Cellared Beer Reviews: November 2013

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stupac2

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libbey asked me to make a new thread, and I realized that I have a bunch of cellared beer reviews from a tasting yesterday. So I'll get us started!

First up, Midnight Sun M:

VAssLFu.jpg


I know a lot of people say that it's over the hill, but I actually really liked it. It had a lot of the dark fruits and molasses flavors that you get from aged Belgians, with a bit of barrel and a bitter finish. It's definitely not worth the cost, but if you stumble upon it you'll be happy. If you have one and are waiting for that special time to open it, sooner is better than later.

5c47e7c5c56a41b0076af9c5ae172b9e_640x640.jpg


This was okay, nothing particularly impressive. If for some reason you're cellaring one, drink it soon, it's only going down.

Finally, Berserker vertical:

553f0273efb205b0ab8e6fdadbc6bdb9_640x640.jpg


None of these were worth writing home about, the older ones were actually sour (from oxidation not infection). The fresh ones were pretty good, but don't age this one too long.
 
2002 Full Sail Old Boardhead.

010fbadfb5f8278817bd91987a028046_640x640.jpg


This was the last of 6 bottles that were gifted to me about a year ago from a friend who was moving. All of the bottles have had a good deal of variation. One was a real gem and another was a pure wet cardboard drainpour. With the rest falling somewhere in between.

This bottle is in the middle of the pack. Nice deep malted dark fruit notes with a decent amount of sherry and oxidation tartness muddled in. It's drinkable but this beer is clearly on the downswing. Impressive for being over a decade old but this beer's sweet spot is still that 4-5 year range IMO.

Old Boardhead and Old Gaurdian will continue to be staples in my cellar though as they are wonderfully cheap options that show some nice and tasty changes with some time under their belt.
 
Opened a few beers over the weekend:

North Coast Old Stock Cellar Reserve 2009: Not currently improving. A lot of the big vanilla flavor has faded off and the beer, while still very tasty, doesn't have the barrel character that made it so spectacular. We all thought it could actually use a little more oxidation to give it some complexity.
Bell's Batch 9000: Tasting pretty good right now -- licorice is present but less overwhelming, though the finish is still on the anise-y side to my taste. Saving my last one to open up next year sometime.
Bridgeport Old Knucklehead 1990 (b3) -- this is the batch bottled in screw-top nips, which I'm surprised anyone ever made (batches 2 & 4 are in standard cap nips). Fill level has dropped a bit and the beer is dead flat and quite oxidized, though not ruined. Meaty/smoky nose, some toffee flavor, very muted. Hoping the adjacent years are better.
J.W. Lee's Harvest Ale 1990 -- Still good, but definitely thinning out. Has none of the brown-sugar-syrup qualities of the late-90s bottles, but has picked up a good amount of sherry vinousness and still has a sweet treacle finish. I'll probably age these for around 15 years in the future, going longer isn't doing a lot for it.
 
2010 Olde School Barleywine - finishing off the last of the 4pk, which was the first beer I ever bought legally!

Haven't had a fresh one super recently, but my recollection is of this beer being really hot fresh... This is not. Very, very smooth. Lots of raisin flavors (not my favorite). Some kind of apple-y flavors also.
 
2010 Olde School Barleywine - finishing off the last of the 4pk, which was the first beer I ever bought legally!

Haven't had a fresh one super recently, but my recollection is of this beer being really hot fresh... This is not. Very, very smooth. Lots of raisin flavors (not my favorite). Some kind of apple-y flavors also.
This is one of the few beers made by an American brewery that I find horrible fresh and delicious with multiple years on it. Most that I think about cellaring are good fresh and better later. This one just does a 180.
 
This is one of the few beers made by an American brewery that I find horrible fresh and delicious with multiple years on it. Most that I think about cellaring are good fresh and better later. This one just does a 180.
I had a really old one, 2005 I think, that was indescribably bad. One of the worst beers I've had. I wonder if that was just an off bottle/year, or something, given the way people talk about this one.
 
I had a really old one, 2005 I think, that was indescribably bad. One of the worst beers I've had. I wonder if that was just an off bottle/year, or something, given the way people talk about this one.
Are you talking about the kegged one at T25? I thought it was yummy.
 
Just cracked open a Founders Curmudgeons Better Half, in line at Breakfast Stout Breakfast on Saturday. Similar to the last CBS I opened earlier this year, the maple has fallen off. The beer itself is still very good, but maple made it special. Still picked up a lot of depth of flavors, caramel, vanilla and very sweet. Disregarding and bottle variation that may be present, I wouldn't wait much longer to enjoy this if you have one. It's not going to get any better than it was fresh.
 
Just cracked open a Founders Curmudgeons Better Half, in line at Breakfast Stout Breakfast on Saturday. Similar to the last CBS I opened earlier this year, the maple has fallen off. The beer itself is still very good, but maple made it special. Still picked up a lot of depth of flavors, caramel, vanilla and very sweet. Disregarding and bottle variation that may be present, I wouldn't wait much longer to enjoy this if you have one. It's not going to get any better than it was fresh.
Had Better Half last night at a tasting. Great, great beer. Just not as mapley.
 
2002 Full Sail Old Boardhead.

010fbadfb5f8278817bd91987a028046_640x640.jpg


This was the last of 6 bottles that were gifted to me about a year ago from a friend who was moving. All of the bottles have had a good deal of variation. One was a real gem and another was a pure wet cardboard drainpour. With the rest falling somewhere in between.

