Bell's Third Coast Old Ale Review

Name: Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 10.2%

Well after months of record breaking cold temperatures, Siberian-calibur blizzards, and a diminished sense of optimism, winter is finally starting to release it's icy grip on the region. We are now experiencing temperatures in the 30's & 40's for what might as well be the first time since the Clinton Administration.

Which brings me to the next and probably last winter seasonal from Bell's Brewery. I give to you their Third Coast Old Ale. I've been sitting on this beer for about 3 months now so I figured it was time to go ahead and give this a proper review. On a side note, I do find the name a bit perplexing mainly because it contains "Old Ale" in it's name yet is a Barleywine-Style Ale.

Third Coast Old Ale pours dark brown color that turns to a dark crimson when held up to a light. The head is khaki-colred in appearance and fairly thin. It doesn't leave behind any lacing so it finishes rather clean.

Sweet caramelized malts and mild citrus notes are prevalent upfront in the nose. This is accompanied by some booziness, dark fruit and licorice notes.

The flavor is a mixture of caramel malts, toffee, mild citra-hops, licorice and a pine-resiny aftertaste. The flavor has a noticeable booziness to it as well. The palate is fairly heavy in terms of weight and thickness, but it's mildly carbonated

For the most, it's a good English-style Barleywine but the boozy aspect of the flavor does hurt it's appeal a bit. Perhaps this could be remedied with a bit more cellaring and be more suitable later on.


Bell's Third Coast Old Ale - 8/10