "easy" to drink, per say - but it is very enjoyable nonetheless. Unique and bold and big in the nose and flavor. Thick, almost sticky flavor. Well developed. This is big, bold and wonderful.

Huge thanks to miketd for leaving this for us, after the tasting. Unbelievable beer!
Pours a rich, dark, nutty, muddy brown with a short lived tan head. Smell is nutty, vanilla, sweet, dark dried fruits and simply delicious. Taste is sticky dried, concentrated dark fruitiness, nuttiness a hint of light chocolate and just dense and decadent. Much, much better than regular Old Stock. Creamy, yet tingly mouthfeel, to cap it off. Fantastic beer, and one of my favorites, hands down!

Cloudy brown, no head. Smells like brandy (no, really) and a touch of chocolate. Smooth and sweet, with almost no alcohol heat. Aside from the obvious flavor components, the are subtle notes of dark bread, banana and vanilla. Very tasty. Thanks to JohnC for bringing this to Noogfest 4

Noogfest Four-O

Bottle, courtesy JohnC. Pours dark brown with tons of lacing and caramel highlights. Very bright and hot aroma, with caramel and some stinging molasses. Caramel flavors, strong brandy presence, raisin, molasses, and some chocolate pudding in there, too, why not? Very smooth and the alcohol is, at times, hard to detect and at other times quite prominent. Very good.

375ml bottle sampled at Noog4 thanks again to John C (the bringer of awesome brews). This is not a pretty brew. Murky brown is the best description. The aroma is boozy with wood undercurrents, semi-sweet notes and what I would describe as caramelized molasses. Sweet flavor with lots of booze (though it is not unwelcome) that is a touch hot. There are also plenty of candied musty fruits. I’ve got to say that I really enjoy what the Brandy barrel does to this over the bourbon barrel. Think musty mouth feel. Very enjoyable. Keep the brandy barrels coming!

From a 375mL Bottle. Generously shared by KAME. Mostly transparent, light brown color with tannic hues and a finger of fizzy off-white head. Aromas of caramel malt melanoidins play with raisins and sticky dates. A soothing pretzel dough barrel character adds depth, bringing out some brandy-laden booziness and plenty of vanilla from the oak. Flambeed pears and brown sugar. Lot’s of oak in the nose, but it melds together beautifully with the beer, adding vanilla, brandied fruits, and soothing alcohol, all the while leaving behind any astringency, fusels, or husky woodiness that often accompanies barrel aged beers. Full bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with a smooth, malty texture. The flavors are all barrel, with some semblence of a barleywine folded in. Loads of vanilla flood the palate along with some raisin and fig, bringing a gentle warmth to the face. Plenty of alcohol, but welcoming and smooth. Mid-palate, some caramel and toffee melanoidins start to poke through, developing additional complexity and adding some honey and brown sugar sweetness. Finishes moderately sweet, but leaving behind a delicious final smack of maple syrup and spicy oak. Many beers are great; few are inspirational - this one is certainly the latter. Thanks for sharing, Dillon!