Cellared Beer Reviews

[Treebs]

Not all that long ago I drank the first 5 Bruery anniversary ales and Cuir was among my least favorite of them all. This 100% BA version though is a completely different story.

Aroma is burnt sugar with a distinct bourbon tang of alcohol about it. Raison, plum, prune, dates, molasses, figs...all those dark sugary things are present with slight woodiness, vanilla and caramel. Taste includes a shockingly pleasant complex layering of all things bourbon meets wood and slight oxidation, mustiness and earth. Vanilla, caramel, toffee and molasses are all well represented along with a slight herbal bitterness to contrast.

I only drank half the bottle last night and im fully torqued to dome the rest of it tonight.

If people are still hating on the Bruery anniversary beetus and want to unload any of these im in. 100% in for acquiring any/all of these that might still be out there in the wild.

This has and always will be my favorite Bruery beer. From fresh to the last time I had it a year ago. So good.


**
Haven't posted in a while, been busy with the new baby. Opened a few things recently with some age.

First was 2012 BCBS.



Still a ton of bourbon and oak, no real oxidation to speak on. Chocolately and fudgey deliciousness. Slightly smokey. Just classic aged BCBS.

Voodoo K13


I never had this beer fresh so I can't speak on it, but this was still hot as ****. Fusel alcohol notes with a heavy wood backing. Any burnt sugar and fig notes were drowned out by the barrel. Another person partaking in the bottle said it was the equivalent of chewing on a stave, and that's a pretty fair description. Having said that I still enjoyed it, but wouldn't open another bottle for 5 years.

Wooden Hell


My last white whale. Popped open with a hiss. Mild carbonation. Some slight oxidation on the nose, but this was stored very well. Taste was raisin, figs and toffee all day. Mild barrel notes. Flavors were great but muted. You could tell that this was an absolutely amazing beverage fresh and several years later. So glad for the opportunity.

 

[thebandit1]

Drank at cellar temperature. I hated this beer fresh. It was a sweet, hoppy mess that tasted like a slightly more rounded Boltcutter. This bottle has been aged in my celler in northern MI since its purchase. Tastes like spun butterscotch with a heavy maple presence. Very little hop presence. Expected a malty mess and am pleasantly surprised. Tastes almost like Kaiser Curmudgeon, the maple bomb precursor to Better Half. Maybe my most pleasant cellar surprise ever.

 

[thechrislife]

Not even fit for the daily drinking thread....

Never had this beer fresh. It kinda just kept sitting in the "cellar", and now it's suddenly almost 5 years old (November 2011 bottle - not sure if there are multiple vintages). Thin, boozy, oxidized mess. I've taken 2 sips so far. Not sure how much more I will stomach before the drain gets the remainder.

 

[user 305963]

Drank at cellar temperature. I hated this beer fresh. It was a sweet, hoppy mess that tasted like a slightly more rounded Boltcutter. This bottle has been aged in my celler in northern MI since its purchase. Tastes like spun butterscotch with a heavy maple presence. Very little hop presence. Expected a malty mess and am pleasantly surprised. Tastes almost like Kaiser Curmudgeon, the maple bomb precursor to Better Half. Maybe my most pleasant cellar surprise ever.

These are great IF they've been refrigerated the entire time. You dun good sir.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Not even fit for the daily drinking thread....

Never had this beer fresh. It kinda just kept sitting in the "cellar", and now it's suddenly almost 5 years old (November 2011 bottle - not sure if there are multiple vintages). Thin, boozy, oxidized mess. I've taken 2 sips so far. Not sure how much more I will stomach before the drain gets the remainder.

Your post made me do an "oh ****, I have one of those somewhere in the cellar" moments. I'll be sure to crack with a large group of people so we don't have to be as miserable.

Anyways, this was a 2011 gem we had yesterday. I love me some EC12 Eclipse, and this might have been the best one yet.

 

[Number45]

Drank at cellar temperature. I hated this beer fresh. It was a sweet, hoppy mess that tasted like a slightly more rounded Boltcutter. This bottle has been aged in my celler in northern MI since its purchase. Tastes like spun butterscotch with a heavy maple presence. Very little hop presence. Expected a malty mess and am pleasantly surprised. Tastes almost like Kaiser Curmudgeon, the maple bomb precursor to Better Half. Maybe my most pleasant cellar surprise ever.

