North Coast Old Stock Ale 2009 Cellar Reserve

Review Date 3/6/2012 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Barleywine   Brewery: North Coast   Country: USA   State: California   $ Per OZ: $1.36 (B)   ABV: 13.2%

I’ll say this about North Coast Old Stock Ale 2009 Cellar Reserve: so far, it’s the most expensive beer I’ve ever bought.  I actually passed on this beer back in march of 2011 because of the price (a whopping $22.99 for a half liter bottle at Sherlock’s Town Center in Marietta, Georgia, or $1.36 an ounce). Soon after reading reviews of the legendary status of the beer, I regretted that decision and went back to buy it. At which point, of course, they had sold out. Luckily, though, a fresh supply came in in mid-April, and I socked the bottle away in my beer cabinet.

Fast forward to February of 2012, and a special occasion for me as a beer drinker.  I reached a milestone only a beer geek could rejoice in: 3,999 different beers tasted. And so, of course, I wanted something special for beer 4000. Just for fun, I thought I would let my facebook friends decide on the beer, and so I offered a choice between North Coast Old Stock Ale 2009 Cellar Reserve and Duvel Triple Hop Ale. It was a close race to be sure, but the winner by just one vote was the North Coast.

Old Stock Ale is one of my favorite beers, and this wonderfully rich and warming barleywine changes somewhat from year to year. Tasting notes I took on that beer in 2004 record an alcohol content by volume of 11.4%, while details on the 2012 edition on the North Coast website indicate a strength of 12.5%. Old Stock Ale 2009 Cellar Reserve is even stronger still at 13.16%.

Here’s what the brewery says about the beer on their website:

North Coast Brewing’s Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve is a special batch of its award-winning Old Stock Ale. The vintage 2009 brew has been aged for 18 months in oak Bourbon barrels and is one of the most exciting beers we’ve produced since we began our barrel-aging program back in 1998. Old Stock Cellar Reserve is bottled in a distinctively decorated 500 ml bottle with a cork and wire finish and is available in a limited number of distributors in select markets. 

I pop the cork off my bottle of North Coast Old Stock Ale 2009 Cellar Reserve and get a dark, murky mahogany color with a light head of tan foam. The nose tells me this beer was an excellent choice to celebrate 4000 beers with, as the powerful notes of bourbon and vanilla waft to my nostrils. Taking a sip, the vanilla promised in the nose is even more prominent in the palate. There are fruity notes of dark raisin, prune and plum accented by chocolate, a bit of wood, and of course the powerful bourbon notes. You won’t find much in the way of hops in the finish, something this beer certainly shares with conventional Old Stock Ale. There is a warming, jet fuel alcohol burn though.

Sweet brown sugar and chocolate from the malt harmonize perfectly with the yeasty esters and bourbon notes to make this one incredible brew. At this price, it’s a beer for special occasions that I would drink again, though only rarely. This is probably a good thing since supply is very limited. If you see a bottle, though, don’t let the price deter you. This is a rare and special edition of a rare and special beer, and should not be missed.