North Coast Old Stock Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 9

2009 bottle thanks to Jeremy. Pours clear dark amber with a small off-white head, some lacing. Dark malts, sweet caramel, dark fruit, leather. Nice

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a mahogany brown with a thin beige head. Aroma is sticky malts, figs, dark fruit, sweet warm feeling. Taste is strong dark fruit, sweet malts, and nice light alcohol burn.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

fruity, piney aroma.Hazy amber color.Tan head that fades quickly.Full mouthfeel, kinda prickly on the tongue.Fruity flavors and alcohol evident. Finishes bitter but not overly.Think i will get some to lay down, i believe it would age fairly gracefully.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Rated July 2006. 2005 vintage. Pours dark amber with tan head. Medium strength aroma of rich sweet malts just as a Barleywine should smell. Full and rich mouthfeel. Excellent flavor with several layers of sweetness: fruity, caramel, cherries, plums and some less sweet grain malt. Just enough hop bite along the some less sweet malts to keep the overall sweetness in check. Alcohol is moderately apparent. Very good beer and will be better with age.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

I have a pack of the 2014 batch, and this is January 2015, so the beer is a little on the fresh side (I have some 2012 bottles aging so I'll taste those in a few years, yay) and the ABV is 11.8% according to the label. Aroma is fruity, but not bright like citrus. More of a dried apricot and dates kind of scent. Appea rance-wise, the head isn't powerful on pouring, and dissipates rather fast, leaving a glass of foamless, brown, cloudy liquid. It looks appealing, regardless. Mouthfeel is rather shallow, feeling carbonation on the tip of the tongue at first, and no tail, this one disappears rather fast, but it's a pleasant experience. Flavor is caramel-like, but just slightly sweet, with something like apricot. Overall, this is a nice beer to pair with a meal, maybe pork or chicken with a light gravy. This is a great beer for aging due to its inherent high alcohol volume (5 years or more) and then sharing with friends over a good dinner. I have yet to try it after cellaring for a few years, but I'll get to that in due time :) Recommended :)

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Fresh 2014 bottle, 11.9% abv. Pours dark brown with a reddish hue. Has a small tan head, but does not leave lacing on the glass. Dark fruits and malt with hints of vanilla and oak and oh yeah, alcohol on the nose. This is a boozy one (not necessarily a bad thing). Dark fruit (dates, raisins, prunes) and sweet malts coat my tongue. The alcohol was more prevalent at the beginning, but seems to temper as the beer warms a bit. Full mouthfeel, nicely carbonated. A beer I would usually drink during the winter, but it was recommended to me by my son, who loves his Belgians and malty ales. A solid barleywine/old ale. I will probably cellar a bottle or two for future consumption. I'm confident that this beer will only improve with age. Good stuff.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Caged and corked 750 ml bottle poured into a brandy snifter - dark brown with a soapy, thin white head. Estery alcohol aromas dominate but the complexity of the brew shines as dark fruit undertones are faintly present. While slightly chilled the brew is hot, with the alcohol dominating, but the flavors meld with a caramel nutiness and raisins/plums to make this a superb English barleywine / Old Ale. Certainly a sipper and a wonderful compliment on a chilly fall/winter night.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

pours a deep dark reddish brown color with minimal off-white head and no lace. The aroma is caramel toffee booze and big sweet malts with lingerimg alcohol on the back. Some nice citrus notes round it out. The taste has huge roasted malts, caramel sweetness layered over fresh biscuits and sharp alcohol bite. The mouthfeel has minimal carbonation, and a medium body.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

2011.11.9%.I know i should have waited but after a hard day at work thought I deserved a barleywine.Poured reddish brown with no head.(disappointing).Aroma is of sweet malt,oak,port and very fruity.Slight smoked flavor,plums and vanilla.Very smooth.definitely taste the alcohol.Very tasty but almost not beer.Will try to put the other three away for at least a year.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

2009- 11.5%: I was trying to age this another year, but could not wait any longer, and was curious what this was all about. Got a 2007 John Barleycorn aging, so wanted to see how this compared. If I liked, I would just buy an Old Stock 2010 to age. I will definitely pick up another single or two of this and try aging 3-5 years. Probably should be rated a bit higher than I am, cause the flavor and mouthfeel are 9s, but like most barleywines I guess the aroma and appearance weight the rating down a bit. The flavor quality compares to some of the better Belgians, but without all the fruity flavors....as this is strictly barley and malt. Another solid brew from North Coast.