Cellared Beer Reviews: October 2013

[stupac2]

I said I'd start this thread as soon as I had some cellared beers, so here we go!

Big tasting yesterday, here are the aged bottles we had:

Millennium Gueuze: Big thanks to eikhcsel for opening this one! I thought it was doing great, funky with a nice backbone of sourness and that weird (but enjoyable) mint thing some of these older 3F blends have.

Cherry Rye & Bramble: I'm not a big fan of either of these beers, and I don't think time has helped them much. But literally everyone else was saying that they've gotten better, (especially Cherry), so take that for what it's worth. I'm still not convinced that adding fruit to a stout is a good idea.

2009 Cantillon Classic: Not as sour as I was expecting. Very subdued in general, which surprised me. But it has good amounts of funk and tartness, plus the mineral flavors you typically associate with 3F, not Cantillon.

Darkness 2008: Loved it. Tons of dark fruits that I typically associate with aged quads, plus the typical Darkness flavors. By far the best Darkness I've had.

 

[flexabull]

I said I'd start this thread as soon as I had some cellared beers, so here we go!

Big tasting yesterday, here are the aged bottles we had:

Millennium Gueuze: Big thanks to eikhcsel for opening this one! I thought it was doing great, funky with a nice backbone of sourness and that weird (but enjoyable) mint thing some of these older 3F blends have.

Cherry Rye & Bramble: I'm not a big fan of either of these beers, and I don't think time has helped them much. But literally everyone else was saying that they've gotten better, (especially Cherry), so take that for what it's worth. I'm still not convinced that adding fruit to a stout is a good idea.

2009 Cantillon Classic: Not as sour as I was expecting. Very subdued in general, which surprised me. But it has good amounts of funk and tartness, plus the mineral flavors you typically associate with 3F, not Cantillon.

Darkness 2008: Loved it. Tons of dark fruits that I typically associate with aged quads, plus the typical Darkness flavors. By far the best Darkness I've had.

Only one problem with your post, it's October.

 

[stupac2]

Only one problem with your post, it's October.

MarkIntihar, Shteiven, could one of you fix my idiocy?

 

[MarkIntihar]

MarkIntihar, Shteiven, could one of you fix my idiocy?

Sorry, too busy getting drunk on Wild One to care right now... Maybe one of the other mods can help?

 

[Steve2]

Sorry, too busy getting drunk on Wild One to care right now... Maybe one of the other mods can help?

Hahaha done!

 

[ilovermont]

I said I'd start this thread as soon as I had some cellared beers, so here we go!

Big tasting yesterday, here are the aged bottles we had:

Millennium Gueuze: Big thanks to eikhcsel for opening this one! I thought it was doing great, funky with a nice backbone of sourness and that weird (but enjoyable) mint thing some of these older 3F blends have.

Cherry Rye & Bramble: I'm not a big fan of either of these beers, and I don't think time has helped them much. But literally everyone else was saying that they've gotten better, (especially Cherry), so take that for what it's worth. I'm still not convinced that adding fruit to a stout is a good idea.

2009 Cantillon Classic: Not as sour as I was expecting. Very subdued in general, which surprised me. But it has good amounts of funk and tartness, plus the mineral flavors you typically associate with 3F, not Cantillon.

Darkness 2008: Loved it. Tons of dark fruits that I typically associate with aged quads, plus the typical Darkness flavors. By far the best Darkness I've had.

nice.

what's the backstory on the DDG t-shirt?

 

[stupac2]

nice.

what's the backstory on the DDG t-shirt?

Someone was wearing a DDG shirt. What backstory are you looking for?

 

[ilovermont]

Someone was wearing a DDG shirt. What backstory are you looking for?

Did Lost Abbey release the shirt? Or did someone make it themselves?

 

[backfat]

Did Lost Abbey release the shirt? Or did someone make it themselves?

 

[ilovermont]

hahaha, that's the official Lost Abbey shirt, right?

 

[SeaWatchman]

Currently drinking a New Glarus Edel Pils that has been cellared in my fridge since July. Man this beer has really changed since I got it off the shelf! When I first got the six pack from Wal*Mart it was warm and not in the coolers and had collected just about a 1mm layer of dust. I cleaned it off and put it in my fridge while I was on vacation in WI. Then I drove it from WI to Oceania the the back of my car in a cooler. I put it in the fridge here and just opened it: Crisp, clear, pils. Kind of biscuity. Last time I had it in July it was just a little more biscuity. CELLAR ALL TEH PILS!

 

[claaark13]

I had an October 2010 Expedition Stout the other night. Tons of sweet raisin, a touch of red licorice. No roast until faaaaar into the finish. It was good, but it was nothing like I'd expected. When I tasted it, I had to do a quick double check to make sure I didn't open the Third Coast in error. I'll age some for myself, but I wouldn't suggest it unless you're looking for something that tastes more like an aged old ale.

