Third Coast Old Ale
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Bottled 9.21

Poured at about 40° into a stemless wine glass.

Pours a caramelly bourbon brown with slight clarity and a deeper sandy tan head. 4.25

Big malt and boozy aroma, surprised at how boozy it still is almost 2 years later, though not overwhelming, just clear and forward that it's a boozy one. 4.25

Malt bomb but not un-dynamic. Caramel, boozy heat and burn, and slight creaminess. 4.25

Body is warming, subtly carbonated and has a syrupy thickness to it. 4

Overall an excellent Barleywine that though I haven't tried fresh aged terrificly. 4.25

 

Bell's Third Coast Old Ale rocks.. I am so happy I was able to find it in my hometown after looking for it relentlessly for weeks... this stuff is the shit. Oh so sweet maltiness...dark amber color.... medium head. ... malty sweet alcohol aroma.. sweet brown sugar, pecan pie, bourbon, cranberry, black currant, mild black licorice, molasses, bitter maple sugar.. complex.... phenomenal! Will kick you right in the ass at over 10%.., love this beer (or barley wine I should say)! Big thumbs up!

L: Very dark maroon, off white head. Strong lacing @room temp

S: red berry, dark fruit, caramel, spices. There’s also the smell the alc, which takes away from the smell a tad bit imo

T: starts off with red berry and caramel, then moves into hops you might find in a dipa (I’m no hop head so no idea which ones). Has a hit of sweetness a few seconds after the hop flavor goes away. Never had barleywine but it’s taste has shades of brandy which is really cool to see in a beer.

F: fairly heavy yet smooth, complements the beer very well

O: If you have any ounce of self control, age a least a couple 6 packs of these. The added depth and removed alcohol bite would easily give you 12+ world class beers.

 

2014 bottle tasted almost exactly 8 years later. Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice dark brown with minimal head. The nose is full of caramel, raisins, prunes, figs, a touch of maple, and a slight note of almonds. Incredible!

The taste is a great mix of sweet toffee, dark fruit, and hops. The hoppy bitterness is clearly a shadow of what it once was, which is just fine with me! I like my American barleywines with some age to trim some of that hop bite. Grass, pine needles, leather, hay, figs, toffee, raisins, plums, brown sugar, and maybe a touch of coffee grounds/tobacco. Very smooth and easy to drink. No sign of the ABV. A treat indeed.

 

L- burgundy, opaque, deep amber in the light

S- sweet candied molasses & figs and dark fruits

T- follows the nose and then finishes with an herbal-piney note

F- medium to full, little to no carbonation, a still sipper for sure

O- I adore this beer, a stellar showing of an American Barleywine

 

Holy cow, this is extremely hoppy. So if you like very, very hoppy ales, go for it. For me, I couldn’t finish it. Way, way too hoppy for me. Like overwhelming. But, if hop is your gig, maybe you’ll fall in love. I

Bottled on 09/23/2021. Enjoyed on 02/24/2022.

The beer pours a murky brown with a good head, though the head diminished quickly and I saw no lacing throughout the tasting.

The nose of brown sugar and caramel proves to be the sheep's clothing for this 10.2% wolf. There is a hop presence in aroma which became more pronounced as the beer warmed.

The taste is a nice combination of sweet and bitter. The maltiness approaches the path of cloying, but never gets there. The mid-swallow hop bite is significant but short-lived. Caramel returns to smooth out the finish.

 

 

Appearance: Deep brown, huge head.

Smell: Dark fruits abound, raisin, prune.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, browned caramel, mild bitterness. Smooth feeling sipper.

Overall: I can't believe I've never had this in 20ish years of craft beer drinking, I suppose I just passed over it for other barleywines through the years. I've been missing out, this is a very nicely balanced sipper, not too sweet and not too bitter, just nice dark fruits and warming alcohol. Awesome!

*Notes from May 1st, 2017
12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter glass.
The maltiest beer I've had up to this point. Once in the snifter for 5 to 7 minutes it unfolds and gets better. This particular batch was bottled on Oct. 2, 2015. Rather creamy and has been in my fridge for three months now. This is obviously an ale that needs re-visiting.

