Cellared Beer Reviews

[Gonzoillini1]

2012 New Glarus Barleywine, cellared from purchase in a 55degree converted chest freezer.

The American hop profile has mellowed in a pleasant way that is much more subdued than the typical aged hop forward barleywine profile. Lacks the caramel richness I'm looking for in most barleywines, and while it wasn't a rich / viscous beer to start with it's thinned with age.

Have 1 bottle left that I'll likely let hang around for a while, but like most things New Glarus these beers age and mellow on a pretty slow predictable curve.

 

[ASak10]

Drinking a Consecration from 2/11/14. I love this beer fresh, but I'm surprised how much I am enjoying this with a little time on it. When fresh I feel like this beer has some harshness to it that has since been muted. Nice balance of acidity and tartness, with the black currants really coming through to brighten up the beer. Great dry finish as well. I didn't know how I'd like this compared to fresh batches, but I'm definitely a fan.

 

[flexabull]

I've still got quite a few various years of these tucked away, every now and then I grab one to see what's going on.

Started with some carbonation, but it faded fast. Smells like cedar, figs, and tobacco.

Taste is more subdued than I expected, but not in a bad way. No oxidation, some cocoa, sugars, dark bread, and nuttiness. Almost tastes like a Quad.

Different than what I expected, but still tasty.

 

[ASak10]

Drinking a 9/19/13 Expedition Stout. Smooth and creamy as can be. Starts out sweet, and then just turns into a beautiful bitter, roasty, dark chocolate finish. No heat from the alcohol. I have a 2013 Ten Fidy on deck for tomorrow night, will be interesting to compare how it differs from this beer.

 

[Espeer]

2006 3 philosophers. Nose immediately reminds me of a Madeira I just had. Overall, oxidized but still enjoyable.

 

[trickytunadicky]

Drank my last 07 Blushing Monk Sunday. I wasn't in charge of photographing beer, and frankly it looks just like the new ones, so it's not much to look at on it's own, but that flavor is still stunning. Way better than fresh. It dries out nicely from how syrupy it is fresh. Love to give these a good 5 years to sit. Will start cracking into 11's (relatively) soon.

 

[cr0mster]

Drank a 2012 Bruery SiTR. Tried the base beer first and was blown away with how it is drinking. Some of the tartness has fallen off and more flavors are coming though. I then added fresh muddled blackberries into a french press and it was amazing. If you have any bottles that you have been cellaring I highly recommend cracking one open now.

 

[thunderbirdesq]

2002 Quelque Chose big time tart cherry, licorice, and sticky caramel. Pretty delicious mix of cherry pie filling and pipe tobacco. Just the slightest tickle of carbonation.

 

[libbey]

I've still got quite a few various years of these tucked away, every now and then I grab one to see what's going on.

Started with some carbonation, but it faded fast. Smells like cedar, figs, and tobacco.

Taste is more subdued than I expected, but not in a bad way. No oxidation, some cocoa, sugars, dark bread, and nuttiness. Almost tastes like a Quad.

Different than what I expected, but still tasty.

whats the year on that?

 

[ASak10]

Alright, so apparently I had an impromptu 2013 stout tasting this week.

I didn't post on Monday, but had a 2013 BCBS. I can only describe it as liquid fudge brownie. Insane milk chocolate notes, very smooth, and a syrupy mouthfeel that just coats your tongue and lets the sweetness of the beer linger.

Drinking this tonight...

2013 Ten Fidy. Insane creamy texture, and of course that signature Ten Fidy thickness and richness. It's almost the opposite of the Expedition Stout I had last night, in that the roasty flavors hit you right away and then mellows into a sweet, sweet finish that just lingers in the mouth. Amazing.