 

[claaark13]

I said I'd start this thread as soon as I had some cellared beers, so here we go!

Big tasting yesterday, here are the aged bottles we had:

Is that a photo of beer or feet?

 

[stupac2]

Is that a photo of beer or feet?

I happen to be a connoisseur of both.

Did Lost Abbey release the shirt? Or did someone make it themselves?

Yeah, at the ddg release.

 

[hopstar1]

Yesterday we cracked a Batch 1 Upright Billy the Mountain (released January 2010) and a Oakshire Hellshire 1 (May 2011).

Billy:

The brett has really taken over in the Billy, and it's starting to resemble some sort of dark wild ale blended with am English barleywine. Lots of funk, the body has thinned out a bit, and the finish just keeps going. Surprisingly, the carbonation was absolutely perfect despite the brett chewing through a bunch of the residual sugar.

Hellshire:

The bourbon presence is still strong, but everything else has kind of rounded out and taken on a wonderful vanilla/toffee maltiness. Lots of bourbon, raisin, and caramel in the finish, and no sign of oxidation. I'd suggest hanging on to it for a while longer if you still have any.

 

[claaark13]

Batch #9358, 9/23/09 Bell's Third Coast Ale (photo). Found a couple old Bell's bottles a few weeks ago that had been closet-aged for a few years, so I decided to go ahead and plow through them.

Deep reddish brown, can't see through in the glass. Nice creamy head. Smells like heaven; tons of candied plums and cherries, sweet but not unapproachable for being too sweet. A lot like smelling crushed rock candy. Malt backbone is evident in the aroma. Seriously, like an easy 4.5 aroma.

Flavor isn't quite as good at first, as mild fruits build onto a solid amount of malts, then candied prunes. Finish is smooth and a little uneventful at first, but the candy flavor does come through to make it better. After the 2nd sip, I'm sold. Candied fruits are much more evident in the beginning, then they help guide the malts, then maintain themselves on the finish. Not even a hint of booze in the aroma or taste. 4.25?

Overall, pretty good. I may just buy a 6pk this year and closet-age it again to drink in a few winters from now. Good shelf beer to age. +4.25 overall.

 

[BusinessSloth]

I was in a Denver cellar last night. I saw among other things

- 1990 Bigfoot
- 1986 Anchor Christmas Ale
- 2001 Old Stock ale
- Some 2006 Celebration ale or something like that.

 

[stupac2]

I was in a Denver cellar last night. I saw among other things

- 1990 Bigfoot
- 1986 Anchor Christmas Ale
- 2001 Old Stock ale
- Some 2006 Celebration ale or something like that.

...Did you drink them? Because this thread is for reviews.

 

[claaark13]

Stille Nacht, mid to late 1990's, US Import, "FL" on the cap, boner in my pants.

Seems a bit murky upon pouring, but quickly becomes a deep, translucent ruby. At first, there is a lot of deep, raisin and candied plum aroma coming through with the slightest hint of lighter cherries and booze. After about 10 minutes, there is tartness, cherries and a blend of lighter fruits that shine against candied plums. Once it opens, the aroma is divine.

This tastes insane. The aroma translates well to the palate, but with more of a candied note to all of the fruits. The tartness is less than I'd expect from a mid-90's bottle, but it really comes together with near perfection. There isn't any oxidation to be found. As each sip sits on the tongue, some hot esters come through in the form of some pear-like flavors and evaporate to my nostrils. This is one of the most fantastic examples of a <20yr old SN bottle I've had. I really couldn't be happier right now, unless you told me that I could have 50 more bottles of this for free.

 

[flexabull]

Posted about this here.

http://www.TalkBeer.com/community/t...ad-ddt-10-25-13-friday.2437/page-8#post-73293

Opened an old Raspy X tonight to celebrate my first born. Its holding up fairly well for a what, a 6 year old BA Stout? Very nutty, some cocoa, with a nice coconut and boozy finish.

Cheers!

 

[aml42000]

2003 Bigfoot. Purchased from Bottleworks in Seattle, so provenance/storage is no issue. Shared these with a friend who we have known 10 years. One bottle def had more carbonation than the other, but plenty of life in both. It was cloudy & hazy mahogany with a thin tan head. The nose was a load of caramel & with some earthy aromatics emerging as it warmed. This aged into more of an English style BW. Layers of hazelnut, caramel & raisins come in waves. Smooth mouthfeel & showing no booze at this point. Amazingly long finish for something with a decade of age. My buddy was blown away & so was I.