Actually just found a bottle of this tucked away in the cellar. I thought it was pretty good fresh, glad to hear it could be aging great. Will open soon and report back.

 

[stupac2]

Drinking a Pechish Woods from 2013 or something dumb. Why do I still have two of these bottles? Oh well, only one now.

It's actually pretty good. The peach is long gone but it's a nice one-note sour, easy to drink, hitting the spot on a hot day. Still stupid to have sat on it for so long. I feel like I have a ton of work to do to clean out these garbage bottles, I really need to get on it.

 

[Gene1]

This is too damn good right now.

 

[ASUBeer]

Not all that long ago I drank the first 5 Bruery anniversary ales and Cuir was among my least favorite of them all. This 100% BA version though is a completely different story.

Aroma is burnt sugar with a distinct bourbon tang of alcohol about it. Raison, plum, prune, dates, molasses, figs...all those dark sugary things are present with slight woodiness, vanilla and caramel. Taste includes a shockingly pleasant complex layering of all things bourbon meets wood and slight oxidation, mustiness and earth. Vanilla, caramel, toffee and molasses are all well represented along with a slight herbal bitterness to contrast.

I only drank half the bottle last night and im fully torqued to dome the rest of it tonight.

If people are still hating on the Bruery anniversary beetus and want to unload any of these im in. 100% in for acquiring any/all of these that might still be out there in the wild.

The anniversary ales, Black Tuesday and Melange3 are all still world class to me. I love those beers.

 

[GuzzleMcBrew]

Drinking a Pechish Woods from 2013 or something dumb. Why do I still have two of these bottles? Oh well, only one now.

It's actually pretty good. The peach is long gone but it's a nice one-note sour, easy to drink, hitting the spot on a hot day. Still stupid to have sat on it for so long. I feel like I have a ton of work to do to clean out these garbage bottles, I really need to get on it.

I held a peach beer tasting once and as an after affect, these things are still lingering in multiple fridges around my house. Your notes are accurate for the last X times I have had it.

 

[stakem1]

The anniversary ales, Black Tuesday and Melange3 are all still world class to me. I love those beers.

Funny you mention this because I was just talking to a buddy about this over the weekend.

Is melange 3 made every year? The reason I ask is because ive been in the bruery society the last 4 years and I do not recall having the option to buy melange 3 outside of a cellar sale at inflated price. I think it was included bottles one year and then it stopped being an announced beer as part of the society. Its just a released beer thats available to the public with little or no distribution, right? Or am I way off base here? Im just stating this because thats a beer id buy at least 1 of each year and I dont recall hearing of its release at all the past several years.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Drinking a Pechish Woods from 2013 or something dumb. Why do I still have two of these bottles? Oh well, only one now.

It's actually pretty good. The peach is long gone but it's a nice one-note sour, easy to drink, hitting the spot on a hot day. Still stupid to have sat on it for so long. I feel like I have a ton of work to do to clean out these garbage bottles, I really need to get on it.

I absolutely loved that beer. I'm still being stupid having cranberry, cherry and regular in my cellar. Setting an absolute drink by date for March Madness 2017 on those.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Is melange 3 made every year? melange 3

That beer is like stuck in time, as good as ever. Loved it 2 weeks ago still.

 

[landrewg]

Had a Bell's TCOA tonight. Batch 8863 that I think is from 2008. No batch finder on the website anymore?
Anyway, very smooth and delicious, a little past it's prime maybe.

Edit: Googled and found it: Dec.4th, 2008.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Opened up a bottle of 1987 Thomas Hardy's Ale with trickytunadicky and fear025 last evening.

This is a bottle that came from the original owners cellar about 3 years ago, and it has aged fantastically. Very little negative oxidation, richness, plum / prune / raisin character, cocoa, just a perfectly aged bottle that has help up far better than I could have expected. Likely the best bottle of aged Thomas Hardy's I've consumed.

 

[CADMixes]

Nothing crazy but a ~3 year old Birth of Tragedy turned into a mellow roasty easy drinker with honey on full display. I was not blown away by it when it was fresher so this was a welcome development.

