Anyone trying for Westy next week?

Discussion in 'New England' started by LiquidCourage, Dec 7, 2012.

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  1. jomobono

    jomobono Savant (1,114) Mar 12, 2012 Massachusetts

    I got three Westies from The Festival order and I was going to drink one now. A good BA friend of mine told me yes, in general the rule is have one now and have one later but he said this beer is so much more better aged to not even bother with opening one up now. Especially since I only have three and who knows if I'll be able to get more.
     
  2. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    This is the great misconception with aging - that a beer gets better. It doesn't - it only gets different. Without the baseline to compare it to, one would never know whether they prefer it fresh or with age. And given the risks of a beer aging poorly, if you only have one, always go fresh IMO.

    Now, that said, Westy 12 might be an exception given how widely praised the beer is with age and how widely neutral people tend to be on it when fresh. But I'd still go fresh for my first time...
     
    messrock and Knifestyles like this.
  3. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,209) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    Yes yes, and IPA's don't get worse after sitting on the shelf for six months, they just get different.

    This argument aside, you and knifestyles completely missed my point which is that if a person only has one bottle, who the hell are you to tell him he has to drink it fresh? Wanting to try it aged is equally valid, and with this beer in particular I would argue a much better idea.
     
  4. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Nobody is telling him to do anything. I even just said that aging a single bottle of Westy 12 is not unreasonable. Only giving a bit of suggested guidance based on experience...
     
  5. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,209) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    No, AReno00 effectively told him he has to try at least one fresh, and you did not disagree. I disagree.
     
  6. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Then we agree to disagree I suppose. I don't want to speak for him, but he seemed to be posing a good thought provoking question.

    I guess for me it just comes down to the fact that fresh, there is a near-100% chance the beer is 'good'. Waiting 3 years, your odds are significantly less than that. Aging is an inexact science, and even perfect conditions causes beers to go wonky all the time. (And lots of people cellar in less than perfect conditions) If you only have one, why take the chance that it tastes like crap?
     
  7. AReno00

    AReno00 Initiate (0) Apr 2, 2009 Massachusetts

    I didn't tell him to do anything. It just seems weird to hold on to a beer for a specific arbitrary time period (he said he was waiting a year) without having an idea where it started.
     
  8. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,209) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    What makes the most sense is to drink it at the point in time when he thinks it will be best. There is way too much emphasis on freshness in these forums. Most Belgian beers improve with age, this one in particular. The fresh IPA debate is merely annoying, but the fact that I'm the only one on here arguing that most Belgian beers improve with age is what's weird. Absurd, even.
     
  9. Knifestyles

    Knifestyles Initiate (0) Jun 7, 2005 New York

    You keep using that word..."improve".....that's what's really absurd.

    Who decides what's "improvement" vs. "change"? You?

    For someone with an Obama avatar, I'd imagine you'd understand the difference better than anyone....
     
  10. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,209) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

  11. AReno00

    AReno00 Initiate (0) Apr 2, 2009 Massachusetts

    How will he know when it's best without trying it first? Because someone on the internet told him it will be better in a year?
     
  12. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,209) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    How will he know when it's best if he does try it first? There are a limited number of bottles. You do your research, get lots of opinions, weigh them, learn about cellaring, learn about serving temperature, learn about glassware, and try to have the best possible experience. Not everybody has to be a mad scientist experimenter tasting one fresh and another one a year later (though I'd recommend a minimum of three years) and pretending that their memory and palate is soooo good that they can draw comparisons between the two. It is fun to do for sure, but not worth it for this beer IMHO.
     
  13. evilc

    evilc Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2012 California

    Buy 4. Keep one in the garage and subject it to 100F heat, freeze one, one in the fridge, and one in the cellar.
     
  14. templar316

    templar316 Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Other then the one I can't wait to drink, I'm planning to age the rest for years. There's no lack of evidence that they will get better with age.
     
  15. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I have one that's already two years aged. I'm toying with the idea of picking up a gift pack tomorrow, splitting it with a friend and trying one from the gift pack "fresh." (They're already a year aged in the gift pack correct?)
     
  16. Jagen

    Jagen Initiate (0) Oct 1, 2012 Illinois

    I am tempted to go get a gift pack but I really don't want to wait outside for 3 hours to do it...I have no idea how much the local store is getting or when the line will start to form
     
  17. brikelly

    brikelly Pundit (781) Apr 11, 2010 Massachusetts

    4 people waiting outside CBC in Belmont as of 8am according to FB. They are giving out tickets when they open at 10 which have to be used at 12.12 today to buy the case.
     
  18. Longstaff

    Longstaff Initiate (0) May 23, 2002 Massachusetts

    I thought they had a list and if you were on the list you were guaranteed a brick?
     
  19. PackieMcHopHead

    PackieMcHopHead Devotee (313) Oct 1, 2009 Massachusetts

    I have to say, I had some at the Festival back in April, and while I wanted to be impressed, I just wasn't. I wrote about it at the time on my blog here. http://ow.ly/g2tIz I'd like to try it again, but I'm not gonna take part in the hysteria today. Good luck to all!
     
  20. tehzachatak

    tehzachatak Initiate (0) Sep 19, 2010 Massachusetts

    They did a combination. They had a list of anyone who'd asked about it/etc. beforehand, and sounds like just about everyone from that list got the opportunity to reserve one, but they also had an additional 80 bricks on sale today, first come first serve for the tickets at 10. AFAIK, the people with the tickets still have to be there at 12:12.
     
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