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

augustgarage

California

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a wide mouthed tulip. Bottled on 4/6/2012.

Sitting here in a Colonial among thousands built in Fin de siècle Cleveland, my last rainy night watching the Detroit Tigers lose the World Series in a clean sweep, 70mph winds lashing the windows...surrounded in and immerse in age and decline - this seems a fitting ale to end the evening with.

Chestnut and rust (again fitting for the rust belt) liquid with a studied crust of beige cream - dense and lasting, leaving behind pasty lacing and thin yet viscous legs. Superior retention.

Vinuous, immensely malty, with aromatics of old books, leather, and cork.

Massive malt, sweet and potent barley in many layers from bright and clean to toasty/nutty - offset with mild but lasting bitterness from grassy/earthy hops. A soft dark-fruit element leads into the loam-laden finish. Hints of toffee and hazlenuts throughout. Alcohol is remarkably well hidden. Surprisingly free of oxidation. Plenty of dark fruit in the aftertaste.

Medium-bodied, oily, and soft mouth-feel.

Retains a complexity and potency that indicate it would continue to age well for quite some time. A lovely night-cap on a cold blustery evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 04:37:27 | More by augustgarage

FlakyBiscuit

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aged for about a year and poured into a snifter. Visaully, it is nothing stunning. Slight cloudiness and dark caramel color. Smell of molasses and maybe a hint of orange. I have enjoyed this beer several times and aged for a year, the beer has mellowed to the benefit of the drinker (me). Lighter in the mouth than you would expect but nice nonetheless. Still wonderful fresh, this aged bottle had more pronounced molasses and vanilla notes. Really delicious on this cool autumn night.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:54:09 | More by FlakyBiscuit

pschul4

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First bottle that I aged myself! 1 year old poured into snifter

A- Pours a deep brown with more head that I would have expected. The head eventually dissipates to a small ring

S- Tons of dark fruits. Literally tons.. Sweet brown sugar and the faintest hint of alcohol. More mellow than I remember it smelling a year ago

T- Smooth buttery figs and other dark fruits. This is very impressive! No alcohol at all on the palate. I dare say its even a little light (in a good way for a 10%+ abv) Nothing coming to mind but silky smooth butter and the dark fruits that have been apparent since I cracked the bottle.

M- Smooth and slick along with being on the lighter side. Really digging this

O- A wonderful experience. I can see myself buying cases of this and Palo Santo down the road and just letting it sit in my cellar

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 02:54:45 | More by pschul4

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle of batch 9385 (Oct 2009) pours a ruddy brown color with some sediment and a creamy tan head. Retention and lacing are both excellent for a 3-year old brew.

Nose is mostly toffee, red grapes and alcohol. A slight oxidation has set in, but it seems to have held up pretty well.

Mmmm, tasty caramel with a slightly burnt edge and maybe even a little cocoa mole comes out. A delightful malty treat that stays well away from cloying...in fact, it really is not all that sweet. There is still some hop bitterness and the alcohol quite drying. I will look out for this next time I am in Bell's distro range, Id love to get a few for the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 01:08:07 | More by twiggamortis420

Dope

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 10811, 11/28/11

A: Pours dark brown with a good sized tan head adorning it. Fades slowly, leaving a thin but unbroken film across the glass.

S: Raisins and caramel. Some toffee. Some fig and maybe a hint of brown sugar?

T: Starts off fruity with that raisin and fig. Loaded with brown sugar, caramel and then toffee towards the finish. Finishes with toffee and maybe some molasses. Fairly dry and bitter finish with just a touch of some earthiness and cocoa. Surprisingly not boozy given the ABV and young age.

M: Fairly heavy and smooth.

O: Not a bad barleywine. Pretty standard with some hoppiness to make it fully american-style. Well balanced but fairly simple.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 05:51:13 | More by Dope

GR_Rick

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Nice dark reddish/copper coloring with a decent head. Very nice looking beer.

S: Smelled sweet, with some hop/bitterness in the nose.

T: Was going good until here - a little sweet for my liking. Too much caramel/molasses. Decently balanced, with a bit of bitterness, and a nice hit of alcohol (which I like in a high ABV beer).

M: Full body and thick mouthfeel, which I normally like. I like my stouts thick, but anything else I like just a bit thinner bodied.

