Cellared Beer Reviews

[HenrikO]

Had a '12 Beatification at a tasting this Friday last. Awesome. So much oak character balanced by a mellow yet pronounced tartness, light citrus notes, still decent carb.

RR and Allagash are pretty much the only US breweries I know of that do sour stuff that regularly is up to Belgian standards - especially with some age on them.

 

[Number45]

Had a '12 Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine last night. Great stuff, I've been aging a bunch of these and having one every six months or so. At this point, I think I'd say this is best with 1-2 years on it. The '12 I had was getting slightly muted with a touch of oxidation. Still very tasty, but for me this beer is a rock star with 1-2 years on it. I'm still holding a few more of the '12 though, for science.

 

[stakem1]

OG batches of all 3 which puts these at ~5 years old. Cellar cleaning at its most stupid.

Completely coincidental and unintended that I randomly lined these up in the order they were carbonated. No real stars in this show...victory tasted far gone oxidized mess. DFH was nice blend of character, stone was over the top with the bubbles and bitterness. Final verdict was that none of the beers were good on their own but blended into an intihar cuvée made it better than its individual parts!

 

[jedwards]

A few thoughts from last night...

We opened a well-cellared '94 Triple Bock, a poorly-cellared '94, a well-cellared '95, a poorly-cellared '95, and a '97. I acquired the well-cellared bottles several years ago from someone who had purchased them at time of release and stored them on their side in a wine cellar until they were sent to me, and I stored them similarly until we opened them last night.

The well-cellared '94 was great -- not quite at the level of the bottles SA has brought to Vail, but much better than we had any right to expect. Nose was all chocolate and wine with a little bit of savoriness that increased as it breathed, rich and smooth mouthfeel with tons of sweet maple and port and a tingling vinous finish accentuated by a slight burn with notes of iodine. Really great bottle and I'm frankly ecstatic that we got a good one for this tasting as there were certainly no guarantees. Quality essentially went down from there -- poorly-cellared '94 was still fairly drinkable, more smoked meat/steak sauce-type flavors on the nose and a bit rougher, more peaty phenols in the finish, but better than the well-cellared '95 (and the last one we were able to remove the cork from intact). The well-cellared '95 was of a piece with "good" bottles of TB I've has previously -- soy and smoke on the nose, heavy sweetness, lingering iodine tartness on the finish, some musty wet tobacco aromas. The badly-cellared '95 and the '97 were abysmal, as per usual. All were poured through a fine-mesh strainer to remove cork particulate and any surprises the Triple Bock may have had for us.

Millennium has been a bit of a whale of mine for quite some time, though this bottle was acquired under unfortunate circumstances from the cellar of Curtis McArthur after his untimely death almost two years ago. Myself and a couple friends who knew him bought this as part of the sale of his cellar to finance expenses, and we've been waiting for nearly another year after that until we were all in the same place at the same time to raise a glass to Curtis and toast his memory and all that he brought and represented to the beer world. So, cheers to Curtis!

The beer itself was honestly all that I expected and more -- all the good qualities of the best bottles of Triple Bock (intense balance of sweetness, slight char, and vinous character) with absolutely none of the savory/empyreumatique/soy sauce off-flavors so common to it. Additionally the higher ABV and incredibly rich body really do take this into the realm of something much more like a fortified wine, and that slight alcohol burn intensifies the vinous character immensely -- reminiscent of an excellent old Madeira with some of the qualities of a Speyside scotch. It was particularly enjoyable for me to try after the selection of Triple Bocks so I could put a little more context on the palate.

Utopias 2012 (10th Anniversary) -- we had to open one Utopias with all these, and why not the one which best matches them visually? With the exception of the KMF-modified 2013 (my current favorite), I doubt I'd be able to distinguish between Utopias of different vintages -- they'll all excellent, enjoyable drinks but pretty far outside the realm of beer (and, I think, still not worth the price of entry when there's so much great port/whiskey/etc out there that falls into the same flavor realm for me). On the sweet side balanced with, of course, quite a burn, nice mellow port notes, some amontillado sherry nuttiness, a little spice and fig.

