Third Coast Old Ale - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

thelagerheads

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

$7.99 for a mixed 6
12 oz bottle
Good Time Party Store
Northville, MI

Batch 7236
Feb. 2006

I know, I know...practice patience and cellar it for a year or two and you'll reap the benefits. Well, I might be dead in a year and who is going to write this posthumously outside of a saint or a clairvoyant channeling my ghost from the beyond? Besides we're talking about a guy who wears his boxers out to the point that they turn into g-strings. I'm no sophisticate by any means. So I'm drinking this beast out of a dixie cup with a crinkle straw and...there's an alcohol presence from commencement to the finale. Within that shroud of alcohol is caramel, a welcomed mellow and slightly spicy hop, a splash of citrus and everpresent chunks of debris floating in all directions like homesick amoeba. Swish them around voraciously and watch an infected head appear and the taste mellow considerably into an almost watery caramel nut cake batter.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2006 13:55:29 | More by thelagerheads

mwar

Kentucky

1.75/5  rDev -57.7%

05-19-2013 13:53:37 | More by mwar

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-18-2013 04:06:24 | More by vicsju1991

Thedrizzle

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-17-2013 20:22:12 | More by Thedrizzle

DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-15-2013 12:54:20 | More by DarthGuitarHero

GinsuDave

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-15-2013 02:14:09 | More by GinsuDave

ADTaber

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-13-2013 23:12:19 | More by ADTaber

AmandaSchaefer

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-13-2013 22:50:15 | More by AmandaSchaefer

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-13-2013 18:29:50 | More by vrbulldog22

SanFranJake

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-13-2013 17:30:21 | More by SanFranJake

jokulhaps

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-13-2013 02:49:09 | More by jokulhaps

UHCougar12

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-12-2013 14:22:58 | More by UHCougar12

traviskurowski

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A really nice, heavy, sweet barleywine was a nice bottle: dark color, a lot of hops, malty. But it's hard to drink this one without thinking "this would be GREAT after a few years in the cellar." The sweet notes (a bit much at this age) one hopes will become more complex, and some richer notes begin to express themselves as the hops mellow. As is: a solid barleywine that I look forward to breaking out again in 2016.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 12:50:36 | More by traviskurowski

bpowers315

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-10-2013 10:21:32 | More by bpowers315

TheSixthRing

California

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on date of 10/12/12

Appearance - Pours a deep, muddy brown with orange tinge with an off-white half finger head. Fair retention, resulting in a thin layer of microbubbles in the middle of the glass, while a significant build of larger bubbles form around the edge. Lacing is small and spotty with fair stick.

Smell - Fruit ester aroma galore! Dried peaches. Dried red apple. Moderate caramel undertone.

Taste - Oh yeah, lots of interesting, well balanced flavors going on here. Lots of caramel upfront and throughout, backed by healthy helpings of fruit essence and a touch of holiday spice; think cinnamon and nutmeg. Dried peach and apricot. Dried dates and prunes. Faint traces of chocolate, especially once it's warmed. Nice, clean, well balanced finish.

Mouthfeel - Full-bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Slight touch of syrup. Semi-dry finish. For a beer that's 10.2%, this is remarkably smooth and drinkable.

Overall - Perhaps the cleanest, most well-balanced barelywine I've had to date. Amazing considering the lack of hop presence. Smooth as all get-up. That this isn't available in California is a damn shame! I'd love to get a few bottles for aging, though I doubt I'll go out of my way to get them.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 05:02:44 | More by TheSixthRing

dalepryor

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-07-2013 22:11:40 | More by dalepryor

roywilliams

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-06-2013 19:59:56 | More by roywilliams

Dray

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -21.5%

05-06-2013 12:34:49 | More by Dray

kodt

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-06-2013 03:48:31 | More by kodt

williamjbauer

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-02-2013 10:55:32 | More by williamjbauer

MickeyMonk

Arizona

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-02-2013 04:57:33 | More by MickeyMonk

jmccullough108

Missouri

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-02-2013 04:06:48 | More by jmccullough108

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle from Total Wine in Tampa. Bottled 10/12/12.

A - Quite cloudy with a rusty brown colour. Great two finger fluffy light brown head. Mild carbonation coming up. Good spattering a of lace and a half finger of retention.

S - Huge dark fruit character. Port, cherries, generous amount of hops integrated well. Wood too. Absolutely fantastic and really enticing.

T - Boozy and much more hoppy than the aroma. Sweet dark fruit there too. Tons more hops than the aroma. Boozy pineapple. I typically don't like heavy booze/hop combos, but I find this to be milder and well put together compared to some harsher examples of the style. Good.

M - Proper mild carbonation and medium body with an abrasive bitterness that mellows latwr and lingering boozy citrus.

O/D - This is a pretty good beer. With better alcohol masking and lower hopping rates, it would get a much ranking from me. A good example of a difficult style for me. Balanced, yet aggressive and nice to sip.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 20:49:52 | More by tbeckett

EdelweissDad

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

04-28-2013 19:51:12 | More by EdelweissDad

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-27-2013 20:47:28 | More by Phillyz