This bottle is in the middle of the pack. Nice deep malted dark fruit notes with a decent amount of sherry and oxidation tartness muddled in. It's drinkable but this beer is clearly on the downswing. Impressive for being over a decade old but this beer's sweet spot is still that 4-5 year range IMO.

Old Boardhead and Old Gaurdian will continue to be staples in my cellar though as they are wonderfully cheap options that show some nice and tasty changes with some time under their belt.


This was drinking magical this Summer, thanks libbey. How many of the those do you have left?
 
libbey asked me to make a new thread, and I realized that I have a bunch of cellared beer reviews from a tasting yesterday. So I'll get us started!

First up, Midnight Sun M:

VAssLFu.jpg


I know a lot of people say that it's over the hill, but I actually really liked it. It had a lot of the dark fruits and molasses flavors that you get from aged Belgians, with a bit of barrel and a bitter finish. It's definitely not worth the cost, but if you stumble upon it you'll be happy. If you have one and are waiting for that special time to open it, sooner is better than later.

5c47e7c5c56a41b0076af9c5ae172b9e_640x640.jpg


This was okay, nothing particularly impressive. If for some reason you're cellaring one, drink it soon, it's only going down.

Finally, Berserker vertical:

553f0273efb205b0ab8e6fdadbc6bdb9_640x640.jpg


None of these were worth writing home about, the older ones were actually sour (from oxidation not infection). The fresh ones were pretty good, but don't age this one too long.

Baller.
 
Currently drinking a 2012 Brown Shugga'. Still a lot of bright citrus and piney hops paired with a great malt sweetness- caramel and vanilla along with some burnt sugar flavors. Not as sweet or hoppy as I remember fresh last year. Will need to drink a 2013 some time soon and compare the two.
 
I've been closet aging a 2003 - 2012 vertical of Aventinus. The first years through...2008 (?) are cave aged and paper wrapped, the others are just the regular versions. Here are both photos, don't need both but I took them so here you go:

10935611055_7f48fde499_c.jpg


10935945303_d359a546b0_c.jpg


Pours nicely with a strong airy head that dies down the some very nice lacing for a beer of this age. Tons of dark fruits on the nose, candied raisins, hints of licorice and banana bread. The flavor is very similar, with the addition of some cherry in the middle, and a dry yet sweet finish, which really sits on the tongue after a . Not a ton of oxidation, nothing is really muddled in the flavor, but there is a slight break between the fruity middle and the finish. I'd imagine that that '05 bottle is probably right on spot. I can see the flavor void really being filled. I'll probably get through the '04 & '05 this winter, so stay tuned if you care about this beer that most people don't age.
 
I've been closet aging a 2003 - 2012 vertical of Aventinus. The first years through...2008 (?) are cave aged and paper wrapped, the others are just the regular versions. Here are both photos, don't need both but I took them so here you go:

10935611055_7f48fde499_c.jpg


10935945303_d359a546b0_c.jpg


Pours nicely with a strong airy head that dies down the some very nice lacing for a beer of this age. Tons of dark fruits on the nose, candied raisins, hints of licorice and banana bread. The flavor is very similar, with the addition of some cherry in the middle, and a dry yet sweet finish, which really sits on the tongue after a . Not a ton of oxidation, nothing is really muddled in the flavor, but there is a slight break between the fruity middle and the finish. I'd imagine that that '05 bottle is probably right on spot. I can see the flavor void really being filled. I'll probably get through the '04 & '05 this winter, so stay tuned if you care about this beer that most people don't age.
Look forward to following this. Threw a handful in the cellar about two years ago for shits and giggles. Thanks for posting.
 
Been meaning to get around to reviewing this one. I never had the luxury of drinking this fresh, but I recently had the opportunity to drink a bottle of King Henry:
vK59phK.jpg


I have to say, for all that I've heard this one has fallen off... I found it really, really enjoyable. If it was that much better fresh, I can't even imagine how good it was. Tons of bourbon and oak character in this, huge vanilla notes and this great complexity from the Rare barrels. Honestly this one toes the barleywine/stout border IMO, but it's super tasty. Really looking forward to BCBBW after trying King Henry.
 
I've been closet aging a 2003 - 2012 vertical of Aventinus. The first years through...2008 (?) are cave aged and paper wrapped, the others are just the regular versions. Here are both photos, don't need both but I took them so here you go:

10935611055_7f48fde499_c.jpg


10935945303_d359a546b0_c.jpg


Pours nicely with a strong airy head that dies down the some very nice lacing for a beer of this age. Tons of dark fruits on the nose, candied raisins, hints of licorice and banana bread. The flavor is very similar, with the addition of some cherry in the middle, and a dry yet sweet finish, which really sits on the tongue after a . Not a ton of oxidation, nothing is really muddled in the flavor, but there is a slight break between the fruity middle and the finish. I'd imagine that that '05 bottle is probably right on spot. I can see the flavor void really being filled. I'll probably get through the '04 & '05 this winter, so stay tuned if you care about this beer that most people don't age.
Im late to the party. I drank a 5 year old bottle not that long ago and thought it was nice. The bottles that are closer to 10 years old ive had problems with. This doesnt jive with your photo but for me, it seems it doesnt matter how cold you chill them down and how careful you are with the pour...once the seal is broken, the carb surges and you get some real beefy chunks of yeast that looks like decomposing leaves in your glass.

I still have a bottle of '03 and either '05 or '06. Pick a date, will cyber sip.
 
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