Cellared Beer Reviews

[trickytunadicky]

Drinking a 2009 Pannepot Reserva at the moment. Downright heavenly. Like a liquid Werther's Original.

 

[Snarf1]

Drinking a 2009 Pannepot Reserva at the moment. Downright heavenly. Like a liquid Werther's Original.

Between this description and your Russian River thing, I can officially say your palate is broken.

 

[ASUBeer]

Enjoying a 2007 3F OG, bourbon soaked brownie for days.

 

[trickytunadicky]

Between this description and your Russian River thing, I can officially say your palate is broken.

Old person likes old people things.

 

[Snarf1]

Old person likes old people things.

I love Pannepot Reserva, it just doesn't taste like Werther's at all.

 

[trickytunadicky]

I love Pannepot Reserva, it just doesn't taste like Werther's at all.

I might have used the wrong old people candy as a descriptor, but it was spot on to toffee candy my grandparents always mept in the house. No cardboard. Strong toffee notes. Maybe a light touch of chocolate.

I also only got the last few sips at the end of the bottle, so it was a bit on the chunky sode.

 

[Snarf1]

I might have used the wrong old people candy as a descriptor, but it was spot on to toffee candy my grandparents always mept in the house. No cardboard. Strong toffee notes. Maybe a light touch of chocolate.

I also only got the last few sips at the end of the bottle, so it was a bit on the chunky sode.

ISO: Candy that tastes like Pannepot

 

[trickytunadicky]

Stork Chocolate Riesen?

 

[trickytunadicky]

2011 BBVD. Reminds me of Portillo's chocolate cake. Sweet, chocolatey, rich grain backbone with roastiness bringing up the rear.

 

[trickytunadicky]

03/15/07 Raison D'Extra paired with steak and sweet potato. Still quite boozy. Sweet, brown raisin notes, only a few of these left til I have to move on to the fresher bottles.

 

[stakem1]

Im too lazy to look it up but I believe this to be the OG release of old stock. Vintage 2000. I also believe I recall reading years back that old stock was North Coast's tribute to Thomas Hardy Ale as the recipe/process is quite similar in how both brews are made. However, I dont remember when/where I read all that or if I got drunk and made that story up?

Anyhoo... this beer was one of the main reasons I started cellaring beer years ago. I enjoyed it fresh but to have the brewer claim that it should be laid down and will get even better with age? How? I dont understand, so I bought a lot of it to see for myself. And here we are, years later and im wishing I had even more to drink whenever I want.

This particar bottle tastes seemingly exactly the same as the last mid 90's Thomas Hardy I opened not that long ago. A breath of oxidative notes upon opening that immediately breathe away to sherry and rum soaked raisons (actually all things dark and fruity - molasses, caramel, vanilla, fig, prune, dates.) The faintest earthy oxidation and a cocoa powder aftertaste. Heavenly experience.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Homecoming. Wyoming @ Nevada tailgate party.

Smells like dad's leather belt come whoopin' time and mom's red wine box as she drinks herself into oblivion trying not to hear you getting your butt whooped, deservedly so.

Taste hides alcohol well, comes off like Oude Tart/Rodenbach blend, less sour, less acidic, more earthy, now with wine barrel. Wood presence is like a darker variety almost, instead of oak, its black walnut or some ****.
Zero vinegar and oxidation notes. Quite enjoyable, unlike the game itself. Finished only behind SNPA, 2011 Buffalo Trace Eclipse (review forthcoming) and 2015 Filmishmish in the day's rankings (seen below, only beer omitted was the last place Bud Light). Stored horizontally. Went vertical 48 hours before game time.

 

[iong516]

Did anyone know that BCBW '13 tastes really good?

 

[Gonzoillini1]

1986 Thomas Hardy's Ale

Opened this one up with friends tonight for a 30th birthday beer. Was purchased about 4 years ago from a well provenanced cellar and stored in a temp controlled chest freeze / cellar ever since. Second bottle of the 1986 from this purchase and just as good as it was 5 years ago.

Opens up flat to be expected, but I was able to get at least 5.5 oz of the bottle poured out to folks before I started seeing chunky material. Rasin, prune, leather, toffee, caramel all work together in the flavor and aroma and the mouthfeel is still rich and deep without any obvious oxidation to the negative. Has a bit of alcohol warmth and and residual sweetness sticking around, and really isn't showing any obvious signs that it's going to change for the worse any time soon.

I wish I would have purchased more Thomas Hardy's in general when I had a chance, but glad that the few remaining bottles I have should be equally as tasty.

 

[user 305963]

2012 Backwoods Bastard

Nose is amazing with toffee, caramel and vanilla. Flavors of Backwoods, oak, caramel and a slight hint of bourbon. Sadly a bit of oxidation and the flavors just fall flat with no depth. About an ounce left in the bottle that was all sediment with some floaties making it into the glass.

Personal rule stands, BWB is best fresh, or with no more than a year of aging.

 

[ASak10]

This beer is awesome! Caramel sweetness on the nose, taste follows. Just a touch of oxidation up front that's quickly replaced by the bitterness from the hops. Smooth and sweet finish. Amazing mouthfeel, very light and effervescent, almost champagne like with the bubbles dancing around. Color me impressed.

 

[Hornet]

Year 2006 !!

 

[FTowne1]

Year 2006 !!

This post needs more words.

 

[Hornet]

This post needs more words.