We drank a couple other old bottles which might interest the thread -- Stille Nacht Reserva 2010 doing well, carbonation very mellow, extremely good flavor -- I still vote another 6-12 months before it starts hitting its stride. 1995 Samichlaus has probably gone on a little too long, thinning out, some wet tobacco on the nose and a watery palate, but good bready aged character. 1993 Alaskan Smoked Porter is long gone -- some cool stuff happening on the nose (leathery, a little peat) but the palate is smoky water. Almost flavorless, actually.

 

[Number45]

Woah. Thanks for an amazing and detailed recap on those bottles, jedwards

 

[HenrikO]

A few thoughts from last night...

We opened a well-cellared '94 Triple Bock, a poorly-cellared '94, a well-cellared '95, a poorly-cellared '95, and a '97. I acquired the well-cellared bottles several years ago from someone who had purchased them at time of release and stored them on their side in a wine cellar until they were sent to me, and I stored them similarly until we opened them last night.

The well-cellared '94 was great -- not quite at the level of the bottles SA has brought to Vail, but much better than we had any right to expect. Nose was all chocolate and wine with a little bit of savoriness that increased as it breathed, rich and smooth mouthfeel with tons of sweet maple and port and a tingling vinous finish accentuated by a slight burn with notes of iodine. Really great bottle and I'm frankly ecstatic that we got a good one for this tasting as there were certainly no guarantees. Quality essentially went down from there -- poorly-cellared '94 was still fairly drinkable, more smoked meat/steak sauce-type flavors on the nose and a bit rougher, more peaty phenols in the finish, but better than the well-cellared '95 (and the last one we were able to remove the cork from intact). The well-cellared '95 was of a piece with "good" bottles of TB I've has previously -- soy and smoke on the nose, heavy sweetness, lingering iodine tartness on the finish, some musty wet tobacco aromas. The badly-cellared '95 and the '97 were abysmal, as per usual. All were poured through a fine-mesh strainer to remove cork particulate and any surprises the Triple Bock may have had for us.

Millennium has been a bit of a whale of mine for quite some time, though this bottle was acquired under unfortunate circumstances from the cellar of Curtis McArthur after his untimely death almost two years ago. Myself and a couple friends who knew him bought this as part of the sale of his cellar to finance expenses, and we've been waiting for nearly another year after that until we were all in the same place at the same time to raise a glass to Curtis and toast his memory and all that he brought and represented to the beer world. So, cheers to Curtis!

The beer itself was honestly all that I expected and more -- all the good qualities of the best bottles of Triple Bock (intense balance of sweetness, slight char, and vinous character) with absolutely none of the savory/empyreumatique/soy sauce off-flavors so common to it. Additionally the higher ABV and incredibly rich body really do take this into the realm of something much more like a fortified wine, and that slight alcohol burn intensifies the vinous character immensely -- reminiscent of an excellent old Madeira with some of the qualities of a Speyside scotch. It was particularly enjoyable for me to try after the selection of Triple Bocks so I could put a little more context on the palate.

Utopias 2012 (10th Anniversary) -- we had to open one Utopias with all these, and why not the one which best matches them visually? With the exception of the KMF-modified 2013 (my current favorite), I doubt I'd be able to distinguish between Utopias of different vintages -- they'll all excellent, enjoyable drinks but pretty far outside the realm of beer (and, I think, still not worth the price of entry when there's so much great port/whiskey/etc out there that falls into the same flavor realm for me). On the sweet side balanced with, of course, quite a burn, nice mellow port notes, some amontillado sherry nuttiness, a little spice and fig.

We drank a couple other old bottles which might interest the thread -- Stille Nacht Reserva 2010 doing well, carbonation very mellow, extremely good flavor -- I still vote another 6-12 months before it starts hitting its stride. 1995 Samichlaus has probably gone on a little too long, thinning out, some wet tobacco on the nose and a watery palate, but good bready aged character. 1993 Alaskan Smoked Porter is long gone -- some cool stuff happening on the nose (leathery, a little peat) but the palate is smoky water. Almost flavorless, actually.

^^This guy. Listen to him when it comes to cellaring/aging.

