Third Coast Old Ale

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

Small light brown diminishing head. Muddy brown/amber color with chunky particulates floating. Strong grapefruit hoppiness with notes of carmel mixed with cherry/wine hints. A little too bitter for my taste. Full bodied oily texture with long lasting duration. Heavy bitterness from start to finish.

(Sampled 7-6-08 from 12 oz. bottle poured into shaker) Poured semi transparent very dark amber, huge frothy beige head formed and stayed around for the entire tasting with heavy lacing, aroma of malt and whiskey. Hits the mouth with a high-medium body, very sticky on the mouth throughout swallow, sweetness from molasses and brown sugar comes in the middle and slides away on the finish. Finish has moderate warming effect which I compare to scotch. Another good brew!

12 oz. bottle into sniffer. Nice rich amber reddish/brown with a big off-white, slightly tan head that fades pretty quickly. Aroma is mostly dominated by citrus hops with a bit of sweet malt hiding around in there. weird flavor; very subtle but very good once you figure out what is going on. Bitter, woody, citrus hoppy, not a lot of alcohol (just warming on finish), hints of red fruit (cherries). Thinner on the palate than abv. and style would suggest, but still smooth and pleasant. Overall: great tasty brew. A unique approach to barley wine, which is an extremely diverse, probably the most diverse, style IMO.

Dark red, brown color. Smell of hops, alcohol, malt, nuts, barley, dark fruit, raisins, brown sugar and caramel. Taste of hops, alcohol, malt, nuts, barley, dark fruit, raisins, brown sugar and caramel. Very warm and enjoyable.

Re-rate 9/19/09. Brown sugar, plums and figs in the aroma. Dark brown color and pours with a nice tan head. Some patches and a thin ring around the glass stick around. Flavor shows sweet caramel mixing with dark fruit, toffee, candi sugar, and just the right amount of bitter grapefruit hops finishing this off and complimenting the sweet malt nicely. A real nice English Barleywine that I need to revisit more often. Original rating: One of the better barleywines I’ve had. Deep amber color, nice clarity, with a thin head. Thin patches and a foam ring sticks around to provide some spotty lacing. Sweet caramel malt flavor with generous doses of molasses and brown sugar. Faint traces of dark fruit and oak and the beer finishes a bit peppery but smooth. Hints of most of that is in the aroma which isn’t over-powering but is quite complex. The alcohol is hidden remarkably well. A great drink.

Hazy brown pour. Malt heavy on the nose, very sweet smelling. Tastes like fruit cake. Very nice beer.

pours a dark copper-almost mahogany colour. Heavy sediment. Aroma is very sweet and malty, fruity raisin and fig tones, brandy like alc. & light vanilla. Flavour is initially quite sweet. Fruitcake dried dates and cherries with a cakey malt transitions into a cherry brandy like alc, and finishes with a slightly mettalic bitterness.

Pours a light ruby color with a minimal filmy head. Aroma is sweet malt, raisin, cherry, toffee and nuts.. Flavor is rich, sweet and fruity yet surprisingly bitter. Long full bodied finish, sticky texture.