I'd say of the 3, the Expedition and Ten Fidy were more similar in that they have a lot of bitter and roasty notes, albeit in opposite order. The BCBS lacks that bitterness and makes up for it with more sweetness and syrupy flavor than the other two. All 3 lack any sort of heat despite their high ABV. All 3 are beers that I gladly stock up on to enjoy over 2, 3, 4 years. Not sure I'll go much longer than 4-5 years with any of them, but from fresh to 5 years, I can't get enough.

 

[Previously]

2009 Alaskan Barley Wine Ale is pretty, pretty, pretty good.

barleywinefiend

 

[stakem1]

whats the year on that?

2009

If you look at the label, "Old Stock Ale" is written overtop of the lager font year identifier.

 

[flexabull]

whats the year on that?

2009, it's faint, but it's listed where it says Old Stock in red.

 

[Der Fuchs]

Batch 2 anchorage love buzz saison is quite nice, but the spices (which i loved) are being overwhelmed by the yeast. 7/10
Batch 1 will be drank soon.

 

[davey101]

2002 Quelque Chose big time tart cherry, licorice, and sticky caramel. Pretty delicious mix of cherry pie filling and pipe tobacco. Just the slightest tickle of carbonation.

Local store still has a case of these. I've been buying a bottle every few months for the past few years. Kinda wanna try it warmed like they suggest.

 

[beeerear]

avery 5 monks
burnt brown sugar, molasses, sweetness has died down, more dark fruits and an almost cinnamon roll filling flavor, also waaaaayyy smoother

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Xpost from DDT today.

Been working on organizing the cellar today and pulled some stuff I'm not quite sure why I kept all these years.

2011 Double Bastard that actually is pretty good, think aged crystal malt character with lightly oxidized American hop character and a reduced booziness compared to my memory of this beer.

Reminiscent of aged Three Floyds Behemoth for me personally.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Round 2 of Cellar Cleaning Saturday.

2011 Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Cocoa / roasted grains / light oxidation in the background and enough hopping to keep it from being too sweet. This is about perfect for this beer.

 

[thewimperoo]

X-post with DDT



9/6/12 BC

Drinking phenomenally right now. So smooth. All flavors are integrated perfectly, no heat, no oxidation. I think this is the third or fourth bottle I've had of 2012's this year. They are all doing really well.

 

[user 305963]

Alright, so apparently I had an impromptu 2013 stout tasting this week.

I didn't post on Monday, but had a 2013 BCBS. I can only describe it as liquid fudge brownie. Insane milk chocolate notes, very smooth, and a syrupy mouthfeel that just coats your tongue and lets the sweetness of the beer linger.

Drinking this tonight...

2013 Ten Fidy. Insane creamy texture, and of course that signature Ten Fidy thickness and richness. It's almost the opposite of the Expedition Stout I had last night, in that the roasty flavors hit you right away and then mellows into a sweet, sweet finish that just lingers in the mouth. Amazing.

I'd say of the 3, the Expedition and Ten Fidy were more similar in that they have a lot of bitter and roasty notes, albeit in opposite order. The BCBS lacks that bitterness and makes up for it with more sweetness and syrupy flavor than the other two. All 3 lack any sort of heat despite their high ABV. All 3 are beers that I gladly stock up on to enjoy over 2, 3, 4 years. Not sure I'll go much longer than 4-5 years with any of them, but from fresh to 5 years, I can't get enough.

I think I still have a 4pack from June 2013 buried in the cellar somewhere. Had one last winter and it was divine. Glad to hear its still holding on.

 

[ASak10]

I think I still have a 4pack from June 2013 buried in the cellar somewhere. Had one last winter and it was divine. Glad to hear its still holding on.

Yeah I'm definitely going to buy a couple 4 packs this year to stash away. I'm just bummed I somehow missed putting any from last year away...I'm hoping some random stores around town may have some stashed away.

