Third Coast Old Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle shared with mgermani on 11-Apr-2009, Bell’s website has this one as begin from a 2004 batch. Cloudy copper-red pour with lots of suspended matter, moderate off-white head with little retention or lacing. Aroma of berries, caramelized sugar, wood, smoke, and wet earth. Flavour is quite vinous with prominent alcohol, toasted malts, dark sweet fruit, herbs, and bittering hops with a dry, slightly nutty finish. Very creamy body with prominent carbonation, perhaps a bit aggressive carbo for my taste but not overdone.

Pours golden but settles into a very dark brown with a hint of red and appearing almost purple-tinted in the glass. Has a rich, lathery head. Up front it smells like cherries and has a definite vinous quality. The alcohol is smooth but perceptible and paired with brown sugar and cinnamon. The nose is, however, dominated by a dark fruit character and heavily roasted malts, which have an almost nutty quality. There is a smoky character to the beer too. Wonderful to sniff. Flavor is huge, sweet, and bitter, tasting of raisins, molasses, ginger, dark cherries, cereal, wood, smoke, liquor, and I don’t know what else; it’s complex, to say the least. Finishes with a touch of sweetness while the alcohol warms you up. A feast of a beer. Splendid and one of a kind.

Courtesy of After4ever, thanks Tom. It is a very beautiful, red mahogany color and the head is creamy. The aroma is vinous, malty with notes of raisin and other dark, dried fruits. The flavour has sweetness and notes of malt, alcohol, plum, light wood, caramel, cane sugar and citrus in the finish. The alcohol is warming, but also a little too dominating IMO.

Medium brown color with tan head and nice lacing. The scent is molases, alcohol, and oak. Solid ale taste, the molases and alcohol seem to dominate. Feels like chaos in my mouth, sweet then bitter then sweet then dry. Pour me one, please. Just one. I’m going to age the other bottles of this to see how time improves them.

I’m not a huge barleywine guy, but I really enjoyed this one. Thanks to Brian for sending this one up to me. Heavy malt aromas with dried fruit and earthy aromas. Strong candied fruit on the palate with excellent hop finish. Usually barleywines are a bit overdone on the finish for my palate, but this one is perfectly balanced. Not surprising, given that the brewers at Bells seem to get everything right!

very nicely done barley wine. heavy malt sweetness and very sweet dark candied fruits. very nice and bold finishing a little less sweet then it started, with a little savory taste on the end. cant wait to age this one!

Bottle. Heavy malt aromas of cereal, roasted and caramel, moderate perfume and cooked orange for the hops, light leather and earth for the yeast, with date, toffee and alcohol in the background. Head is large , creamy, off-white with good lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is hazy brown. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and moderately acidic and bitter. Palate is medium to full, oily and has a soft carbonation. It finishes lightly alcoholic, astringent and dry. The amount of sweetness is just perfect in this Barley Wine. Bell’s just doesn’t disappoint.

Dark amber pour with a light beige head. Aroma is slight sweetness. What a great tasting beer. Slightly fruity, malty, other flavors I don’t know how to explain them. Well-balanced. Alcohol is not noticeable. Aftertaste is sweetness, with the many tasty flavors that the beer provides. I hope I will be able to cellar at least one of the six for a year.