June Cellar Reviews

Hmm, a number of reviews here on BA and elsewhere on the web mention the peppery qualities of this beer. Wonder what it is we're picking up on?? (Not being a smartass; I trust my palate and am genuinely curious.)

 

Deschutes Jubel 2010-

Lots of carbonation, smells of toffee, carob, molasses, raisins, figs and prunes. Taste is complex, raisins, toffee, tobacco, leather, and prunes. Mouthfeel is still doing great, I don't think this one is close to peaking yet, don't know if it will go a decade, but I speculate at least 4 more years.

 

I can see what you are talking about, but I think it is actually a combination of the orange and coffee aging together. Perhaps that is where they got the idea to put the peppers in subsequent batches? "hey this kinda tastes like pepper, maybe we should..."

 

I believe orange zest wasn't an ingredient in the Black Butte Anniversary beers until XXII/XXIII: see http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/black-butte-xxi-porter versus http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/black-butte-xxiii.

 

Yes it was only in 21 I believe, but what I was saying was that the combination of flavors from 21 could have led to the addition of peppers in subsequent batches.

 

A beautiful beer no doubt. Kinda bummed I only have 2 left.

 

Gotcha, I thought that when you stated that you thought the pepper flavor in XXI was from coffee and orange aging together you thought that XXI had coffee and orange.

 

Er no, actually I incorrectly attributed orange to 21. But the basic point of my post was sound, in that the flavors- to me any way- tasted like it had some slight pepper in it. At least that is what I thought when I had it fresh. 我不好意思。

 

2008 Old Guardian. There's still an impressive dose of bitterness and citrus pith underneath emerging buttery toffee and orange marmalade. A lot closer to a "finished" product than the Bigfoot of the same vintage I had earlier this week. I love Old Guardian fresh, but it seems to age gracefully as well.

2010 SN 30th Fritz and Ken's ale. A helluva looker with a pillowy cap of foam and tons of lacing. Some oxidation has kicked in, lending some sherry notes and a hint of leather. It's developed some nice complexity and, IMO, has definitely improved with age.

 

2008 BCBS: Been wanting to open this one for a while. I haven't had BCBS for a couple of years; kinda wish I had better memories of what this beer tastes like fresh. The pour is one of the thickest I've seen. Pours midnight black with very little head. A touch of milky coffee coloured head clings to the edge of the glass, and by gum this beer has legs. I can smell it well before it put it to my nose as well. Mostly chocolate fudge with bourbon. Hints of cherry and sherry or port as well. The flavour is just outstanding. Far sweeter than I usually go for, the cherry and sherry/port notes come through a lot stronger, as do the roasted malts, but the fudge and bourbon are still pretty strong. Kinda like a mix between Cherry Adam and a good impy stout, (I'm thinking Abyss maybe). Still has a strong alcohol bite, and the combination of it all reminds me quite a bit of star anise. Hints of carob and a vague nuttiness (hazelnuts?) come through as the beer warms. Really just wonderful. The mouthfeel is spot-on. Thick and rich. More oily than creamy, but it works well for this beer. One of the best I've had in a damn long while. Stoked I've got another bottle in the cellar!

 

Shared a 07, 08, 09 , 11 vertical with friends

07 was tasty, but had definite sherry notes that were out of place for me in this beer.
08 was sublime. I kick myself for ever trading some away. My favorite beer ever probably. Rich chocolate, vanilla sweet bourbon and tons of awesome.
09 (22oz) was the clear outcast of the bunch. It didn't taste like part of the family at all. The body was thinner, not nearly as much chocolate or vanilla and overall a different beer. It seemed like it was slightly more bitter, slightly hotter but less bourbon sweetness and less woody. Sad, because it's a great beer, just not as fantastic as the others and quite different. It's on a different path than the other three. It'll never be an 08 or 07.
11 was super close to the 08. Rich and dreamy. Shocked at how close to the 08 it was.

My rankings: 08, 11, 07, 09
Others ranked 08, 07, 11, 09

Even three ways, that was a lot of BCBS for one night.

* note all had been in the care of the same guy who bought them all off the shelf. We opened all 4 at once, but we were all aware of the vintage in each glass. This was not blind.

 

2002 Alaskan Smoked Porter - Poured into a Duvel glass. Nice head from an agressive pour, pours dark brown with a medium tan head. Light smoke and char on the nose. Much of the smoke has faded from this thing - just a touch on the finish - this thing is nice, smooth, round, with a lot of balance. No signs of oxidation and the mouthfeel is creamy. This thing has really held up. I picked this on up a few months back after an Alaskan event where the brewery brought bottles from their cellar, signed by the brewers. I suspect this one has been well cared for since bottling. This is a great cellar experiment and has definately held up - would definately try again if I found one that had proper cellaring.

 

This. This is an old beer. WOW. Where'd you happen across that one?

I'm impressed and both amused because every is posting about very good aged beers, but nothing like '58 vintage. You're only the second person I've ever heard/read that have tried the 1958 (and at least written about it on the internet).

 

I opened an 09 a week or two ago and it tasted very, very similar to this. The carbonation was still perfect on it as well. At least for the 09, I wouldn't be surprised for it to hold up for 3 more years.

 

Are you thinking of Jubelale? Jubel 2010 is the vintage treatment they make every 10 years.

 

Yep, oops that's my bad. Quick read it and just glossed over that.

 

COAST Blackbeerd bottled February 2010. It's developed a surprising amount of pleasant fruitiness- Concord grapes, a hint of blackberry. The huge roasted and burnt malts are still a major part of the overall flavor profile, but it's more of a well-rounded imperial stout now. It's certainly lacking the signature dry char of fresh Blackbeerd, though. To enjoy a unique take on the style, I'd suggest trying Blackbeerd fresh. But, it certainly develops nicely with age. Had a similar experience with an '09 bottle recently, although the fruitiness wasn't as strong in that one.

 

Missed out on the editing timeframe, but let the record show the char returned with a vengeance as this approached room temperature. Blackbeerd continues to be a challenging yet enjoyable take on the style, and the best of the big Carolina stouts for my $.

 

2010 Black Albert

Year bottled is a fair estimate, I purchased it in summer 2010 so I'm guessing this is 2-2.5 years old. Bottle notches are B-6-BB (?)... I've had this twice before IIRC, once from the bottle and once on-tap, never aged though. Unfortunately haven't been able to listen to "The Brabanconne" during any of these tastings. Pours just about pitch black w/ a tan head, quite a bit of flecks floating around. From what I remember from previous samplings, this was very dark fruit forward with the stout characteristics overshadowed, it seems to have all melded better with age. Dark Belgian flavors still seem to have the slight upper hand, but the flavor is much more well-rounded, with notes of dark fruits, plum, red wine, roasted malt, caramelly chocolate malts and some signature De Struise/Pannepot leather. Nice flavor definitely but somehow lacks the depth of many big Belgians. Mouthfeel is certainly a highlight - very smooth, still well-carbonated, and absolutely no sign of the ABV - the fact that this is 13% is staggering. Very happy to revisit this beer, not sure how it would age, but I preferred this to the fresh ones I've had. $10/bottle is harsh, but I'd probably pick up a couple more if I only I could find it again...