Beer Me! — North Coast Brewing — Fort Bragg, California, United States

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North Coast Brewing

444 North Main Street
Fort Bragg CA 95437
Telephone: +1 707-964-2739
Hours: Open daily at noon.
Brewer: Mark Ruedrich
[Contact] [Map] [Update]

Notes

Visited: September 9, 1995

Opened: 1988

Annual Production: 27,000 bbl

Contributors: Arash Shahzadi, Diane Crawford

Outstanding beers on tap...the bottled versions are very nearly as good. Call ahead for information about touring their huge facility across the street from the pub.

Directions: If you're coming from Anderson Valley, take Highway 128 north for about 30 miles. Turn right when you get to Highway 1, and head for Fort Bragg. North Coast Brewpub is 21 miles or so along on the east side of the road, and the big brewing facility is on the west side, right across the street. Can't miss those big stainless tanks!

Updated: February 7, 2010

News

2009-11-23: Trademark follies: North Coast Brewing and De Molen go toe to toe over Rasputin (Beernews.org)

Beer List

Acme California Brown Ale

American-Style Brown Ale

5.60% abv.
Awards:
- Bronze Medal, 2002 North American Beer Awards
- Silver Medal, 2001 World Beer Championships
- Silver Medal, 1998 World Beer Championships
- Date: March 15, 1997 (#2046)
  
  Package: draught
  
  Place: Kona Brewers Festival, Kailua-Kona HI
  
  Score: 16½ points
  
  Overall Impression
  Brown-red, low carbonation, good head. Sweet, roasty aroma. Sweetish, some roastiness, some bitterness, especially late.
- Date: March 4, 1997 (#2029)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI
  
  Score: 16½ points
  
  Overall Impression
  Red-brown, high carbonation, good head. Roasty-sweet aroma. Bitter, sweet with roast malt. Hints of chocolate, hints of hops. Bitterness late, lots of hop flavor in the finish.

Acme California IPA

American-Style India Pale Ale

7.10% abv.

Awards:

Silver Medal, 2001 World Beer Championships

Date: June 10, 2008 (#7096)

Package: bottled

Place: Beertopia, Omaha NE

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, piney hops.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium body, smooth. Big biscuity malt character, dry, with lots of spicy, earthy, resiny hop flavor. Nicely bitter. Finishes hoppy and clean.

Overall Impression (2)
Very good beer.

Acme California Pale Ale

English-Style (Extra Special) Strong Bitter

5.00% abv.

Awards:

Silver Medal, 2002 North American Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 2001 World Beer Championships
Silver Medal, 2000 World Beer Championships

Date: August 26, 2009 (#7895)

Package: bottled

Place: Beertopia, Omaha NE

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Amber. Slight haze. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Toasty. Spicy. Biscuity.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fairly fizzy. Spicy hops and biscuity malt. Neither is assertive, both are in balance. Clean biscuity malt finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Date: July 23, 2003 (#4973)

Package: bottled

Place: Peabody's Ale House, Oshkosh WI

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression
Bright golden. Low carbonation. Moderate head. Very mild fruity hop aroma. Light-medium body, quite fizzy. Huge grainy malt flavor. Lots of fruity esters and a fruity hop flavor. Mild bitterness. Finishes clean.
Date: August 3, 2002 (#4393)

Package: draught

Place: Peabody's Ale House, Oshkosh WI

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression
Bright golden amber, thick head. Toasty malt aroma with a hint of caramel. Medium body, sweet and malty. Mildly toasty. Very mild fruity hop flavor and bitterness.
Date: March 4, 1997 (#2028)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression
Golden-amber, big head, OK carbonation. Grassy hop aroma. First impression: Anchor Steam! But not as bitter, probably smoother. Real nice balance, real pleasant lingering hoppy finish...some grapefruit flavor.

Date: April 30, 1996 (#1415)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Yellow opaque, good head. Fresh hop aroma, some wheat. Pretty tasty wheat flavor. Pretty clean beer.

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1187)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Yellow hazy, big head. Wheat malt, noble hop aroma. Malty, wheaty, clean flavors.

Date: February 3, 2007 (#6309)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Deep garnet. High carbonation. Huge fluffy head.

