North Coast Old Stock Ale (Ōtsuchi 2012)

Brewed By: North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg, California

Purchased: 750ml bottle purchased at Binny's in IL; 2013 (March 2012 Vintage)

Style/ABV: Barleywine/Old Ale, 11.7%

Reported IBUs: 34

It's been a while since I've had anything from North Coast. Keeping with my big beer theme, I'm in the mood for a Barleywine. The weather is hot, humid, and rainy...and last night dipped down into the 40s, and tonight is in the 60s or 70s. Yay, Midwest! About North Coast:

The North Coast Brewing Company was founded in 1988 as a local brewpub in Fort Bragg, on California's Mendocino Coast. The brewery was founded by brewmaster Mark Ruedrich, president and brewmaster. Under his leadership, the brewery has won over 70 national and international awards, and has carved a definitive niche in American craft beer. For more information, check out their website here.

The 2012 edition of the Old Stock Ale was brewed as a special, commemorative release as part of the Otsuchi Recovery Fund. You can read the post on North Coast's website, but I'll repost the blurb here:

"2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Fort Bragg, California and Otsuchi, Japan.

When Ken Sasaki was a boy in Otsuchi, his father, a fisherman, was lost at sea. Ken-san would sit on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, ever in search of any sign of his father. When he became older, he wondered what was on the other side of the ocean-who lived over there and what they were like.

He drew a line across the Pacific from Otsuchi and found Fort Bragg on the exact same latitude. In 1997, he made contact and invited the mayor of Fort BRagg, Lindy Peters, for his first visit to Otsuchi.

Four years later, Lindy made his second trip to Otsuchi, and the following year, in September of 2002, the first student exchange of Fort Bragg students went to Otsuchi. In 2005, a Sister City Proclamation was solidifed by then Mayor Dave Turner and Mayor Yamazaki. 

When the recent tsunami struck northern Japan, Otsuchi was one of the hardest hit communities and this charming 800-year-old city was leveled with an unimaginable loss of life and property. 

CBS recently devoted a 60 Minutes episode to the Otsuchi disaster and interviewed Ken Sasaki, who made it clear how important the Fort Bragg sister city relationship has been in helping to give Otsuchi the encouragement to rebuild and to maintain their "Never give up" attitude. The people of Fort Bragg have sent over $250,00 to help, but more importantly, they sent their love. As a continuation of this support, North Coast Brewing makes a donation to the Otsuchi Recovery fund for every bottle of Otsuchi Old Stock Ale sold. 

Enjoy this bottle with friends and celebrate the recovery of Otsuchi."

The Old Stock Ale is brewed to be aged. Brewed with classic Maris Otter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, this beer seems to take an English twist on the Old Ale/Barleywine style. Let's see how she stacks up.

North Coast Old Stock Ale (Ōtsuchi 2012)

This beer pours into a hazy, reddish-brown body, and kicks up a few fingers of quickly fading caramel/golden-raisin head. When held to a bright light, the beer takes on a very nice deep orange color, reminiscent of a Barleywine or Old Ale. There's a nice coating of head with some sea foam or a cauldron effect. There's some lacing as well, and big alcohol legs. The beer looks to be hazy, but you can see some fat carbonation bubbles rising upwards in the glass.

I took this out of my fridge almost an hour ago, and I still think this beer can warm up to hit stride. I'm getting some really nice cakey, raisin bread, and raisins on the aroma. There's some berries on the aroma, with blunted citrus, and some layers of maple syrup and pine sap. There's also some nice complex sugars and molasses on the nose. It's a mellow nose...but I wouldn't expect anything more after nearly two years. 

I'm happy to report that this is drinking like a sipping beer...it's also drinking like a beer that has some age. Oxidation is already setting in, and the malts point in the direction of raisins and figs and dark fruits. There's a kiss of earthy hops in the mix, and you get some booze as well. I'm still getting some cakey notes, syrup, molasses, and other complex sugars...which is a nice layer of depth in addition to the raisins, cherries, and other dark fruits. This is slightly vinous, and Port-like...but at the same time, the booze points in the direction of whiskey or vodka. It's good.

At 11.7%, this beer is both boozy and low in terms of drinkability. And you know what, that's a good thing. This is a sipping beer...an Old Ale that can and will age...so enjoy it. Palate depth is good, and the beer is still well-carbonated. This one is being propped up with some tingly carbonation, and a touch of oxidation. The complexity is the only thing holding this back from being truly revolutionary, and that may just be the result of drinking the beer in transition. You get hit with cakey malts, complex sugars, and booze up front; that rolls into dark fruits, raisins, cherries, some earthy hops; the finish is more booze, sticky sweetness, syrup, and a slightly dry finish. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this, almost approaching Above-Average or a the middle between Average and Above-Average. This beer is pretty much what I expect from an Old Ale that has some age on it...it's good, if not a touch boozy..but it's not blowing me away. Having said that, this beer is aging well, and will likely continue to age well. I wouldn't pair this beer with food. Sip on this over the course of an evening, or as a dessert beer, or with a cigar. I snagged this beer on clearance for like 8 or 9 bucks, which was a good deal. Hash tag, #didntplantogetdrunkonwednesday

Random Thought: I'm too sleepy for this shit.