I also ended up having a 2013 Narwhal a week before I had the Expedition/Ten Fidy/BCBS that I forgot to mention. I don't remember much except that there was a lot of nice bitterness and roast (I feel like I use roasty to describe every other stout I drink...I either need a new word or need to learn to describe flavors better, I suck at this ). I also have The Abyss, Black Butte XXV, Chocolate Yeti, Oak Aged Yeti, and The Czar from 2013. Part of me wants to let them sit longer, but part of me really loves a lot of these stouts with just a couple years on them, so we'll see what part wins out.

 

[jbeezification1]

In my experience Narwhal ages terribly. I very much prefer it fresh.

 

[lazerviking]

Perfect amount of age on this. Rum raisins, toffe, bitter orange, faint hops. Worlds better than the 2012 bottle I recently opened, which was still far too bitter.

 

[stakem1]

In my experience Narwhal ages terribly. I very much prefer it fresh.

I havent drank all that much of it. But my limited exposure leads to an opinion that is polar to yours. I thought it was an average beer fresh and fantastic with almost 2 years on it. When the BA version came out, we drank a batch 1 plain bottle, fresh bottle and the BA version. I liked the OG bottle the most followed by the BA and then the fresh plain bottle was unanimously the least favorite among the folks who participated in the tasting.

 

[CommanderofAwesome]

I havent drank all that much of it. But my limited exposure leads to an opinion that is polar to yours. I thought it was an average beer fresh and fantastic with almost 2 years on it. When the BA version came out, we drank a batch 1 plain bottle, fresh bottle and the BA version. I liked the OG bottle the most followed by the BA and then the fresh plain bottle was unanimously the least favorite among the folks who participated in the tasting.

Agreed, I think it ages just fine.

 

[phing]

Consumed a 2009 Allagash Gargamel recently (first Allagash 375ml release). What was once a juicy raspberry treat had changed drastically. Color was now brown from the vibrant red when fresh. Caramel, vanilla, seedy nose, oxidized. Hint of raspberry still in the taste. She's seen better days but was still interesting in a very different way. Fun to revisit, but much better fresh.

 

[sacrelicio]

I havent drank all that much of it. But my limited exposure leads to an opinion that is polar to yours. I thought it was an average beer fresh and fantastic with almost 2 years on it. When the BA version came out, we drank a batch 1 plain bottle, fresh bottle and the BA version. I liked the OG bottle the most followed by the BA and then the fresh plain bottle was unanimously the least favorite among the folks who participated in the tasting.

Does BA age OK? I didn't like it fresh but I still have a bottle.

 

[libbey]

Special Oerbier Reserva 2007

A: The beer poured a muddy auburn brown with a beautiful cap of head that settles into a big fluffy pillow. Great lacing.

S: Tons of dark fruit and tannin from the oak. Sherry like wine qualities. Really good.

T: Taste follows suit. Big sherry notes with a dry bite from the oak. Finishes with a touch of tartness.

M: Mouthfeel is perfect. Smooth velvet carbonation. Dry snappy finish. At 13% this beer has zero heat, super smooth.

O: Overall for being over 8 years old this beer has aged incredibly well. Zero signs of oxidation. Very tasty and a true treat to try.

It should be noted this is the first time I've had this beer so I have no baseline to compare against.

 

[jbeezification1]

I havent drank all that much of it. But my limited exposure leads to an opinion that is polar to yours. I thought it was an average beer fresh and fantastic with almost 2 years on it. When the BA version came out, we drank a batch 1 plain bottle, fresh bottle and the BA version. I liked the OG bottle the most followed by the BA and then the fresh plain bottle was unanimously the least favorite among the folks who participated in the tasting.

Interesting. I held a couple of bottles from batch one and drank one when batch 2 was released and I didn't like it nearly as much as fresh so I gave the rest to my brother, who had the same opinion.

Of course I very much enjoy fresh Narwhal and didn't care much for BA.

 

[stakem1]

Interesting. I held a couple of bottles from batch one and drank one when batch 2 was released and I didn't like it nearly as much as fresh so I gave the rest to my brother, who had the same opinion.