Aroma (3)
Lemongrass. Mild dark caramel, dark roast.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big body, really smooth. Huge dark caramel flavor. Spicy. Mild alcohol character. Sweet, dark, mildly roasty, spicy finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Good beer...maybe needs some age. North Coast donates $2 of the proceeds from each case to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1189)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Golden, OK head and carbonation. Malty aroma, maybe a little yeasty? Lots of caramel flavor, well-balanced. "Our golden summer brew."

Date: August 19, 1993 (#260)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression
Yellow opaque. Some phenols in aroma, masked by soapy smell from glass. Thick. Clean. Phenols subdued. Wheat sweetness present but also subdued.

Date: August 20, 2008 (#7261)

Package: bottled

Place: Beertopia, Omaha NE

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Golden. High carbonation. Massive head.

Aroma (4)
Spicy, fruity, and really malty.

Mouthfeel (10)
Medium-big body, really creamy and malty. Very nicely fruity, with a mild earthiness.

Overall Impression (3)
Excellent well-balanced complex beer.

Date: November 6, 2001 (#3974)

Package: bottled

Place: Sam's Wine and Spirits, Chicago IL

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Deep dark red, thick head. Sweet, roasty, minty aroma. Medium-thick creamy body, fairly big hop flavor and bitterness, fairly roasty. Lingering hoppy finish.

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1191)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 12½ points

Overall Impression
Dark red clear. Big head. Chocolatey aroma. Thick! Chocolatey, but lacks the essential stout-like obnoxiousness.

Date: August 19, 1993 (#262)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression
Dark dark dark...red! Not black at all. Thick head. Very nice coffee aroma! Pretty OK. Thick, bitter, burnt. A bit too sharp.

Date: February 3, 2006 (#5826)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Not as black as the Yeti. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (3)
Very very roasty. Herbal note. Not as complex as the Yeti. Mild malt.

Mouthfeel (8)
Big body, smooth. Fiercely roasty with a mild herbal hop flavor.

Overall Impression (2½)
Really tasty, and one of my all-time favorites, but tonight it just doesn't stand up to the Yeti.

Date: April 1, 1998 (#2604)

Package: bottled

Place: Siebel Institute of Technology, Chicago IL

Score: 18½ points

Overall Impression
Dark dark brown, moderate head. Alcohol blast, licorice aroma. Thick, alcoholic, sweet, roasty chocolate.

Date: June 6, 1996 (#1501)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 19½ points

Overall Impression
Black, big brown head. Strong sweet black malt aroma. Very black, sweet, and bitter. Roasty bitter finish that lasts forever. Whiff of alcohol as you swallow, but not a lot of alcohol "flavor". Very tasty beer...glad I bought the whole four-pack. "Serdechniy drug ne roditsya vdrug."

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1192)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 12½ points

Overall Impression
Dark red clear, huge head. Alcohol, spicy hop aroma. Chocolatey, thick, alcoholic, not particularly bitter. This too could stand to be a lot more offensive (like the Stout 16-1191).

Date: June 28, 2003 (#4921)

Package: bottled

Place: Flanagan's Stop and Shop, Appleton WI

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression
Bright red. Thick head. Mildly caramelly aroma, mildly spicy. Big creamy body. INTENSELY malty. Big herbal hop flavor, moderate bitterness. Huge caramel malt finish with some herbal hops.

Date: July 16, 2002 (#4371)

Package: bottled

Place: Flanagan's Stop and Shop, Appleton WI

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression
Deep red, low carbonation, thick head. Richly malty aroma with mild herbal hops. Huge body, massively malty but only mildly sweet. Lots of woody, oaky flavors. Warming and drying at the end.

Date: December 22, 2003 (#5161)

Package: bottled

Place: Club Liquor & Beer, Menasha WI

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression
Bright red, fairly fizzy, with a nice head. Lots of wood aroma and some alcohol. Fairly big body, really smooth. Fantastically malty, with lots of oaky notes. Lots and lots of caramel, too. Just enough hop flavor for balance. Very very tasty beer. Thanks to Jay Jackson for the bottle!

Date: August 8, 2005 (#5738)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Dark red opaque. Low head.

Aroma (3)
Milk chocolate and ethanol.

