North Coast - Old Stock Ale 2011

Tonight I am enjoying a bottle of Old Stock Ale from North Coast Brewing.  I love this beer.  Lets just get that out of the way right now.  It's one of the few beers that I am keeping a bottle of from each year to eventually do a 10 year vertical tasting.  The only other beer I'm currently doing that with is Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot.  And everybody has at least a few years of Bigfoot in their cellar.

Old Stock is an Old Ale.  Although some will liken it to an English Style Barley Wine due to the Fuggles and Goldings hops used.  For 2011, North Coast changed the label on Old Stock.  I'm not quite sure what prompted the change, but I like the old label better I think.  Here is my review of the 2010 version with the old label.  Let us know which one you like better.  In the meantime, I'll see if what's inside the bottle is better than 2010.

This brew looks almost identical to the 2010 vintage.  Perfectly clear, with a cherry wood and amber color.  Any foam that appeared during the pour ran away into oblivion, leaving behind no trace of its existence.  Brown sugar, candied dark fruit - cherries primarily - and booze jump into my nose.  Some tobacco and vanilla is noticeable too.  The flavors are bold and full; toffee, dark cherries, raisins, cocoa and more brown sugar.  It almost reminds me of a nice whiskey, especially with the strong alcohol warmth present throughout.  The finish is slightly sweet but mostly dried out by a moderate carbonation and booze.

Overall - Old Stock 2011 is far and away better than Old Stock 2010 was early in its age.  I felt the 2010 version was rough around the edges and needed some age to be fully appreciated.  2011 is fantastic right away.  The booze is borderline harsh but doesn't detract from Old Stock's enjoyability.  This will no doubt get better with age.  But I wouldn't feel bad drinking the entire four pack right away.

North Coast - Old Stock Ale 2010

Tonights brew is one I've been saving in my 50 degree chilled beer fridge for a while.  I bought this four pack at least six months ago, if not longer.  I distinctly remember being very excited about this ale since its brewed by the same guys that make one of my favorite Russian Imperial Stouts, Old Rasputin, which Dunz reviewed last year.  And honestly, outside of North Coast's RIS, I wasnt sure what else they brewed.  So getting my hands on another big beer from these guys makes me a happy beer drinker.

I remember after I got this home and in my fridge I opened one up a few hours later after it had some time to chill.  The flavors that I tasted then were hot.  Hot as in hot, cheap vodka alcohol hot.  Not good.  Bad... it made me sad.  But at 11.7% ABV I wasnt entirely surprised.  Old ales are brews that need some age on them before their flavor profile really starts to shine.  I am saving the other two from my initial purchase for later this winter after they have a year of mellowing behind them.  I dont think North Coast ages these at all at the brewery so as far as Im concerned these beers require some aging before enjoyment can commence.

Color is crystal clear and a deep amber.  No head at all.  Aromas are very malt forward with a sweet toasted bread and caramelized fruit, marmalade and brown sugar.  Alcohol sneaks its way in at the end.  Very viscous with medium carbonation.  The flavor profile is full and not hot!  Caramel bread with raisins, plums, hints of orange and brown sugar sweetness lead the charge.  Butterscotch and toffee are intertwined within this sweet but not cloying flavor profile.  Alcohol still plays a prominent role but its much more subdued than six months ago.  It helps to dry out and support the flavors as opposed to taking over the entire scene.

Overall - Far and away better than what it was six months ago and will be twice as good in another six months than what it is today.  As I said before, some age and patience will do wonders to old ales.  North Coasts website recommends it!  Grab the 2010 if you can find it.  But this is an annual, seasonal offer from NC so grab the 2011 and wait until well into 2012 to enjoy it.  You wont be disappointed with the result if you can wait!

Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company - The Auroch's Horn

Tonight I'm going to try this big ale from a small new brewery in Rollingstone, MN that opened up for business in early 2011.  Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company is a small family brewery that uses ancient brewing traditions and culture.  All their brews are warm conditioned, unfiltered, and fermented in the bottle.  The Auroch's Horn is this brewery's first release, and just hit the shelves in late March.  It's an "ancient ale" brewed with barley, wheat, and honey, which were common ingredients in ales over 2000 years ago according to Roman historical documents.  This type of ale was consumed from the horn of the auroch, a wild bull that's now extinct! 

The beer comes in a corked pint bottle, cork comes off with a pretty loud pop.  After a rough pour, there was a 2+ inch frothy white head.  The color is a hazy dark gold, and the head subsides slowly with lots of lacing left behind.  The beer looks great, and carbonation was not an issue here in the bottle conditioning.

The aroma is heavily belgian yeasty funk, with bananas, cloves and mellow spices.  Also some faint grassy smells in there.  The taste begins with a wave of flavors that really imitate the aroma, with cloves, bananas, and loads! of sweet honey.  The honey plays around with a light malt backbone.  Then comes a hint of toasty bread (with honey on top).  Fruity esters abound.  The carbonation of this brew was perfect - mild and light enough to give the beer a creamy medium body.  Really an ideal texture for the flavors of the beer.

Overall Rating:  Olvalde Brewing is off to a strong start!  This was a great brew.  At 10%, it's definitely a slow-sipper, unless you're a modern-day viking with an immortal liver.  If you're in the Twin Cities area, go to Four Firkins and pick up a bottle of this beer....I think this brewery has a lot of good things in store for us.  

**Side Note:  As the beer warmed, the alcohol became more prominent, along with the alcohol burn.  Really took over and pushed aside some of the flavors.  It didn't necessarily ruin the beer, but certainly made the last third of the bottle less appetizing.

Avery - Old Jubilation Ale

During this frigid Minnesota winter I cant help but review these seasonal brews. Most of what breweries are releasing right now are their stouts and old ales. That means you folks who enjoy your nice, malty brews are in luck! Don't worry hop heads, there are some delicious American style barleywines that have yet to be released this season. Stay tuned for those reviews in January.

Continuing with our winter seasonal review trend today we dive into Avery's Old Jubilation Ale. One of the BJCP's recommended beers for the Old Ale style in the Strong Ale category. This mahogany colored ale has a sweet, nutty, slight hazelnut aroma. Almost like a nut brown ale. This one will be more complex as it warms. The wife claims to smell toffee. I'll believe her for now. My first taste brings a solid malt presence with a hint of alcohol on the way down. The bottle says "cellarable for 3+ years". I'm sure with some age this old ale will lose that alcohol taste and be replaced with a smooth, creamy finish. Some of the initial flavors you would expect of an old ale have some trouble breaking through the 8.3% ABV. However, it is possible to tell those flavors are present. Just not as prominent as I would expect. A couple more sips and some more warmth confirm my initial thoughts; sweet malt and toffee (I can taste it now...) with a mild bitter and alcoholic finish to dry out the early sweetness.

Overall, this is a 3.0/6 for now. I think this one has potential. Ill be keeping the three I have left and placing them to the side for another year and see how it has matured. Its worth picking up a six pack now to see the difference between a young and an aged old ale. I have no doubt this will age gracefully. Unfortunately there is no bottling date printed on the bottle to keep track of the release year. But thats nothing a sharpie cant fix! if you pick this up, drink one now and take a few notes for yourself, stick it with the remaining bottles, and read them next year to see if your thoughts have changed. Its a fun experiment in beer tasting!

A little background on the style of the old ale if you are curious... historically referred to as the breweries stock ale, this beer style was aged at the brewery to blend with their comparably lighter beer that they served at their pub. Because of the time this beer was kept at the brewery you typically found age related characteristics with these beers like oxidation or even sour notes if kept improperly. A variation of this beer that is a relative new comer to the beer scene is the winter warmer style. Typically a larger ABV with the addition of more malt and at times holiday spices to make for a bolder. more festive beer if done right.