North Coast Brewing
North Coast Brewing to Celebrate 25 Years
The year was 1988, the place was the West Coast. 25 years ago marks the anniversary of the beginnings of some of the most influential breweries, with North Coast being amongst them. To celebrate their silver anniversary, North Coast will be teaming up with Rogue and Deschutes to create a series of ‘Class of 88‘ beers inspired by the book that helped start it all – The Essentials of Beer Style by Fred Eckhardt – which also debuted in the lovely year of 1988. Each brewery will create their own interpretation of a Barleywine based on Eckhardt’s descriptions after which a team from each brewery will travel to each other’s facilities and brew all three.
“America’s craft beers are setting new international standards for quality and innovation. They’re the most exciting facet of the world beer scene today” says Mark Ruedrich, North Coast’s Co-Founder, Brewmaster, and President. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Here’s to another 25 great years of great beers.
Style: Barleywine
Availability: 750 mL bottles, 22oz bottles
Arrival: March 2013
?? ABV
Zymurgy’s Best Beers In America 2012
Zymurgy Magazine, the official Journal of the American Homebrewer’s Association just published their results from the reader’s rankings. For the 4th year in a row, Russian River’s Pliny The Elder takes 1st place. Bell’s Two Hearted and Dogfish Head 90 Minute aren’t far behind for best IPA in the country. Interestingly, the harder to find Pliny The Younger ranked at the other end of the list, at #48.
More than 16,000 votes were received in this years vote. Check out the full story for brewery rankings. (T= Tied) [AHA]
1. Russian River Pliny the Elder |
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale |
3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA |
4. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale |
5. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale |
6. Bell’s Hopslam |
7. Sierra Nevada Celebration |
8. Stone Ruination IPA |
9. Sierra Nevada Torpedo |
10. North Coast Old Rasputin |
11. Firestone Walker Union Jack |
12. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye |
13. Bear Republic Racer 5 |
14. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale |
15. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA |
16. Firestone Walker Double Jack |
T17. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA |
T17. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
19. Stone IPA |
20. New Belgium Fat Tire |
21. Deschutes Black Butte Porter |
22. Avery Maharaja |
23. Founders Breakfast Stout |
24. Left Hand Milk Stout |
T25. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA |
T25. New Belgium Ranger |
T25. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale |
28. Deschutes The Abyss |
29. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout |
30. Surly Furious |
T31. Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin |
T31. Rogue Dead Guy |
T31. Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
34. Troegs Nugget Nectar |
T35. Lagunitas IPA |
T35. New Belgium La Folie |
T37. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron |
T37. Founders KBS |
T37. Russian River Blind Pig IPA |
41. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale |
42. Victory Prima Pils |
43. Great Divide Yeti |
T44. Alaskan Smoked Porter |
T44. Anchor Steam |
T44. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid |
T44. Samuel Adams Noble Pils |
T48. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter |
T48. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy |
T48. Russian River Pliny the Younge |
North Coast Otsuchi Ale Releases In March
North Coast Brewing releases Otsuchi Old Stock Ale this month. The beer benefits the Otsuchi Recovery Fund, after a devastating tsunami destroyed the town.
2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Fort Bragg, California and Otsuchi, Japan. When the recent tsunami struck northern Japan, Otuchi was one of the hardest hit communities and this charming 800-year old city was leveled with an unimaginable loss of life and property.
CBS recently devoted a 60 minutes episode to the Otsuchi disaster and interviewed Ken Sasaki, catayst for the sister city program. Sasaki made it clear how important the Fort Bragg sister city relationship has been in helping to give Otsuchi the encouragement to rebuild and to maintain their “Never give up” attitude.
The people of Fort Bragg have sent over $250,000 to help, but more importantly, they sent their love. As a continuation of this support, North Coast Brewing makes a donation to the Otsuchi Recovery Fund for every bottle of Otsuchi Old Stock Ale sold. North Coast Brewing invites you to enjoy this bottle with friends & celebrate the recovery of Otsuchi.