Mouthfeel (8)
Huge body. Fiercely malty. Lots of caramel. Lots of alcohol. Raisiny and resiny.

Overall Impression (2½)
There are two more bottles in the cellar.

Date: September 8, 2007 (#6626)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 19 points

Appearance (3)
Bright deep red. Low head.

Aroma (4)
Intensely malty. Alcoholic.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big body, smooth and still. Hugely malty. Chewy. Very warming. Absolutely intensely malty.

Overall Impression (3)
There's lots of this in the cellar.

Date: July 8, 2008 (#7156)

Package: bottled

Place: Beertopia, Omaha NE

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
BRIGHT red. No head.

Aroma (3)
Caramel malt.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big beer, really smooth. Intense caramel malt, fairly smoky. Nice alcohol warming sensation.

Overall Impression (2½)
Many bottles of this beer are going to the cellar!

Date: February 7, 2010 (#8144)

Package: bottled

Place: Beertopia, Omaha NE

Score: 15 points

Appearance (3)
Deep red. Massive head.

Aroma (3)
Smoky, fruity, and floral.

Mouthfeel (7)
Big and chewy. Richly malty, smoky, caramelly. Nicely warming.

Overall Impression (2)
Still pretty young.

Date: July 5, 2003 (#4945)

Package: bottled

Place: Peabody's Ale House, Oshkosh WI

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression
Golden, some haze. Huge creamy head. Bananas, spicy, yeasty, alcoholic aroma. Medium creamy body. Nice and malty with some bananas, some cinnamon, and a hint of cloves. Tasty, smooth, and warming.

Date: February 27, 1998 (#2406)

Package: draught

Place: Pacific Coast Brewing, Oakland CA

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Golden, fairly high carbonation, good head. Smoky aroma. Good body, spicy, some bananas. Sweet in the middle.

Date: July 7, 2003 (#4948)

Package: bottled

Place: Peabody's Ale House, Oshkosh WI

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression
Bright amber. Thick tight head. Spicy hop aroma on a toasty malt background. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Big caramel maltiness supports a nicely bitter spicy-herbal hoppiness. Mildly astringent at the end.

Date: May 3, 1996 (#1433)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression
Amber, some haze, moderate carbonation, big head. Lots of spicy hop aroma. Real good mix of hop and caramel flavors. Smooth spicy finish.

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1190)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Copper color, good head and carbonation. Spicy aroma. Spicy flavor, but really good balance. Very nice spicy finish.

Date: June 24, 1995 (#1070)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression
Red-amber, good carbonation, OK head. Caramel aroma, with spicy hops. Spicy hop flavor with a good dose of caramel. Spicy finish. Time to take a trip to Fort Bragg.

Date: August 19, 1993 (#261)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Amber-red. Transparent. Looks sorta flat. Cascade aroma. Just a little too thin to carry the intense bitterness. Reasonable beer.

Date: August 29, 2003 (#5096)

Package: draught

Place: Peabody's Ale House, Oshkosh WI

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression
Bright golden. Thick head. Big spicy hop aroma. Light body, fizzy. Fairly malty with a fruity-spicy hop character. Slightly sulfury at the end.

Date: July 6, 1996 (#1538)

Package: draught

Place: Fiasco's, Hilo HI

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression
Yellow, hazy, OK head. Assertive malt nose, spicy hops. Hoppy, fairly bitter, good body. Finishes quite bitter.

Date: September 9, 1995 (#1188)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression
Pale, OK head and carbonation. Aroma slightly fruity, somewhat faint. Pretty malty, nice touch of hops. Not bitter, but not sweet.

Date: August 19, 1993 (#259)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression
Golden yellow. Thick head. Bright. Noble hop aroma? Malty...smells heavy. Light. (!) Smells heavier than it tastes. Bitterness over-balances malt somewhat.

Date: May 1, 1996 (#1424)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 18½ points

Overall Impression
Nice amber, moderate carbonation, OK head. Smoky aroma! Big, malty, smoky. Extremely well-balanced, chewy, satisfying, tasty beer. I bought the very last case of this beer at the brewery's store last September...never thought I'd see it again!

Date: November 19, 1996 (#1889)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 16 points

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