April 2012 Cellar Reviews

Great news! I have 3 cases of the 2008 Blue Moon in the cellar that I picked up at the exclusive Walmart release party with a bunch of friends standing in line for me (self checkout rocks!), and I have been holding onto them because I really collect beer instead of drink it. Now that I hear that vintage is "peaking" I might crack one bottle.

 

Founders Backwoods Bastard, Vintage 2011 & 2010 side by side

From 12oz bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 4/5/12
*From notes

A: Dirty cider-crimson. A good pour yields a 2.5 finger head and decent if not middle of the road lacing. Solid collar and minor lacing follow.

S: Amazing stuff. Woody and sweet bourbon smother the base beer. Just about at peak in my humble opinion.

T: Starts out with a rush of brown liquor. It moves to the mid, where a sweet spine stands tall. The woody, tannic quality kicks in on the back to finish. Even after six months in the bottle, this is still rather hot. Yet it's toned down just enough to give you a good "pop". As it warms, lots of coconut and vanilla exude themselves, as they should. Lingering hints of dark brown sugar are warmly welcomed.

M: Sure it could be thicker, but it's pretty damn big as-is. Bold cabronation and a rich, complex feel add to the top notch presentation.

O: What a treat this beer is. And I'll be quite honest: I'm glad no one really talks about it. This is just as good, dare I say maybe even then some of their other BA offerings. At six months in, this is about at peak and drinking beautifully. A hearty recommendation for the BA Wee Heavy lovers, and beer geeks in general.

2010 Vintage

A: About the same. No real difference, other then a tad bit lighter in color.

S: The bourbon is much calmer. There's a big raisinated sweetness to the bouquet. Less coconut and vanilla, more straight wood.

T: Mellow. The heat subsided quite a bit. More dark, dried fruit and less whiskey. Shorter finish.

M: Actually thicker and bigger then the 2011. More carbonation, yet a silier feel.

A:3.5 / S:4 / T:4 / M:4.5 / O:4

Verdict: Drink this one around four to eight months after release for maximum enjoyment.

 

2009 Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Still remains coffee dominant and in both the aroma and taste the coffee aspects remain and are enjoyable. Seems to have lost a little complexity and the some of the malt character has oxidized a bit. Lost some lager quality too. Overall, still drinkable and a nice experiment.

 

2008 Bell's Eccentric Ale

I am not a regular reviewer, and have no skills. I will do my best:

I tried one 12oz bottle of this beer in 2010 (one year into my beer geekiness with no knowledge) between 12 insanely knowledgable people (including Chad from Crooked Stave) at one of my first tastings. I remember it being SOOO good. Raisins, malty, viscous, beautiful aroma. I desired more of it terribly, but this was definitely a one-off, especially for a Colorado geek.

Recently hooked up with a great BA who traded me some. Cracked one last night. Mmmm, mmmm! I think this one is either right a peak, or a tiny bit over (not enough to hurt it yet). I have never been good at recognizing oxidation, but I seem to think I may have sensed a bit. But it was so complex and flavorful. All of the fruits came through, along with honey, blah blah blah (read the bottle). It was all there. Like a calmer version of D'Extra. Very very good beer and glad I have some more to share and drink. 4/5

 

Bell's Batch 9,000

Still a ton of licorice, but way more drinkable now. Really sweet with lots of tangy caramel and toffee.

 

I also opened a b9000 two nights ago. I thought it was drinking fantastic. I normally don't care much for licorice - I dislike black jellybeans like no other. When Batch 9000 was fresh, the licorice flavor did turn me off. I really think this beer is developing pleasantly though. I still have 10 or 11 bottles - I am looking forward to this beer continuing to develop.

 

1999 cork date Liefmans Goudenband. 375ml bottle, first year (I think*) of the 8% version. The cork was crumpled inside the cage, fair amount of dredge on the neck of the bottle. Poured rough and tough into a Founders CBS snifter. Appeared to have very little carbonation. Color was a sludgy brown. Nose was nice. Some grape/wine notes, sour apple, generally sweet smelling. Taste was bright and crisp; In my opinion this beer delivered - I hadn't cellared this personally; was a random beer store pickup that absolutely made good on the 9 bucks that it cost. Three thumbs up.

