Bells Third Coast

[ghammbone]

Tried Bells Third Coast for my first time and felt the brew may have been past its prime. matbe its supposed to taste that way. any impute?

[BluesHarp]

Can you describe the characteristics that led you to that conclusion?
I've had it many times and like it a lot; it has a very caramel-like maltiness to it and not a lot of hop flavor compared to, say, a Bigfoot or many of the West Coast barleywines or old ales.
It is strong enough to take a lot of aging without losing it's quality...in fact, it is best with some cellaring; unless it was sitting in the light or stored at high temperatures.

BTW...welcome to the board!:)

[hops99]

Well, do you mean Bell's Third Coast - which is a Golden Ale - probably Bell's lightest brew, or Bell's Third Coast Old Ale which is their Barleywine?

[BluesHarp]

...good point! :cool:

[ghammbone]

It was Bells Third Coast, the Golden Ale. The beer had a punguent flavor. Sour. Not bitter like their Two Hearted Ale.

[steveh]

Originally posted by ghammbone
It was Bells Third Coast, the Golden Ale. The beer had a punguent flavor. Sour. Not bitter like their Two Hearted Ale.

How and where did you sample? Many places around the Chicago area have been offering Bell's beers in cask-conditioned form, these beers don't have a long serving life and it's possible you may have been drinking a waning beer.

Did you attempt to return the beer? If so, were you successful?

Bell's beers are historically good in quality, but also very fragile as they aren't pasteurized or loaded with preservatives - so they can turn fast in any form.

S.

[unkle bik]

Originally posted by ghammbone
It was Bells Third Coast, the Golden Ale. The beer had a punguent flavor. Sour. Not bitter like their Two Hearted Ale.

Those are two different animals.
The Two Heart being an American style IPA, and the Third Coast being more of a Belgian Ale.

I thought Third was too sweet, and the Two Heart just right on the bittterness.
From the label, I would have thought it was a high gravity, American style, pale ale. Instead, I was taken aback by the sweetness and alcohol bite.

I wasn't too impressed, or Belgian Ales aren't my cup of tea, er beer.