Agreed! Was excited to jump right in.
Back of the bottle says drink before January 2016.
One of my favorite porters to drink fresh or with 1-2 years on it. Have never had one with this much age, it has held up well. A bit more mellow and blended, very gracefully balanced.
I would say its good, but possibly muted a bit with age.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Oats gave way to bitterness. Coffee fled the scene. Totally inferior to when it was fresh. Body and mouth feel thinned out comparatively. Was one of the worst beers of Saturday. In the rankings, it barely finished above a red potato. Eviscerated by banana.

I remember a debate about whether bananas were extinct. I was in the "they're not" camp.

 

[jdd419]

Figured today was a good time for this. 8/5/15 date

Smell is still great. I get nutmeg and a little cinnamon and clove. I smelled a box of pumpkin pie spices after this (so did my pregnant wife who hates me for drinking beers she likes) and they were pretty similar.

The sweet malt is the main flavor now instead of the spices. nutmeg is the flavor I'm picking up most.

Overall I wouldn't age a spiced beer if I didn't want to mute the flavors a bit. This isn't really my style so I drank one last year and one this year for science

 

[stakem1]

Dipped into the old Fantome stash. On the tree a year is carved, I assume to be the year this beer was made. Its difficult to see but I think says 1998. Aroma is oxidized but that breathes away to lots of bretty Fantome house character. Orange rind and straw/hay. Taste continues with that orange-like character, slightly bitter and reminiscent of some older bottlings of Fantome ete. Lots of brett, leather, caramelized sugar flavor but lacks residual sweetness. The label claims to be 7% but there is an alcohol warmth to this suggesting much more. Quite lively for being 18 years old and while unique, easily identifiable as Fantome.

 

[trickytunadicky]

Dipped into the old Fantome stash. On the tree a year is carved, I assume to be the year this beer was made. Its difficult to see but I think says 1998. Aroma is oxidized but that breathes away to lots of bretty Fantome house character. Orange rind and straw/hay. Taste continues with that orange-like character, slightly bitter and reminiscent of some older bottlings of Fantome ete. Lots of brett, leather, caramelized sugar flavor but lacks residual sweetness. The label claims to be 7% but there is an alcohol warmth to this suggesting much more. Quite lively for being 18 years old and while unique, easily identifiable as Fantome.

Truly the Serious Knower we all aspire to be.

 

[stakem1]

Truly the Serious Knower we all aspire to be.

"never too serious" is the motto of FT knowers

 

[Sobchak]

2012 - bottled 10/2012

Holding up very well. Appearance is excellent, brown ruby red. There was a bunch of sediment, but put it in a lambic basket in the fridge for two hours and poured totally clear.

Sweet bready malt up from and then some vegetal, wet leafy bitterness to finish. Bright hop flavors and biting bitterness that are in fresh DB are gone. All around extremely smooth Simple and good. I think another 2-3 years or so will improve it further, and let some of the bitterness fade off even a bit further.

I'm no Stone homer, or even a fan, but this is a great example of quality in a $6 bomber, evidenced by it aging really well.

Drinks like an aged American Barleywine. Someone a while back mentioned that it's reminiscent of aged Behemoth, which I agree with, less bright/light flavors, heavier on the musty wet leaf hop notes.

 

[BadJustin]

Forgot about these. When we bought my wife's grandparents house I found them. We are buying another house and renting this out so I'm packing ****. 83-94 vert of Saranc Seasons Best. I have a double of the 87, that's coming to the next tasting- for science.

 

[stakem1]

Drank both port and maderia black tuesday this weekend. Opened them friday night and sipped on ~8oz of each side by side. Recapped them and revisited them both on Sat and then finished them off last night.

It has been said a couple times now by not only myself but others too that the bruery's big beers sometimes just need to be opened and revisited later to really come into their own. In this case, I saw no benefit to that practice - both were as good right out the gate as they were 24 and 48 hours later.

Having said that, at times it was difficult to tell these 2 apart. Both of them were vinous, slightly tannic and more fruity feeling than normal BT. The maderia version had a nice touch of toasted coconut and a little more focus on barrel nuance whereas the port version showcased more booze, chocolate and an overall tootsie roll kinda flavor. As each glass got warm there was a very distinct soy sauce/balsamic vinegar thing going on in the nose but not in the taste. To the extent that my wife asked me if I reheated and ate sonething like chinese food without her knowing.

Overall, pretty impressed with these 2 and if given the option I would choose either of these over reg BT, rum or reserve.

 

[CommanderofAwesome]

Found an M12 in the closet when rummaging this weekend that I forgot about. Since it has hazelnuts I didn't mean to age it, so decided to drink is ASAP. Cracked it open tonight only for it to foam with a slight infection ting. Not undrinkable, nor I am even sure how this near 17% could be infected, anyone else open one recently?

 

[PHBoiler]

My buddy showed up to the weekly Wednesday night bottleshare open to anyone with an Ithaca Brute. What an incredible beer. Superb carb. Very effervescent. Lemon lime and some grapefruit. Loads of funk. The only equivalent I can think of is well aged HF Oaked saisons. Nearly perfect right now.

 

[beerandraiderfan]

Opened as 1st beer of the UFC 205 card.

Dark fruit/currant overload wasn't as bad as I expected. Cocoa and oak held up. Minimal bourbon presence. No oxidation. Hid alcohol well. Still the most BDSA of the BB Anny series. Still a lil roasty and bitter, but easy drinkin' at the same time.

Ultimately, I liked this one slightly better in 2016 than I did in 2013.