Old Ales

What are Old Ales you ask? They're similar to regular ales except they're horrible drivers, bitch about weather/politics and always whine about nobody coming to visit them ( j/k grandma and grandpa)! Old ales are generally aged, have a full malt body, dark brown color, somewhat fruity (haaay!), strong alcohol characteristics and vary on the bitterness/hop level. So pretty much right up my alley.

So in this lineup we've got:
1. Great Divide Hibernation Ale - 8.1%
2. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale - 6.7% (English Brown Ale)
3. North Coast Old Stock Ale - 11.5%
4. Fuller's Vintage Ale - 11.5%
5. Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve - 8%

The Vintage and Ola Dubh are a bit in their own league considering a 12oz Dubh put me back $13.99 and the Vintage being about the same for a 1pt 9oz. Harviestoun also makes a "Old Engine Oil" which is an Old Ale but cheaper and w/o the whisky. Also it wasn't until after I purchased the Old Brown Dog that I realized its really an English Brown Ale, Smuttynose makes a "Really" Old Brown Dog which is their Old Ale (well excuse me). But oh well, its getting reviewed nonetheless.

The Hibernation had a strong alcohol aroma, and was very busy with lots of flavors going on from very malty to fruity and bitter. The ladies thought it tasted manly, not sure what that means. The Old Brown Dog had a lighter taste obviously, less alcohol, about what you'd expect from an ale. The Old Stock Ale was slightly sweet, fruity and had an overall good balance of "Old Ale" characteristics although nothing sticking out. The Vintage was a blast to the senses. Had a great apple cider/candy smell. Tasted very sweet and refreshing, almost no hop characteristics and definitely hid the 11.5% ABV very well. Had a candied sugar taste that completely stood out from the rest... and it was like someone slipped a Coca-Cola in a beer review and asked you to compare. The Ola Dubh had the obvious whisky/alcohol smell, very floral and had tastes similar to teriyaki beef jerky. Also tasted some spearmint (wtf? Someone's gum?). I knew immediately what beer I was drinking because it was obvious, so we were slightly biased. With the whopping $13.99, I was a slightly disappointed that it tasted a bit watered down. I've had other whisky aged beers that were much better. Although I'm sure this beer ages well.

The results:
A: Hibernation, Vintage, Ola Dubh 30, Brown Dog, Old Stock
T: Hibernation, Ola Dubh 30, Old Stock, Vintage, Brown Dog
K: Vintage, Ola Dubh 30, Hibernation, Old Stock, Brown Dog
L: Old Stock, Vintage, Brown Dog, Hibernation, Ola Dubh 30


After sitting down with some chili and sipping on these beers, I had some afterthoughts. The Hibernation for me was just way too busy and had a strong alcohol and malt-extract taste, also a strong hop flavor on top of all that. Definitely try this out if you don't care much about balance. I thought the North Coast Old Stock did a good tribute to the Old Ale style, which a good balance, it was easy to drink and plenty of alcohol without all the drama. But you won't go wrong with either of those. The Vintage is also worth your time, as is pretty much all of Fuller's collection. Check out their ESB, it tastes like grape candy.

Next week: ???