Style: Old Ale
Availability: 750ml (of this edition)
Arrival: Anniversary of the tsunami, 3/11/12
11.7% ABV
North Coast Old Stock Otsuchi 2012
A slightly different edition of North Coast Brewing’s Old Stock – Old Stock Otsuchi 2012. 100% of the funds benefit Otsuchi Tsunami relief efforts. If you follow the QR code, it takes you to a webpage asking for donations to the relief fund, based in Fort Bragg, California (where the brewery is based.) As it turns out, the Fort Bragg and Otsuchi have some history:
2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Fort Bragg and Otsuchi. The story of the program’s creation is compelling. When Ken Sasaki was a boy in Otsuchi, his father, a fisherman was lost at sea. Ken-san would sit on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, ever in search of any sign of his father. When he became older, he wondered what was on the other side of the ocean- wondering who lived over there and what were they like? He drew a line across the Pacific and found Fort Bragg on the exact same latitude. In 1997, he made contact and invited then Mayor, Lindy Peters to come visit Otsuchi.
In 2001, days after the tragic events of 9/11 that Lindy made his second trip to Otsuchi. The following year, September, 2002, the first student exchange of Fort Bragg students went to Otsuchi. Subsequent exchanges took place in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. In 2005 a Sister-City Proclamation was solidified by then Mayor, Dave Turner and Mayor Yamazaki.
Though the focus of our exchange program will be changing and evolving due to the devastation Otsuchi has sustained, our community will continue to stand by our beloved sister city, Otsuchi, Japan.
If you check out the video below taken in October of last year, Otsuchi was hit pretty hard. This edition of Old Stock (no word if ingredients are different) will be available in a larger format bottle (750mls.) There is more info to come on Old Stock Otsuchi for sure.
Style: Old Ale
Availability: 750ml (of this edition)
Arrival: Anniversary of the tsunami, 3/11/12
11.7% ABV
North Coast BA Old Rasputin XIV Hits Shelves
North Coast Brewing’s 14th Anniversary release — Barrel Aged Old Rasputin, aka XIV has started hitting shelves. The west coast of course has been seeing the first bottles.
This anniversary beer is the brewery’s medal winning Old Rasputin, aged in bourbon barrels.
Per North Coast:
Rasputin XIV is Here!
For the past few years, barrel-aged Old Rasputin has been released in such limited quantities that it has been available only at the brewery retail shop. However, we have received so many requests for this beer that for the 12th anniversary, NCBC produced enough Old Rasputin XIV to put into broader distribution. There’s certainly not a flood of it, but it is available in select areas. Check the distributor in your area to find where to get it.
Style: Imperial Stout (barrel aged)
Taste Expectations: Everything you have come to love about Old Raspy (Chocolate, coffee, roasty malts) creamy, full bodied flavor. Now with oaky vanilla.
Availability: 16.9 oz bottles. Corked/Caged. One time anniversary release.
11.2%ABV
Barrel Aged Old Raspy #14 Shipping Soon
You’ll be pretty excited to hear that North Coast Brewing’s 14th Anniversary release – Barrel Aged Old Rasputin, aka XIV starts shipping soon.
North Coast’s muti-medal winning and and highly acclaimed Russian imperial stout – Old Rasputin spends time in bourbon barrels. Released once a year in corked and caged bottles. 12th Anniversary saw limited distribution upon it’s release, retailing around $20 a bottle.
Per North Coast:
Rasputin XIV is Here!
For the past few years, barrel-aged Old Rasputin has been released in such limited quantities that it has been available only at the brewery retail shop. However, we have received so many requests for this beer that for the 12th anniversary, NCBC produced enough Old Rasputin XIV to put into broader distribution. There’s certainly not a flood of it, but it is available in select areas. Check the distributor in your area to find where to get it.
Style: Imperial Stout (barrel aged)
Availability: 16.9 oz bottles. Corked/Caged
Arrival: Now Available, as of 12/6/111
11.2%ABV
North Coast’s Grand Cru To Feature Agave & Bourbon
North Coast Brewing (Fort Bragg, CA) plans on releasing “Grand Cru” this year. From the description, it is an ale brewed with agave nectar then aged in bourbon barrels.
That’s pretty much all the info known at the moment. Judging by the size – looks like the bottle will be corked & caged like the Old Stock 2011 was.
Arrival: Now Available
12.5% ABV