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Not Guinness.
Rated 6.60 by 5 Beer Drinkers.
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Seeking the Spirit of St. James Gate in a Bottle of Old No. 38
by Belly Buddy Mark Stevens
At A Glance
Beer: North Coast Old No. 38 Stout Pros: Soft, dry flavor of roasted barley Cons: Limited distribution area The Bottom Line: Do you like the rich dark flavors and full body of Guinness Stout? Then try one of the best American-made dry stouts--Old No. 38. Recommended: Yes
Mention the word "stout" and most people think "Guinness". Not a bad thought, especially when you're talking about the drier, softer kinds of stout -- beers like North Coast's Old No. 38. I really like Old No. 38 (or in the words of Shrek, "really, really"). The reason I like Old No. 38 so much is that it has so many of the same kinds of flavors and aromas that I find in a fresh pint of Guinness. Choose a master for a role model, and you can't go wrong!
The guys at North Coast Brewing make some wonderful beers, but when I think about the reasons why I regard them so highly, it always comes around to stout. The first beer I ever tasted from North Coast was Old No. 38 stout, and that was probably over five years ago. Since then I've become a huge fan of their huge Old Rasputin stout, but I'm always happy to come back to a more drinkable, everyday stout -- like the classic Old No. 38.
What Makes a Great Dry Stout?
Stout is often said to be an acquired taste. Fortunately, I think I acquired it at birth. I've always loved the strong roast barley flavor of a good stout -- much as I've always loved very strong black coffee, which is a very similar flavor. If you love espresso, you'll probably like stout. If you hate espresso, you'll probably hate stout, no matter how great that stout might be.
Stout has a lot of sub-styles. Some are very sweet, some aren't. Some are very big, most are not. Some brewers use oatmeal in their stouts, most stick to a blend of pale malt and roasted unmalted barley.
Old No. 38 falls into the classic Irish-style dry stout classification. It should be fairly low in alcohol, but very big in body, with a strong roast barley component but almost no discernible hops. It should be blacker than night (over 50 on the SRM scale). It should always be very smooth, but dry on the palate.
The undisputed king of stouts, and the model that all brewers use when trying to brew the dry stouts, is Guinness [review]. Guinness has a very complex flavor profile. If you're not familiar with this elixir, it is quite dry and has a huge flavor of roasted barley, which comes across to most people as tasting like coffee, but a coffee that's soft and muted. The complexity kicks in when you notice a slightly sharp edge to the beer -- maybe a hint of sourness like if your tongue just passed over the edge of a lemon. This is known to be caused by the blending of young, freshly produced stout with older, aged stout. I've heard rumors that a portion of the aged stout is actually aged in wood, where microbes like Brettanomyces bring an earthy element to the sourness. The real art of the brewmasters at James Gate thus becomes blending the young, the old, and the very old to consistently produce a beer that is nothing short of a world classic, and that is unlikely to ever be duplicated by a young startup brewery.
Tasting Old No. 38...
I like serving stout in pint glasses, and even though I might not be able to kick up the head that you find on a well-poured Guinness off a nitrogen tap, it's still a glass that really helps you experience the beer the way it is meant to be.
Appearance:
Black as night with not so much as a trace of light passing through the glass as I hold it up to the light. The beer pours with a rich creamy tawny colored head that leaves a soft delicate lace clinging to the glass all the way down to the bottom.
Aroma:
Amazing! This is so close to the smells I get in Guinness that my mouth is just watering in anticipation. The smell is one of soft roasted barley, and it comes across through smelling like a freshly roasted and ground bag of coffee that you'd get at a gourmet coffee store. There's even the suggestion of sourness, which surprises me a bit since I doubt this beer is brewed in quite the same way as the old master.
Flavor:
Roast barley, from start to finish, that's what I get in this beer! It's a flavor very similar to dark roasted coffees, except that it feels softer on the tongue and has an unmistakable sweetness as you swirl it around in your mouth. I don't pick up so much as a trace of anything I'd call hops, which is just the way I like it with an Irish stout. This is a beer that's balanced more by the natural dryness of the roast barley than it is by bitter hops.
Overall Impression:
Blacker than velvet at midnight and just as soft.
While I don't think that Old No. 38 is the perfect Guinness clone, it is certainly an outstanding dry stout -- very soft and very roasted tasting. While I think the brewers at North Coast have tried to emulate even the tiny touch of sourness that you find in Guinness, I don't think this beer has that. Instead it's aftertaste comes across as just slightly harsh to me. We're really splitting hairs here though -- this is a masterful brew, make no mistake about it.
If you're matching beer with food, dry stouts are always a natural with a hearty beef stew -- especially when the temperatures outside start dropping a bit.
I recommend trying Old No. 38 if you are looking for a quality American-made stout that can rival the best work of the Irish masters. Try it side-by-side with a Guinness and see what you think...
Brewer Notes: North Coast Brewing Company is located in Ft.Bragg, California and has been brewing Old No. 38 for several years. In that time, it's developed a reputation among beer connoisseurs as one of the best irish-style dry stouts brewed in America. The brewery does produce a variety of other styles, including a well-regarded imperial stout called Old Rasputin. More information about the brewery and their lineup of fine brews is available on their web site.
8Richard in Ventura» While I too enjoy Old 38, like Mark, I like Guinness better too. This begs the question: Why pay more and search longer for Old 38, when Guinness is getting as easy to find as BudŽ and costs less too? 8Wen dark» Oooooh the boys. Secret. Like what lurks beneath the old fishermans beard. Silty love, known only to his once young wife. So are the mystery flavors, boys. Ooze fuzzy things. 10Rob C.» An excellant example! Old No. 38 proves that you don't need to look overseas to find a great stout.
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The guys at North Coast Brewing make some wonderful beers, but when I think about the reasons why I regard them so highly, it always comes around to stout. The first beer I ever tasted from North Coast was Old No. 38 stout, and that was probably over five years ago. Since then I've become a huge fan of their huge Old Rasputin stout, but I'm always happy to come back to a more drinkable, everyday stout -- like the classic Old No. 38.