O: Pretty decent beer overall, just too sweet and heavy for my liking. Could be a good example of the style (this is my first barleywine), but I'm not a fan. I may try again just because it's a local brew that's highly regarded, but my first taste didn't make me an immediate fan.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2012 22:23:03 | More by GR_Rick

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark amber-brown color with a half-finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down fairly quickly leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is full of rich sweet caramelized malts, with some dark fruits, molasses, other dark malts, a bit of light fruit, and some booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramelized sugars and caramel malts with some molasses and some raisin and other dark fruits. Through the middle, some more dark caramel malt flavor comes through with some light fruits and some citrus hops. The finish is a mix of caramelized malts and residual sugars with some dark fruit, a bit of citrus hop, and some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and a bit thick with a sweet and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nice American Barleywine with a really great malt profile and enough body to balance things out.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 06:32:21 | More by ngeunit1

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Third Coast Old Ale pours a cloudy dark amber color, with a very small lacing head. There is a nice mellow rich sweet fruit like aroma. The taste is strong sharp initial bite, with sweet wine like flavors, and then finishes dry, with a strong oak like flavor. Good complex, and strong flavor. Overall this barleywine doesn't disappoint, good full flavor, enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 03:43:52 | More by vette2006c5r

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle thanks to RyanMcFly1985. Poured into CCB snifter. Not sure the age since no bottle date.

A- Pours a slightly translucent dark reddish brown. Average to slightly above average carbonation, pretty much no head.

S- Bready malts, caramel, spices, some light fruits.

T- Bready/biscuity malts, caramel, apples, some other fruity flavors. Bready malts definitely the most prevalent.

M- Medium bodied, average carbonation, goes down very easily, not much alcoholic burn, not syrupy at all.

O- Barleywines usually aren't my favorite style, but I definitely enjoyed this one. Had a nice balance between the bready malts and caramel/slight fruity flavors. Alcohol very well hidden for a 10.2% barely wine, also not syrupy. The problem I have with most barleywines is that they are too syrupy and too boozey. This definitely doesn't encounter either of those problems. Definitely recommend trying it.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:43:46 | More by jaasen64

kylehay2004

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: thin tan head on a very attractive deep amber with red tints body.

S: dried dark fruits, ginger, malts and not too boozy for the style.

T: cabernet red wine notes with dark fruits, malty mustiness, toffee, some toasted malts and brown sugar. booziness is acceptable.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation. semi dry finish.

Overall: The right amount of booziness for the style. complex but many of these in the genre are. Not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 00:48:51 | More by kylehay2004

rlee1390

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Clear deep ruby red, two finger head with lacing

S-Caramel, malt and molasses.

T-Caramel malt, good deal of bitterness, malt, toffee, some darker fruits as well.

M-Medium bodied, chewy and some carbonation.

O-One of the better barleywines I've had. Didn't have the heat I pick up in some, nice all around.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 15:44:40 | More by rlee1390

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Batch 9970, bottled 10/16/2010.

Appearance - Pours a deep mahogany with a limited buildup of activity. Not a lot of space in my CCB snifter for a head. What's there settles to a single island of foam roaming the surface of the beer for the next two episodes of Mad Men.

Smell - Caramel upon caramel. Faint wafts of fruits invade the aroma, but it's mostly caramel. A deep whiff yields a slight tingle in my nostrils from the alcohol, but it's not pervasive. Interesting enough to be a nice smell.

Taste - Caramel and fruits, as the smell would indicate, but the hop presence is dominant throughout. It is especially apparent in the earthy bitter finish that is really the only element reminiscent of an old ale at all. Less interesting than the smell.

Mouthfeel - Sweet, especially if drinking the entire bottle (only 12 oz., but it's sluggish). Stickier as I drink it and it warms. Low in carbonation, but not flat.

Overall - Above average. Simple, well constructed barleywine despite its label.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 02:22:41 | More by Alieniloquium

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass at Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville. From notes. Reviewed 9 July 2011.

A: Good head fades and leaves some lace. Murky brown. Opaque; interesting. Some lacing.

S: Ginger (thanks to meerkey for identifying it). Tart. White grapes. Nice.

T: It tastes like Christmas. Peppermint bark? No. Meerkey nails it: gingerbread. Malty-robust with lots of alcoholic sugars. Mmm. Very interesting Old Ale. Quite strong, but enjoyable.

M: Strong -- not immense, but subtly excellent. Spicy (gingery) and full of sweet flavour.

O: Good, and *very* interesting. Worthwhile. Will try again. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 03:22:17 | More by AgentMunky

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to both Chris and Trevor for this jem of a beer that I have poured into a beer glass infront of me!

