North coast brewing ei ole oikein itseä aikaisemmin vakuuttanut paitsi näiden old stock ale -oluiden osalta, joista tullut pari vuosikertaa maisteltua. Nyt Cellar reserve, joka kypsynyt brandy-tynnyreissä. Läpikuultava, kuparinen ilme, ei juurikaan vaahtoa. Makeaa siirappia, karamellimaltaisuutta, melassia, rusinaa ja kypsää omenaa hyvin esillä. Tahmean makea, lämmin ja täyteläinen, brandy-tynnyri pehneänä esillä alusta loppuun. Hyvä slow sipper, aikalailla sellainen mitä tältä odottikin.

Advent Calendar 2023, Day 23. Old Ale again.  🤎 Yes, the color is muddy, deep dark brown. A faint purple reflection refracts in the beer. Timid carbonation unleashes a warm yellow head that fails to reach one finger and dissipates rushedly to nil. The scent is beautifully multifaceted: I spot sweet nuances of date, cherry, dried plum, raisin, cacao nibs and dark chocolate. Just the first encounter. Syrup, raspberry and blackcurrant join the second wave. Quite attractive, especially for the multiplicity of the components. 🤎🤎🤎 The tongue falls in nirvana. Immediately. Oohhh... This. Is. Awesome. Sweet and tender. Soft and mature. Absolutely gorgeous. I can pick massive date, dried plum, raisin, dried cherry, cacao nibs, dark chocolate as well as tiny amounts of raspberry mash and blackcurrant jam. Dark cookie crunch and syrup are the latecomers on the tastebuds. The host of the barrel aging is a fruity, round and mature brandy, everything is so cotton with no edges at all. Neat complexity observed!  🤎🤎🤎 The body is full, no doubt about it. I love the way how just the malts and hops can create such a sensation. A real pro masterpiece, adjuncts are for amateurs. The final swing loses fairly quickly most other parameters but the delicate brandy and soaked barrel notes. Pull up that chair to the cheerful fire and toast your shins at the blaze; and we'll take a trip just the aftertaste and I to the old stock ridin' days. The mouthfeel is full, deep, rich, intense, thick and barrel aged. It's astonishingly round, mature, velvety, balmy, gentle and smooth. The level of complexity is high. Absolutely crushable! Super attractive! A delicate slow sipper indeed. Like Xyauyùs at best. I'm glad a fiver is found almost at the end of the advent calendar series. Difficult, if not impossible, to improve from here. NOTE: The barcode gives the base version of Old Stock Ale 2020.