 

 

 

BELL'S THIRD COAST OLD ALE 5/5/21

Bottled 10/10/15! Poured from the 12 oz. bottle into a Samuel Smith English tulip.

a: Murky brown with loads of floaties and a quarter inch thick tan head which receded to thin even surface foam and dense to spotty lacing.

s: Strong caramel malt and alcohol.

t: Heavy toffee with a moderate bite, semi-sweet finish.

m: Heftier side of medium, very good body and some carbonation tingle.

o: No shortage of flavor over some sharpness, excellent except for the floaties which do give one pause but might be expected from a six year old brew.

2014 vintage tasted in a snifter from draft at Consume on February 6, 2021.

 

Poured a hazy copper brown with a two finger frothy tan head with moderate lacing. Very weak nose of caramel and brown sugar. Sweet malt, caramel, dark cherry with a hoppy pronounced bitterness finish that lingers. Moderate-heavy body and moderate carbonation.

A: Pours an opaque dark mahogany in the glass, with some translucency and ruby hues when held to light. Large and dense light khaki colored head dissipates slowly.

S: Aromas of burnt sugar, fruity esters, and phenolic spice. Subtle brown sugar, white pepper and another distinct spice that I cannot place, perhaps cardamom. A bit of floral and earthy hops to round it out.

T: Taste different than the aroma, definitely a much bigger hop presence. Lots of earthy notes, dead leafs, floral and herbaceous. Bitterness is prominent throughout the drink. Sweet characters are very mild, would appreciate more of that candied sugar and fruity esters coming out in the taste. Even the caramel notes are very subtle.

M/D: Mouthfeel is fully bodied, very very smooth, surprisingly so, not sure the ABV assuming it’s high, but it’s not harsh at all. Great mouthfeel on this.

O: Overall, this is a very good beer. For me, Big Foot remains the epitome of the style, but this is quite good. I have no doubt this gets better with age and I will be cellaring some for sure.

4.5/4.25/4/4.75/4.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours a deep amber color with a bronze hue. An moderate off-white head. SRM of 19-20. (3.75)

Aroma: Strong aromas of caramel and nuts, more than I have ever detected. Some sweet and malty caramel struedel with icing.

Flavor: Deep, dark, sweet aromas of caramel, pastry, strudel, with some icing and hints of milk chocolate. Malty, smooth and sweet. An extremely sweet and malty beer. Minimal bitterness.

Feel: Heavier-bodied as expected

Compared to Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine 1/9/21: Pours an identical appearance. Stronger aromas/flavors. More caramel, chocolate, struedel, malts. Less orange, pine, and bitterness. More malty and less hoppy overall.

Overall: Not sure if this is a barleywine, In fact, this is only my second barleywine behind Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot. These are sure different. This one is much more malty with a huge caramel and strudel flavors. Some milk chocolate in support. Tons of nuts, brown malt, and caramel here. This one drinks almost like an imperial brown ale. Not roasty nor bitter. Big and malty. Just what you need for a cold winter's night. A delicious beer and old ale. (Final Rating: 4.21)

 

 

 

Born 9/2020. Drank it from a wine glass.
Look is crimson/burgundy with a tan head.
Smell is mild carmel, apple, apricot. Boozy.
Taste develops over seemingly an eternity. carmel and strong tartness, booziness, gives way to really incredible, if subtle, cherry and some bitterness.
Feel is smooth, alcohol bite, dry.
Overall there's a lot here and it's very good. Some of the more aggressive characteristics overpower the whole. Imagine this will be incredible in a couple years. Will be putting a few in the cellar.

 

 

**
11/28/20

2018 Bottle to snifter.

LOOK:Brown with some ruby red hues in light. Medium beige head. Fades, but very good retention.

AROMA: fig, apple, molasses, fruitcake, light boozy.

TASTE: molasses, fig, apple, brown sugar, a touch of woody flavors.

FEEL: smooth, low carbonation, medium to full body.

Liked this better than the relatively fresh ones I drank in late 18/early 19. Some age on this is a must. It matures well and mellows.

**