Vintage 2006!!!!

Batch 7236. Bottled February 6th 2006!

poured into an oversized snifter. Gentle pour left about one oz of beer in the bottle to keep the sediment out of the beer for the review. I will save that last sip for later!

Appearance: medium brown to dark amber colored beer with a solid one finger of off white head. It drops to a thin cap with a few big bubbles randomly sitting on top the beer. Got some fine floaty chunks in this beer, but that to be expected. Sexy lookn beer!

Smell: The hops are almost nonexistant which is to be expected from a beer thats 5 to 6 years old! Sweet, rich, boozey, caramel and toffee. Fusel alcohol thats also a bit spicy. WOW!

Taste: This is the weakest component of this beer, but its still a mighty tasty brew. The hops start off the beer with an earthy and spicy note. its quickly get overtaken by huge malty profile thats just a beast! Big caramel, honey, and candied sugar notes. A little bit of dark fruits show themselves in the form of raisins and figs. Practically no booziness from this beer. Finishes with a mild earthy bitterness and astrigency, but the sweet malts overtake everything else in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer with a moderate carbonation. The carbonation makes this beer really smooth and creamy; it also gives this beer amazing dangerous drinkability for such a malty monster that this beer is! No harshness from this beer at all. Its balanced, its mellow and its so robust and flavorful.

Overall: First of all I gotta say I dislike most american barleywines; English barleywines are hands down what I prefer when I drink a barleywine. But this American style barleywine is crazy good with alot of age on it. Its drinking phenominally right now, but it could still be cellared for longer with the carbonation holding solid! Put a 6 pack away for 5 years and you will be amazed by this beer. I gotta try it fresh for comparision, since I have not tried this beer fresh yet. With this beer and Expedition Stout I am beginging to think that Bells makes some serious cellar beers; I am going to personally look into this further!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 02:11:07 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another great beer from Bell's.

This had a deep amber color as is traditional with Barleywines and it had a little bit of head.

A strong amount of caramel, hops and dark fruit permeated the aroma, it's a pretty standard smell for this style, but it's still very appealing.

The taste had the same hop, caramel and dark fruit combination with a strong malt background that brought all the flavors together.

This was very very easy to drink despite the alcohol and it was perfect at about 55 degrees. Would get again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 15:48:35 | More by JohnnyMc

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I am a big fan of Bell's. I started with Two Hearted, and now I am enjoying my drinking through the catalogue. Too bad they don't distribute to New Jersey. Please come to NJ; I'll support you. I promise.

I also love barleywines.

I poured this beer into a tulip. It is a toffee red color. It looks very good under the light. There was minimal foam, but whatever foam was present was very sticky. This led to some very nice lacing.

The smell provides some very strong venous presence. It is a very good example for how an old ale should smell.

The taste was sticky and sweet. I know that sticky isn't a taste, but I would call this taste "sticky." It lingers nicely on the pallatte. The alcohol flavor stays in my mouth.

North Coast is a great sipper. It is a premium beer from a premium brand/brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 01:07:03 | More by ummswimmin

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have developed an affection for barleywines this winter so I expected to like this beer. My top rated beer on this site though is a barleywine (Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleyine) so it makes it tough for other barleywines to rank really high with me.

The appearance was of a lot darker colored beer than what I expected. It almost looked like a dark ale.

I didn't get much smell at first although I have had a cold so it may be me and not the beer that is responsible for this. As it warmed though, I got a strong alcohol smell as well as some fruits.

The taste consisted of fruit, alcoholic bite, malts, sweet candy and a bitter, hoppy taste on the finish. A nice complex beer.

Nothing too special on the mouthfeel.

Overall, a solid barleywine but not as great as my favorite barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 02:12:21 | More by mjpolzin

superspak

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 11/03/2010. Pours slightly cloudy red orange color with a nice 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lasts. Some nice spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big caramel, biscuit, herbal, raisin, grape, molasses, pine, and a touch of alcohol. Nice and well balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big caramel, biscuit, herbal, grape, raisin, molasses, brown sugar, pine, wood, and earth. Fair amount of herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, pine, herbal, dark fruit, and molasses for a while. Fantastic flavor balance and complexity. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice creamy, sticky, and slick mouthfeel. Nice amount of smoothness, but is definitely a sipper. Alcohol is well hidden with only a warming after the finish present. Overall this is a fantastic and complex barleywine. Very smooth and enjoyable to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 05:51:15 | More by superspak

ralphonhouse

4.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer tastes like the way fireworks smell, but like if that smell was of a thing that tasted like really good. This beer tastes like good fireworks.