Of course I very much enjoy fresh Narwhal and didn't care much for BA.

Thats the beauty of beer, everyone has unique taste preferances. Unfortunately I never documented specifics about what I enjoyed in the aged bottle verse fresh. Though, the past couple of years have taught me that I enjoy old cruddy beer much more than any person should.

 

[stakem1]

Does BA age OK? I didn't like it fresh but I still have a bottle.

I donno? Ive only had it once and have no basis of comparison. So what im gonna type here is hypothetical.

I dont see why it couldnt age and develope a little. It pretty much hits all the typical criteria:
Abv is high
No coffee or other adjunct that would fade.
Lots of roasted malt character that should mingle nicely with the previously mentioned alcohol.
I dont think the hops were excessive (if memory serves me right) so its not like thats gonna fade. Though, I remember the bitterness in this felt like it came more from the roast of the grain instead of hops. It will be interesting to see if its roasty malt bitterness is something that will temper with time to turn this into a smoother more approachable stout.

The one negative thing I can think of about aging this is that the body on it isnt going to get any better. It was a little thin in my opinion and aging it isnt gonna help that aspect.

 

[sacrelicio]

I donno? Ive only had it once and have no basis of comparison. So what im gonna type here is hypothetical.

I dont see why it couldnt age and develope a little. It pretty much hits all the typical criteria:
Abv is high
No coffee or other adjunct that would fade.
Lots of roasted malt character that should mingle nicely with the previously mentioned alcohol.
I dont think the hops were excessive (if memory serves me right) so its not like thats gonna fade. Though, I remember the bitterness in this felt like it came more from the roast of the grain instead of hops. It will be interesting to see if its roasty malt bitterness is something that will temper with time to turn this into a smoother more approachable stout.

The one negative thing I can think of about aging this is that the body on it isnt going to get any better. It was a little thin in my opinion and aging it isnt gonna help that aspect.

Maybe I'll just pop it soon.

 

[Der Fuchs]

I donno? Ive only had it once and have no basis of comparison. So what im gonna type here is hypothetical.

I dont see why it couldnt age and develope a little. It pretty much hits all the typical criteria:
Abv is high
No coffee or other adjunct that would fade.
Lots of roasted malt character that should mingle nicely with the previously mentioned alcohol.
I dont think the hops were excessive (if memory serves me right) so its not like thats gonna fade. Though, I remember the bitterness in this felt like it came more from the roast of the grain instead of hops. It will be interesting to see if its roasty malt bitterness is something that will temper with time to turn this into a smoother more approachable stout.

The one negative thing I can think of about aging this is that the body on it isnt going to get any better. It was a little thin in my opinion and aging it isnt gonna help that aspect.

It's been my experience that bitterness from roasted malt doesn't fade over time. In fact, as the other flavors change/meld/grow more subtle the bitter roast tends to stand out. Every really old stout I've ever had (20-50yrs) tastes of nothing but oxidation and bitter roastiness.

 

[jedwards]

A couple notes from last night:
Ithaca Brute E!027 (batch 3, I think): Doing incredibly well. Still a very bright tartness, great smooth mouthfeel, very light sweetness, not at all astringent. Super good.
2011 Mother of all Storms: Crazy good, still my favorite batch I think. I'm always amazed at how integrated the barrel flavor is in this one. Lots of vanilla balanced out with good bitterness, rich without being boozy (well, for what it is).
Bridgeport Old Knucklehead Batch 001 (1989): My last bottle of this and I think the best of the bunch. No carbonation but surprisingly rich mouthfeel -- not nearly as watery as I expected it to be. A little newspaper on the nose that dissipated, lots of sherry & honey, stewed fruit and dirt/petrichor flavors in the palate. Very happy with this one.
2004 Anchor Old Foghorn: Doing fine, but not super interesting. Classic aged palate with toffee and bready notes predominant, a little leather, but doesn't seem to be developing any of the vinous/tobacco flavors I'd like to see coming out at this age.
2002 Anchor Christmas: THE SPICE MUST FLOW
De Dolle Oerbier Reserva 2008 (bottled 2009): Killing it, and definitely my current favorite vintage. Almost doesn't smell sour, major rich chocolate note followed by an endless complex sour finish. Fantastic.
2011 Kuhnhenn Vintage Ale: Shows no signs of decline... could probably use another decade. Still got a hop-forward flavor with a bit of a burn, good sweetness. Almost no signs of age, really.

