North Coast Brewing Co.

North Coast's Grand Cru is a new limited release version of the brewery's 20th anniversary ale from 2008. This beer, like the rest of North Coast's offerings, has deceptively boring packaging. It comes in a corked and caged 500ml bottle that looks like a slimmed down Champagne bottle. I wouldn't have given this beer a second thought in the liquor store if I hadn't known it was 12.9% alcohol and brewed with agave nectar. North Coast does some pretty interesting stuff with their limit release beers, it just seems like they don't want anyone to know about it...

Brother Thelonious is a beer I first discovered in the dead of winter, about three years ago. I was just getting serious about craft beer, I'd always liked trying new styles and new beers but it wasn't quite a hobby yet. When I first saw the Brother Thelonious I thought it was incredibly clever. A Belgian abbey style beer, something traditionally made by monks, named in honor of Thelonious Monk. Clever indeed. So I ordered that first bottle, took a sip and I completely was sold on this beer. I remember it being dark and sweet with a little kick. Since I try to only review beers I've never had before, I sort of put off reviewing the Brother Thelonious until now. I was feeling a little Jazzy today so I decided to grab this bottle from the fridge and see how my opinion of the Brother Thelonious has changed, if at all.

North Coast Brewing's Pranqster is described as a Belgian Style Golden Ale. If I'd seen, smelled and tasted this beer without seeing the bottle I would have guessed that this beer was a Tripel. It's got the rich sour citrus flavor and high ABV that really screams Tripel to me. This beer's aroma is probably the only boring thing about it. You'll notice a little yeast, some sweet fruit and a little horse blanket. All the components are there, but it's pretty mellow. The Pranqster has practically not head at all. It's a little peculiar, especially when you're trying to coax up a head for your photo... but ultimately it doesn't really change the drinking experience.

North Coast's Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is an incredibly strong, dark beer that started off as an interesting Stout and finished like an Imperial India Pale Ale. First impressions of this beer were positive, it smells great. The aroma has multiple components that all blend together nicely. The first thing that came to mind when I took a whiff of this beer was caramel and chocolate. There is a bit of roastiness on the nose as well. This wasn't a big surprise considering the jet black appearance of the Old Rasputin. All signs were pointing to this being a dark, sweet and creamy stout, then I took a drink...

It just doesn't get much more generic than ACME. ACME is to brand names what John Doe is to missing persons. The name ACME conjures up images from the old Roadrunner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote buys a defective product via mail order catalog... not exactly the sort of brand recognition you'd want if you were a marketer. I'm being a little facetious here because the ACME name was used in honor of the old ACME Brewing Company that used to be in San Francisco, so it wasn't like the marketing geniuses at North Coast sat around thinking of a new name for their IPA and this is the best they could do. That being said... this is they best they could do? I can respect them wanting to pay respect to a predecessor but did they really need to name their beer "John Doe IPA"...