It was a Tuesday evening after the kids went to bed when I had five friends over to get familiar with North Coast Brewing’s range of offerings. These were friends from different spheres of my life, including one guy I’d never hung out with. We all go to the same church, but it was beer that brought us together in this particular configuration.
I wanted to explore this particular brewery because I kept seeing its name pop up in association with interesting subjects. Like the time they became a B Corp, a new classification that indicates a company with a conscience. Or the release of their Stellar IPA, sales of which benefit marine life research.
And then there are the awards. Let’s not even get started on all the awards.
Mistakes Were Made
I’ll admit I did a few things wrong that night. First, there were too many beers, meaning by the night’s end it was getting more difficult to really keep track of where we’d been.
Second, I should maybe have put the Old Rasputin in front of the Brother Thelonious. The hops in the former would have been an easier transition from PranQster, while the heavier alcohol and malt quality would have prepared us for the richness of the Thelonious.
Lastly, I drank too much of the leftovers. I poured between 2-3 oz. for each beer, depending on ABV, but that meant that there was plenty left in most of the bottles. Some of the other guys helped a little, but they were driving, so they were rightly careful not to overdo it (even still, a couple admitted to feeling a little rough the next morning). But that left me with another beer or two that I didn’t have the heart to waste, so I drank it myself.
One thing I did right: I ended the night with Puck, a light saison that was a great way to ease down after the big, barrel-aged Old Stocks we’d just sampled.
The Takeaway
Bottom line: North Coast is a great brewery for true craft fans.
What do I mean by that? I mean that none of these beers stuck out as a “bold” or “interesting” beer in the sense that it did something big, unusual, or otherwise showy. Instead, each beer felt carefully crafted and fine-tuned to create its own effect, which was always pleasant and invoked more thoughtfulness than surprise.
For the casual craft fan who’s always looking for a Green Eggs & Ham IPA or a Grass-Fed Beef Stew Stout, these beers may not be “impressive” enough. But for the craft drinker who has been getting back to basics and revisiting early favorites like Boston Lager and Sierra Pale, these beers are the real deal.
Interestingly, my take on both the Scrimshaw Pilsner and Red Seal Ale improved when I had the spare bottles in the days following the tasting. Maybe this owed to the fact that I had high hopes going into the tasting, and these are solid but, as I’ve been arguing, not showy.
My particular favorites were PranQster and Puck, both of which did in fact surprise me a bit with their distinctive (but not showy) flavors. For a more thorough review, you can read the rest of this or check out my Untappd feed. If you’re ready to get drinking, I’m not sure there’s a way to go wrong with these guys, so have at!
The Beer-by-Beer
Scrimshaw Pilsner Style Beer
As an opening salvo, this received a mixed reception. One friend already knew he liked it and used to think of it as a go-to at a local pub before they stopped carrying it. We all agreed it would be great on a hot day, but while it was warm for February, it wasn’t exactly hot.
The beer was grainy but clean, light-bodied but with real character. This is worth returning to when things get warmer.
Red Seal Amber Ale
Is it a pale or an amber? Depends what source you consult. For instance, if you consult North Coast’s own website, they’ll call it an amber, but they cite a source that compares it favorably to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
This was a solid pale, with a particular spiciness that we found in the Scrimshaw and to some extent in the PranQster and Old Rasputin. Probably owes to a favorite hop. Does it beat out Sierra Nevada? Well, maybe if you like your pales on the spicy side. This is a really fine beer, but maybe not so easy-drinking as a Sierra Pale.
PranQster Belgian Style Golden Ale
Suddenly we had a division in the group between those that really—I mean really—liked the PranQster and those that did not.
I was among those who liked it. I appreciated the strong clove and pepper aroma that continued into the sip, with the added benefits of a subtle banana flavor and that distinctive Belgian bread-dough yeast quality. This is one I could see returning to in a pinch.
Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale
Jumping from PranQster to this beer is a little jarring, since you lose the spice and gain a lot in rich malt character. This was a crowd-pleaser, though. We liked the fuller-body and flavor and the raisin-bread sweetness. Was it “jazzy”? Well, I don’t know. It was definitely the kind of beer we wanted to sip and spend some time with, which is true of great jazz, too.
Old Rasputin Imperial Stout
I have to admit that I think of this as a beer I love, but after the Thelonious, the harder, smokier qualities were perhaps harder to stomach. It was still a flavorful and aromatic beer with subtle hints of chocolate and smoke, the kind of beer that merits a little time and attention.
Old Stock 2016 Old Ale
At this point we were getting pretty deep into the tasting, but this beer still stuck out. I caught brown sugar and plum in this boozy beer, but it was still really smooth and easy going down.
Old Stock 2014 Cellar Reserve Wheat Whiskey Barrels
At this point one friend admitted that all barrel-aged beers started to taste the same to him. Fair enough. There are certainly differences, but once you’ve had a couple, the alcohol sweetness and vanilla/bourbon notes start to remind you of other bourbon-barrel-aged beers.
That said, this beer was hearty and strong on vanilla and booze flavors, yet somehow still not heavy going down. I’m not sure I can pinpoint what the wheat added, other than a certain grainy quality and some body compared to the 2013.
Old Stock 2013 Cellar Reserve
As much as we loved the 2016, and even more the 2014, this was the favorite among the Old Stock varieties. Perhaps owing to its long aging, it was super-smooth, even light-bodied, yet still full of vanilla and toffee flavors. It’s not the kind of beer that will knock your socks off, but it will please the beer drinker who likes to sip and enjoy their heavy beers.
Puck, The Beer Petite Saison
I wanted to end on a lighter note, in part to respect our taste buds, in part to acknowledge that these guys would have to drive home in the not-too-distant future. This was a great way to end the night.
I’m not necessarily a huge saison guy, though I keep trying to get into them. This one was really fun, though. It has a solid pepper kick on a sort of square malt body that supports the high notes while not letting anything drop too low. If the Scrimshaw isn’t perhaps enough for you, the Puck should do the trick in giving you lots of flavor without the weight of the previous beers.
Image sourced from NorthCoastBrewing.com