 

[ASUBeer]

This thread reminds me that I need to seek out more MoaS. Haven't had that beer in a long time and love it.

 

[trickytunadicky]

Last njght was a 2010 high gravity stout night. BCBS and Brewdog Tokyo*

The BCBS was still super boozy and for some reason this particular bottle was missing a front label. Had a great fudgy character bringing up the rear. I feel like with the still strong alcohol flavor in the 2010, it may hold up a little longer than the earlier screw top vintages.

It was almost a shame to drink the Tokyo* right after BCBS. For one thing, it is not quite as sweet, and the alcohol flavor is more rounded, clocking in at about 3% more. The cranberry pops out as a bit of a tang, and if you didn't read the bottle beforehand, you might be wondering how a stout with that much alcohol got infected. Knowing that it is a berry, it's pleasantly still there (neither the cranberry nor that jasmine were ever terribly prominent in the flavor profile, even when fresh). The dry hopping has more or less faded out, but there has been nothing unpleasant left behind. This has been a longtime favorite BrewDog beer of mine because it is meant to stand up to long shelf times, which aside from the cost of importing is a big negative to getting their beers stateside. It paired awesome with the strawberry rhubarb pie and honey ice cream I had for dessert.

 

[Espeer]

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire. Batch 262, 263. Found a review of this batch from early 2008, so it's at least 7.5 years old.

This is nice. Has gotten much more sour I think. Not lambic or flanders sour, but getting there. Definitely some rodenbach acetic creeping in, but doesn't give that throat burn. Finishes with a standard brett funk. As it warms it seems to thin out a little and I can pick up some roastiness. Fruity, bretty, roasty, and somehow it all works. I think I actually preferred it colder, although maybe that's just because the carb has been dissipating.

Wish I had more JP in the cellar...

 

[Espeer]

Quick update on my last review. The Bam Noire really started to thin out way too much as I got toward the end of the bottle - not sure if it just seemed watery as it warmed or because I got too used to it. Either way, the last 1/3 wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the first.

New review
Dogfish head Burton Baton bottled 01/09/07

I fully expected this to be an oxidized mess. I was completely wrong. First sniff reminded me of cellared bigfoot. Of course, since it is DFH, it's definitely sweeter than bigfoot. Really terrific caramel, tiny bit of bitterness, and then a really pronounced grape/raisininess. I think if you are in the mood for an LBV port, this might do just as well. None of the cardboard or sherry oxidation tastes, even as it warms way up and goes somewhat flat.

It's the opposite of refreshing, but it is very complex and delicious. Carb was good even though no head to speak of. I have none of these left; may have an older palo santo or two left - need to dig those out since I'm now in a DFH mood.

I need to figure out when the need to brush my teeth from all the sugar I just had in my mouth overcomes the desire to savor the aftertaste. This is very sweet, but very good.

 

[Der Fuchs]

Batch 2 anchorage love buzz saison is quite nice, but the spices (which i loved) are being overwhelmed by the yeast. 7/10
Batch 1 will be drank soon.

Batch one is holding together better. More carb, more spice. Nice and floral. 8/10

 

[harrymel1]

2012 Founders IS

A little too much licorice and roasted malt on this at this point I think, teetering on bitter with some baker's chocolate. 1.5-2.5 seems to be the sweet spot for me on this beer.