 

[mjohnson171]

1993 Eylenbosch Kriek

25cl bottle
Cap, no cork.
March 1993 date, label completely in French.
Opened with a hiss, cap in incredible condition. Not a speck of gunk or buildup. Poured with a slight head that faded quickly. As you can see color was still really nice. Pretty vibrant for almost a 23 year old cherry beer. Nose was muted cherries, a slight funk, and some sweetness. Taste was muted cherries, no sour, slight mushroom, and some light sweetness. I was pretty happy with the taste for being this old and for probably was a back sweetened beer.

 

[trickytunadicky]

#DeathByLargeFormat PreParty jedwards will word this way better later, but this is chocolate milk in a glass. I stole the group glass in the least #MidwestPours way possible.

 

[libbey]

2011 Port Brewing Old Viscosity

A: Beer pours a sludgy dark brown bordering on black. Huge cap of head with sticky lacing.

S: Dark fruit, leather and tobacco. Delving into old ale territory. Not a lot of roast and a slight hint of oak. A touch of oxidation but it kind of compliments at this stage.

T: Still a good deal of hop bite and oak tannin's in the mix. The aforementioned dark fruit and leathery tobacco on the finish.

M: Carb held up really well. A touch thin in the mouthfeel but I remember this beer being a little thin to start.

O: Overall a fun experiment. Back from the days when I first started to cellar beers. This one held up but I have a bunch from this same time period that I have a feeling didn't fair as well.

 

[Der Fuchs]

Disappointed you didn't add raspberries.






What year? Any good?

 

[libbey]

Disappointed you didn't add raspberries.






What year? Any good?

drunken copy and pasting. check again.

 

[dvnb]

Anybody have Le Serrasin lately? Curious how it is holding up.

 

[dvnb]

Anybody have Le Serrasin lately? Curious how it is holding up.

Ugh, I never could spell this beer. Le Sarrasin for those keeping score.

 

[PHBoiler]

X post from DDT
2011/2012
I lucked into this at a HyVee in Iowa about 4 months ago. The beer guy told me they had been cellared properly and I should consider buying more. He was right and I'm an idiot. Instant rose water nose. Lemon peel. Hints of aged cheddar. Taste is brightly lemony but never acidic or sour. Tartness is balanced by a developed malt sweetness. Carb is perfect. Comparable to the 2007 OG Vintage I had in September but not quite on that level of funk. This beer is just like Jem...truly, truly, truly amazing.

 

[PHBoiler]

Anybody have Le Serrasin lately? Curious how it is holding up.

We had it at a SummerSlam share late August. It was the only time I had it but it was incredible. Lambic-esque with the reserved lemony tartness on a wheat body. Dry as a bone with big carb. Just enough malt balance with some vanilla notes. I thought it was amazing but I love Saisons. BA Cellarman level. Like a hybrid of that beer and a Lambic.

 

[dvnb]

We had it at a SummerSlam share late August. It was the only time I had it but it was incredible. Lambic-esque with the reserved lemony tartness on a wheat body. Dry as a bone with big carb. Just enough malt balance with some vanilla notes. I thought it was amazing but I love Saisons. BA Cellarman level. Like a hybrid of that beer and a Lambic.

Agreed, it's world class. Still have two bottles, was curious how it's drinking lately. Thanks!

 

[SeaWatchman]

jedwards opened up a beer from the late 19th/early 20th century yesterday. It was pretty good I guess.

 

[jedwards]

It's true!

Magnum of Bass & Co No 1 Barley Wine, exact bottling date uncertain but from before WWI and after the "Strong Ale" era. Most likely pre-1900 (specifically pre-King's Ale) but I'm still waiting on some queries to be totally sure of that.

Cork was in relatively good condition (though as is typical some did crumble into the beer, so we strained it as we poured), no trace of a wax seal as is common on the Royals. Fill level within two inches of the cork as well. Flavor was burnt toffee, some peaty smoke, wet tobacco, and excellent vinous finish wrapping up with a hint of stale coffee. Surpassed my expectations for a bottle without strong provenance and really was a good example of how I feel a beer like this "should" taste.

 

[LukeAleTime]

It's true!

Magnum of Bass & Co No 1 Barley Wine, exact bottling date uncertain but from before WWI and after the "Strong Ale" era. Most likely pre-1900 (specifically pre-King's Ale) but I'm still waiting on some queries to be totally sure of that.