 

[NAD1983]

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I honestly had no expectations going in, but it was actually very good.

Batch 1, so the smaller base (9% v 15%). As a result, it was thin but not overwhelmingly so. Low carbonation with substantial bourbon character for a 6.5 year old beer. Taste followed the nose with a combination of cocoa, toffee and caramel to balance the barrel influence.

 

[Hornet]

Had this one stashed away at my Mom's house for quite sometime...BA Everett b1
Anyone know how this is holding up!?
Going to get in to it this weekend, and will report back!

 

[skrip]

Had this one stashed away at my Mom's house for quite sometime...BA Everett b1
Anyone know how this is holding up!?
Going to get in to it this weekend, and will report back!

awesome to see someone still has a full one! i haven't heard anything good about it in a while but when i had back in 2012 it was amazing!

 

[landrewg]

Had this one stashed away at my Mom's house for quite sometime...BA Everett b1
Anyone know how this is holding up!?
Going to get in to it this weekend, and will report back!

So, so jealous!! My mouth is watering just looking at this.

 

[Hornet]

Juicy B1
Cellared since release, not as vibrant as its once younger self.
Still very delicate and soft with hints of NZ.
Aroma has faded quite a bit.

 

[thebandit1]

Traded for six of these in 2012 knowing the infection issues. This bottle marks the fifth one I've drank, none of which have infected. Rich, dark chocolate with no barrel at all. Ridiculously smooth. Some oxidation but not much.

 

[KevSal]

picture might be sideways if our on a desktop

found this in my cellar at the folks house today, 2009 world wide stout.

glad to report one of the few beers that has honestly improved with age! have rarely ever experienced this.
in a video Sam says port and dark fruits come though and he's on the money huge juicy dark fruits and port and no alch burn

anyone know how to check the abv on this one? pre Cali distro so no abv on label

 

[LukeAleTime]

picture might be sideways if our on a desktop

found this in my cellar at the folks house today, 2009 world wide stout.

glad to report one of the few beers that has honestly improved with age! have rarely ever experienced this.
in a video Sam says port and dark fruits come though and he's on the money huge juicy dark fruits and port and no alch burn

anyone know how to check the abv on this one? pre Cali distro so no abv on label

Did you just try blame desktop users for your sideways picture?

(Am on mobile, still sideways)

 

[KevSal]

Did you just try blame desktop users for your sideways picture?

(Am on mobile, still sideways)

sorry for the sideways picture, it's auto corrected on my phone

 

[Number45]

picture might be sideways if our on a desktop

found this in my cellar at the folks house today, 2009 world wide stout.

glad to report one of the few beers that has honestly improved with age! have rarely ever experienced this.
in a video Sam says port and dark fruits come though and he's on the money huge juicy dark fruits and port and no alch burn

anyone know how to check the abv on this one? pre Cali distro so no abv on label

Nice work! I also like this one aged. As far as ABV, I believe this clocks in at around 18%

 

[Hornet]

2 year old Luscious, aged quite well!

 

[Der Fuchs]

2 year old Luscious, aged quite well!

Awesome. Cellar beer I've never heard of. It's nice to have a solid 'at least some time before 2014' reference to when I stopped paying attention to new beer.

Both the can and beer look perty.

 

[stupac2]

Opened a bourbon Bois last night and was not impressed. It was thin (I don't understand how), sweet, boozy, and the bad kind of oxidized. I remember BA Coton being amazing with a few years on it, but it seems like nothing else has really followed that. I've been opening old Bruery bottles at a local potluck and they're just uniformly meh. So glad I dropped that membership.

 

[CommanderofAwesome]

Opened a bourbon Bois last night and was not impressed. It was thin (I don't understand how), sweet, boozy, and the bad kind of oxidized. I remember BA Coton being amazing with a few years on it, but it seems like nothing else has really followed that. I've been opening old Bruery bottles at a local potluck and they're just uniformly meh. So glad I dropped that membership.

Had a similar experience with aging their beers, including Rum Sucre. LOVED that beer fresh, was my favorite of the any Bruery Old Ales. Thought it would hold up well. Opened one with a couple of years on it and it was rough. Trying to figure out what to do with the ones I got left. I'm learning more and more Bruery beers don't age gracefully.