Like, you know when it's the fourth of July and your uncle rings fireworks over because he got them out of state and he wants you to think of him as cool, and like he shoots them off, and you smell that smell. That smell is how I think this beer tastes. Like how energy drinks taste the way cat pee smells. But delicious. Like fireworks in a glass.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 05:07:07 | More by ralphonhouse

dorianmarley

Ohio

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is dark, almost-cola brown. It has a foamy, tan head, with very nice lacing.

Nose is cinnamon sugar, dark malt, black pepper, grape, and oak.

Taste is fig, grape, banana, dark chocolate, biscuit cookies, with an alcohol finish.

Mouthfeel is smooth and silky with light carbonation. Not much alcohol bite for its 10% ABV. It is actually quite refreshing.

Overall, it is a great execution of restraint. It is filled with bold flavors that never overwhelm.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 05:01:12 | More by dorianmarley

halfP1NT

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Murky mahogany in color. No head to speak of despite an aggressive pour. Not much carbonation apparent.

Aroma is juicy; dark fruits, cherry, raisin, plum & fig. Sweet and a little bready. I let this one warm up a little out of the fridge before I poured it so the aroma was opened up immediately.

Sweet, dark malts, candi sugar and dark fruit dominate the palate. Same fruits as in aroma. Big boozy finish. Little to no hops presence. Alcohol lingers in the back of the throat and helps balance out the malty sweetness.

Little to no carbonation. Mouthfeel is a little slick and syrupy. Still a delicious, boozy beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 01:45:09 | More by halfP1NT

Labeerfinder

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark mahogany color with little to no head at all. Aroma is sweet, chewy, and fruity with a figs or dates and some alcohol. Flavor is earthy, sweet at first with a bitter (pine) finish that still manages to leave a sweet feeling in the mouth. Notes of dates, brown sugar, butterscotch...almost woody. Warming as it goes down.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 05:27:23 | More by Labeerfinder

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a tulip glass (batch 9385)
A: Pours hazy, opaque brown with two fingers of fluffy, light khaki head.  Lots of yeast in this beer.  Retention is very good.

S: Very sweet molasses, prunes, and brown sugar.  A bit of bready malt, but no hint of hops whatsoever.  This is extremely sweet smelling.

T: Similar to aroma, but much more balanced than I thought it would have been.  Raisins and bready malts are front and center in this beer.  Light hop bitterness helps to balance.  Light oxidation is present, but it's nice.  Reminds me of an aged English Barleywine.

M: Thick mouthfeel with light but adequate carbonation.

O: This tastes much more like an English Barleywine than an American one, but it's quite nice.  The aroma is quite sweet, but the flavor is balanced and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 00:01:51 | More by coreyfmcdonald

wages

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It was born in September 2011 and drank February 2012, so not a lot of aging.

Appearance - 3.5/5 - very dark red color with a one finger head. It has some chill haze.

smell - 4/5 - aroma of alcohol and plum or raisins.

Taste - 4.5/5 - surprisingly dry with subtle sweetness. Hard to pin down the flavors. Maybe tootsie roll?

Mouthfeel - 4/5 -good amount carbonation but not to much. Only the hard to pin down flavors linger.

Overall - 4.5/5 - a hard to pin down beer (in case I didn't say that enough!) That's a real winner but that leaves you wondering what exactly it is.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 00:29:10 | More by wages

Thickfreakness

New York

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

Received as an X-tra from BrahnSolo. Bottled 11/07/11

A- Pours a murky deep marroon/mahogany color into my DFH glass. A 2 1/2 finger cherry tinted tan head fills the glass. It takes a while to fade away, and leaves just a touch of lacing.

S- Caramel, mission figs, raisins, leather, butterscotch, pine sap, and little hints of lemon and over ripe peaches.

T- Caramel and butterscotch candy. Nice citrus punch that blends seemlessly with the malty sweetness. A touch of alcohol. Prunes, raisins, figs, brown sugar and grapefruit.

M- Sticky, oily and resinous. Really nice blend of citrus pop and caramel and candy sweetness. Really sticks to your tongue all the way down... and hangs on. I like the way the alcohol shows it's face. Really cuts some of the sweetness.

O- Nice barleywine. Wish I had a few more to put away and see how it develops. Coulda had a bit more carbonation, but I really enjoyed how sticky it is.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 02:15:38 | More by Thickfreakness