Cork was in relatively good condition (though as is typical some did crumble into the beer, so we strained it as we poured), no trace of a wax seal as is common on the Royals. Fill level within two inches of the cork as well. Flavor was burnt toffee, some peaty smoke, wet tobacco, and excellent vinous finish wrapping up with a hint of stale coffee. Surpassed my expectations for a bottle without strong provenance and really was a good example of how I feel a beer like this "should" taste.

 

[SeaWatchman]

It's true!

Magnum of Bass & Co No 1 Barley Wine, exact bottling date uncertain but from before WWI and after the "Strong Ale" era. Most likely pre-1900 (specifically pre-King's Ale) but I'm still waiting on some queries to be totally sure of that.

Cork was in relatively good condition (though as is typical some did crumble into the beer, so we strained it as we poured), no trace of a wax seal as is common on the Royals. Fill level within two inches of the cork as well. Flavor was burnt toffee, some peaty smoke, wet tobacco, and excellent vinous finish wrapping up with a hint of stale coffee. Surpassed my expectations for a bottle without strong provenance and really was a good example of how I feel a beer like this "should" taste.

Couldn't agree more. It tasted exactly how a beer that age should taste!

And it was even better with s splash of Bourbon County Barleywine in it!

 

[trickytunadicky]

It's true!

Magnum of Bass & Co No 1 Barley Wine, exact bottling date uncertain but from before WWI and after the "Strong Ale" era. Most likely pre-1900 (specifically pre-King's Ale) but I'm still waiting on some queries to be totally sure of that.

Cork was in relatively good condition (though as is typical some did crumble into the beer, so we strained it as we poured), no trace of a wax seal as is common on the Royals. Fill level within two inches of the cork as well. Flavor was burnt toffee, some peaty smoke, wet tobacco, and excellent vinous finish wrapping up with a hint of stale coffee. Surpassed my expectations for a bottle without strong provenance and really was a good example of how I feel a beer like this "should" taste.

I mostly got damp cork flavor. Broke ass palate.

 

[Brubaker1]

OG batches of all 3 which puts these at ~5 years old. Cellar cleaning at its most stupid.

Completely coincidental and unintended that I randomly lined these up in the order they were carbonated. No real stars in this show...victory tasted far gone oxidized mess. DFH was nice blend of character, stone was over the top with the bubbles and bitterness. Final verdict was that none of the beers were good on their own but blended into an intihar cuvée made it better than its individual parts!

I need to repeat this same experiment. I've been ignoring those bottles for years as well. These are sitting in a box of about 20 bottles that I have zero interesting drinking and have no clue why I bought them.

 

[PHBoiler]

Beatification Batch 6 is significantly more tart than the one I had in Jan 2014. Lemon warhead right out of the gates. It does mellow a little bit into a tart/sour young lambic sort of taste. There's some juiciness in the mid palate. The finish is fairly crisp so it isn't a sour bomb resting on your tongue. Both of us that shared it got a ton of apricot skin and fruitiness. I'd argue that this bottle had as much apricot note/flavor as West Ashley. It was tart enough that I was glad I split the bottle with a buddy.

 

[thewimperoo]

Visited a friend a couple of weeks ago and took down a few random old beers.

2011 Hunahpu's - I don't have a real comparison point, but I thought this was tasting really good. Cinnamon and vanilla were the main flavor. Didn't recall a ton of chili flavor or heat.

The OG Unplugged Berliner vs. the latest batch of NG Berliner. That color difference is crazy. The OG wasn't awful, but nothing close to the crisp tartness of the fresh one. The OG was way less tart, more sweet, little bit of cardboard.

Unplugged Iced Barleywine v Thumbprint Barleywine from a couple of years ago. The Iced is still a beast of a beer. Fairly certain that thing can go on for a while yet. Tasting rich and decadent. Good aspects of oxidation. The Thumbprint Barleywine was ok. Hops were all gone. Nothing good or bad to really report on it.

'08 C&C La Folie - Love these beers. Was expecting it to be even more sour and vinegary, but was pleasantly surprised in how smooth it was. Really is a shame what the new version of this beer has become.

2000 Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine - Opened this one up expecting a nasty oxidized mess, but was very much surprised on how drinkable this was. He has all of the other vintages except for one year, will be curious to see how some of the other old vintages held up.

 

[thechrislife]

2012...