 

[JulianB1]

A little over a year on this one, although I last had it a bit less than a year ago (as a dessert beer on Thanksgiving, actually). I really like what this one has done over the past year. When relatively fresh I thought it had too much of a sweet spearmint flavor, kind of like chewing a piece of spearmint gum while eating a piece of dark chocolate at the same time. Now the mint and chocolate flavors have integrated more smoothly into the stout base and the result is something more reminiscent of an After Eight beer, in a good way.

 

[BusinessSloth]

No picture or "official review", but please never age a Jester King Funk Metal. I got a first batch Funk Metal that has been sitting since last year and I just opened it. You would have sworn it was an infected sour. As funny as that may sound.

 

[Envelopes]

No picture or "official review", but please never age a Jester King Funk Metal. I got a first batch Funk Metal that has been sitting since last year and I just opened it. You would have sworn it was an infected sour. As funny as that may sound.

Isn't that just a re-branded infected stout anyway?

 

[stupac2]

Isn't that just a re-branded infected stout anyway?

I think it was supposed to be that way. I didn't think it was any good, but I think that was what they were going for. I'm not at all surprised that it doesn't age.

 

[infi]

Opened the last of my '12 MS Berserker bottles in the past week. No infection issues in either of them, as some have reported. Alcohol has tempered so much over the year. Dark and milk chocolate flavors have intensified, and are even more complemented by that maple syrup + molasses (both still holding up really well).

tl;dr– Berserker '12 drinking even smoother & tastier than fresh, open 'em all up now.

 

[vonnegut21]

Did a 3 year vertical of Backwoods Bastard over the weekend. The '13 was nice and bourbon forward, with a nice caramel character and just a touch of alcohol heat. Maybe a bit more mellow than years past. The '12 (which I thought was a bit disappointing fresh) was duller, had lost much of the bourbon notes of the fresh batch, but had picked up a nice vanilla character. The '11 is really excellent. It was a huge, boozy, delightful bourbon bomb when fresh and has mellowed nicely but still retains lots of bourbon character (more than the '12) and just tons vanilla. Really, really enjoyable. These are painfully difficult for me to age and not just drink, but I still have a couple of each vintage and looking forward to repeating the experiment next year.

 

[quirkzoo1]

10/22/10, Didn't realize it was this old, received earlier this year from Rempo so I am assuming storage conditions were a midwest basement.

This is an extremely sour beer. I have never had it fresh so I have nothing to compare it too, but I am assuming it has gotten more sour over the years. Cherries are still there but definitely in the background. Just a little bit of funk. At first it was almost too sour but I cut up some cheese to eat and alongside the rich cheese and as the beer warmed it got better and better. If you like really sour beers, this will not disappoint.

 

[aml42000]

2010 Cantillon Kriek

Straight from Être Gourmet to my cellar. The word I'd use for this beer is precise. The nose is a mix of deep cherry & spicy aromatics. Very powerful & fragrant. The Bordeaux wine glass certainly allowed those aromatics to show off.

The precision is present on the palate as tart cherry dominates with the yeast acting as the supporting act. It offers up the complexity needed behind the fruit flavors. As this warms, the juicy texture becomes the thing most apparent as the cherry flavors yield a bit to show some plum character as well as some barrel notes of spice & tea.

Just so well-proportioned & easy to enjoy. Absolutely loved every drop of this.

 

[booyahachieved3]

A little over a year on this one, although I last had it a bit less than a year ago (as a dessert beer on Thanksgiving, actually). I really like what this one has done over the past year. When relatively fresh I thought it had too much of a sweet spearmint flavor, kind of like chewing a piece of spearmint gum while eating a piece of dark chocolate at the same time. Now the mint and chocolate flavors have integrated more smoothly into the stout base and the result is something more reminiscent of an After Eight beer, in a good way.

Ugh I want to try this so badly.

 

[Treebs]

Cross post from DDT:

2007 Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock

Lots of raspberry syrup on the nose with faint hint of port-like dark fruit. Lightest bit of oxidation in the taste, but it's much more sherry like and doesn't have any off cardboard flavors. Light bit of dark chocolate with nice raspberry notes (not fresh and bright, but more sweet and liqueur-like). Verdict: Still tasting great, but heading down.

 

[Ihyphy_SF]

Cross post from DDT:

2007 Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock

Lots of raspberry syrup on the nose with faint hint of port-like dark fruit. Lightest bit of oxidation in the taste, but it's much more sherry like and doesn't have any off cardboard flavors. Light bit of dark chocolate with nice raspberry notes (not fresh and bright, but more sweet and liqueur-like). Verdict: Still tasting great, but heading down.

Great to hear its tasting good i should open mine sooner than later!