 

Batch 2x3 RR Consecration:
Pours ruddy dark brown, tan head. Bottle gave a loud pop. Smell is cherries and slight vinegar, fresh nightshade, raisins, damn this smells good! Taste is similar, very complex, like dried cherries and raisins, viscous, full bodied,perfectly tart and acidic. Damn this one is good fellas! It you hav one, drink it! I can't think of a better time to drink a batch two, other than in a couple more years!

 

2010 St. Bernardus Abt 12

11.2 oz bottle with a best by date of 4-8-15 - so this is just over 2 years old. I've had this fresh a few times but never aged. Extremely nice appearance, excellent head retention and lacing, still well-carbonated obviously. Very fruity like always, but actually a little tart, not sure if that is from the age. Lots of dark fruits, plums and black cherries come to mind, yeast, spice and baked bread. Good stuff, not sure if it's improving with age or not though...

 

2009 C&C La Folie

Pours amber-reddish with khaki head. Smells fruity, cherries, toffee, caramel, slight sour lacto and faint vinegar. Taste is similar, sour is smooth and well integrated, slight cherry in the back, almost a salty quality to it. Body is medium and not cloying, slightly refreshing. Damn this was a good year.

 

2008 Victory Old Horizontal

Poured with some of the most sediment I've ever seen. Beer is starting to turn the corner a bit and maltiness has faded into some off-flavors. Rich syrupy finish is still there, but not nearly as good as a year or two earlier. My recommendation - if you have any, drink it. The best by date is 2013, though I'd argue it might have peaked about a year ago.

 

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

Bottled on 3/24/11.

Smell is still good with dark roasted malt, Cocoa Puffs cereal, and some slight woody aromas. Taste is also of dark roasted malt, cocoa beans, bitter cocoa powder, and a slight woody flavor. The chile used is still present as a warming in the back of the throat but not as prominent as when this beer is fresh. Still a good beer and it really doesn't seem to have fallen off too much.

 

Nice to know, have an 09' in the cellar. In my opinion, St. Bernardus Abt. 12 fresh or aged, is good stuff.

 

Why begrudge an offshoot of a passion you clearly have?

 

Had my first aged 120-minute last night. It was a 2009 vintage. I LOVE this beer fresh. It's probably in my top-10, so I was really excited to try this.

Drain pour. The first beer I actually poured down the drain.

It was the single sweetest beverage I've ever had. I couldn't taste much but a thick, sugary syrup. Except with a 18% ABV burn. It was very odd, just a truly unenjoyable experience. I did like the first few sips in an "oh, this is a sweet nectar of God" kind of way. And yes, I'd likely enjoy a 2-oz pour of this paired with dessert. But an entire 12oz bottle like I tried yesterday? Impossible.

 

Kuhnhenn 2007 Raspberry Eisbock

Well, this little nip bottle disappointed me. Those I've had over the years were bloody incredible, so I popped open my final bottle last night.

Sadly, it's beginning to oxidize, & the oxidation really pummeled the raspberry, to the point that it was a shadow of its former self, & the mouthfeel was much thinner than the after-dinner treat I remembered.

I'll wait for a new batch of this treat before trying to get any more.

 

I shared a 2010-2012 Bigfoot vert with some friends while we played poker last week.

2010: Hops are still surprisingly forward, with a long piney hop burn after each sip. More vanilla has started to come out, along with toffee, tobacco and leathery notes. Alcohol is noticeably calmer. Smooth body, dangerously drinkable.

2011: Loads of earthy and piney hops, caramel malt sweetness, more chocolate and coffee malt than 2010. Prickly mouthfeel and sticky finish. Less juicy than I remember it being fresh.

2012: More juicy fruit and dank hops, sweet caramel malt, pine resin, hints of vanilla and some dark fruit, earthy spice. Creamy mouthfeel and seems less hot than 2011.

The preferences were unanimously 2010, 2012, 2011, and this year's bottle was honestly almost as good as the 2010, but in a much more aggressive way. I've had a five year bottle before and it was sublime, so I hope my other 2010 bottle makes it that long!

 

2009 la folie wasn't C&C.. right? I'm guessing you had a 2008?

 

Negative. 2009 did both C&C and 22oz; C&C was done earlier in 09 (until springish I believe?) until they shifted to the 22 oz format. Besides that it said 09 on the bottle.

 

gotcha, I was wondering if that was the case... was just curious because I recently had an '09 from a 22 oz bomber, It was tasting pretty awesome, I imagine the C&C version of '09 is even better..