Nose is phenomenal sweet fudge brownie. Taste almost follows suit, but with a fair amount of roast (though not as much as when fresh) and a touch of soy sauce.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Abyss 2010. I talk so much **** about Abyss these days watering down their product with cherry bark and minimal barrel aging, but for shame, if the 2010 isn't poppin' off these days. The licorice is super tame and chilled out now (not that it was ever massive) and it just was a reminder of when I dug this beer (maybe being on college campus got those old school feels started a lil too, who knows).

Didn't get an individual pic of it, but here it is in the lineup from the Nevada v. Hawaii tailgate last Saturday with said 2010 Abyss . . .

I also enjoyed what I believe was 2012 Kick? Nice, that new version has sucked for a few years. Better than 99% of the pumpkin beers out there.

 

[harrymel1]

Abyss 2010. I talk so much **** about Abyss these days watering down their product with cherry bark and minimal barrel aging, but for shame, if the 2010 isn't poppin' off these days. The licorice is super tame and chilled out now (not that it was ever massive) and it just was a reminder of when I dug this beer (maybe being on college campus got those old school feels started a lil too, who knows).

Didn't get an individual pic of it, but here it is in the lineup from the Nevada v. Hawaii tailgate last Saturday with said 2010 Abyss . . .

I also enjoyed what I believe was 2012 Kick? Nice, that new version has sucked for a few years. Better than 99% of the pumpkin beers out there.

2010 Abyss was a knockout from the gate. They ****** up in 2009 and really got their **** together for the following year. At this point, cellared better than the 2008 IMO, which was killer for up to 5 years. I think 2013 is coming along nicely as well right now.

Abyss is one of those beers I just keep coming back to, every year, it seems less appealing out the gate, but every year I find myself enjoying vintages usually around the 1.5-3 year mark consistently. Too bad it's 3x the original price from 2006

 

[flexabull]

2010 Old Stock

Drinking well. Lively carbonation, cocoa, dark bread, roasted nuts and some earthiness. As nice tasting as I expected.

 

[Barroomhero]

Personally don't do any real cellaring, but some friends do. Had this passed on and shared with some coworkers Sunday.

2006, we think. Properly cellared. First ever Julios Liquors/Berkshire Brewing collaboration. Berkshire Scotch Ale (which is solid) aged in a bunch of Buffalo Trace (I think?) single barrels Julios had picked. Including a Pappy 15 single barrel (this specific one I'm sure of). Yep, back in 2006, before #newmoney, Pappy single barrels could be aquired without too much fuss.

Apparently back then, this was in the top 10 on BA for a good while.

And it held up STUNNINGLY well for a 9+ year old beer. We were expecting kinda interesting "for science", but got an outright superb beer. I don't recall if I had it fresh, so no good comparison. On the thin side, but far from distractingly so. Lots of wood on a mild, leathery body. Loads of oaky bits and sharp tannins. Strong, clean whiskey notes. Not boozy, but nicely warming.

My buddy thinks he may have as much as a case left...

 

[jedwards]

Personally don't do any real cellaring, but some friends do. Had this passed on and shared with some coworkers Sunday.

2006, we think. Properly cellared. First ever Julios Liquors/Berkshire Brewing collaboration. Berkshire Scotch Ale (which is solid) aged in a bunch of Buffalo Trace (I think?) single barrels Julios had picked. Including a Pappy 15 single barrel (this specific one I'm sure of). Yep, back in 2006, before #newmoney, Pappy single barrels could be aquired without too much fuss.

Apparently back then, this was in the top 10 on BA for a good while.

And it held up STUNNINGLY well for a 9+ year old beer. We were expecting kinda interesting "for science", but got an outright superb beer. I don't recall if I had it fresh, so no good comparison. On the thin side, but far from distractingly so. Lots of wood on a mild, leathery body. Loads of oaky bits and sharp tannins. Strong, clean whiskey notes. Not boozy, but nicely warming.

My buddy thinks he may have as much as a case left...

Oh man, nice throwback. That beer was pretty spectacular last time I had it in 2010 or so (alongside the then-fresh Gude Greg’s... wonder how that's doing), very cool to hear that it's holding up so well. It's too bad the follow-up imperial stout ended up infected. Thank you for the review!