August 2015 Cellar Reviews

The bottle was recently given to me as an extra in a trade from Cali. I am not sure about how it was stored. Maybe that has something to do with the problem.

All I know is, I was bummed.

 

Man, I know I'm enjoying a beer when it takes me an hour. Actually, either that or I hate it. But a truly enjoyable beer that takes 60+ minutes to drink is an amazing thing.

 

Interesting. I have a few different Storm Kings to experiment with that have dates of 2016 and 2017. Good to hear the positive news

 

Agreed. I opened my last one in (I think) Feb/Mar this year. Still incredibly good. It was the perfect beer to share in line for the Side Project Biere de la Fantaisie release when snow was still on the ground.

 

Enjoying a 1 year old bottle of Expedition Stout right now. Bought a 6-pk last year with the intentions of aging out over 5 years.

Still intensly bitter, nice roast, super creamy as well. Chocolates, caramel, charred malt. Picking up a new savory type flavor, more so than i remember drinking a fresh bottle last year. Reminds me of the flavor I get in Ten Fidy, almost like a soy sauce.

Overall, im surprised at how bitter this still is, i expected more mellow smoothing...but i guess i'll have to wait. Such an incredible beer.

 

2-3 years is the sweet spot for Expedition...when it becomes absolutely world class.

 

Interesting....looking forward to next year then, i was expecting a big transformation, but didnt get it yet. Thats ok, good things come to those that wait. Plus side is its still an amazing beer.

 

FW Maltose Falcons. I enjoyed this beer fresh, but I think it's even better now, with ~9 months on it. Its closest cousin is probably §ucaba, but there's a richness, almost like high-quality peanut butter, that I don't remember in §ucaba, fresh or aged. Got another few bottles, which I'll let ride a while longer cuz why not, but there are no sharp edges (bitterness or heat) left on this puppy. 4.45/5.

 

I've mentioned this before, but we named our daughter Avery and so we bought a bunch of Avery beers (and still do) to share on special occasions. On her first birthday, I opened up a 2014 & 2015 Hog Heaven and a March '14 Samael, shared with my two brothers, my mom, and my step-dad-to-be.

The 2015 Hog Heaven was preferred by a wide margin over the 2014 edition, even by me. This surprises me because I generally like my barleywines on the maltier side. I've determined that I do like my American Barleywines just a little crisper and bitter. The fresher beer tasted fresher, cleaner, and little more complete of a beer (if that makes sense). The year-old version seemed to fall into some muddled mess, unidentifiable, really. In between a good barleywine and a not very good barleywine. Considering I like this beer fresh, I think I'll continue drinking it fresh.

On the other hand, Samael, which, at this point, had about 16 months on it was an absolute delight of a beer. 14.6% -- and tasting like it -- when fresh was too much. After the almost-year-and-a-half, the ABV was masked by a sweet, port wine-like brew. I thought this was a standout for me. Rich and decadent, some strong candy coming through the brew. I was really happy with it. I'm glad I bought a 2015 version. That'll be down in the basement for two years, at least. I can see this beer really evolving nicely.

Having said all this, super stoked for Mephistopheles and The Beast (the 2014's I have down in the hole). Come on, Avery, let's reach another milestone!

 

Beer: Coton
Brewery: The Bruery
Vintage: 2010
Cellar Notes: Kept in a cool (55-60F) basement since procurement in 2010.

Tasting Notes:
Poured a murky brownish/red colored body with a thin tan head. Minimal retention ring and lacing. Aroma has a small yet detectable note of wet cardboard (oxidizing), dark fruits (plums, prunes), and sweet candied caramel. On the palate, the oxidization is not as pronounced as in the nose but it is there up-front for a split second upon sipping. Huge rich dark fruits and sweet caramel malt dominate the palate. To me, this drinks more like a big Quad or Barleywine as opposed to what I normally get from an 'Old Ale.' Still good and enjoyable, but I cannot see this one getting any better at this point. I do not think this will age gracefully with oxidization that, for example, J.W. Lees does.

 

Had a late 2011-early 2012 Alesmith Speedway Stout. This is the beer that (previously) got me into cellaring. This one, at roughly 3.5 years, was sublime. Tons of chocolate, rich, yet slightly sweet. Mouthfeel as velvety as imaginable. Some light coffee notes still present, noticeable, but not stale.

Fresh Speedway is delicious. Speedway single origin coffees are delicious. Barrel-aged Speedways are delicious. Cellared Speedway is better than all of them. Going to buy a case for the cellar. All will sit for three years and I expect to open most between three and five years from bottling. Highly recommend finding bottles and sticking in the cellar.

 

2014 Barrelworks Curly Wolf. Heard the new batch was just released, and figured I'd better make space. Looking back at my review of it fresh, there's not much change. The bourbon is subtler now in aroma and taste, and I actually get a stronger maple note in the flavor, along with a bit more bitter smokiness. I'd say the dominant flavor now is ultra-dark-roasted (okay, burnt) coffee. 4.10/5.

 

Pretty Things Barbapapa bottled in December 2013, so just shy of two years old. Opened it at a share yesterday. Appearance as expected, dark black with good head retention. Dark Chocolate and Fruit notes of raisin/fig. Very smooth, had a creaminess to it and a dry finish. I gave it a 4/5, but there were some scores as high as 4.5 from the share group.

 

100% BA Cuir

This was cellared properly by the Bruery.

Showing it's age with oxidation, not as intensely as 25/75 Coton. The extra bourbon aging definitely adds a needed caramel richness as well as more whiskey, but the sherry and pale oak-cardboard flavors are definitely coming out, more-so on the taste.

Starting to think the anniversary series doesn't age that well - looking at untappd now, Bois seems to be doing very well and from old rave reviews 100Cuir was kicking hard around the 2 year mark

 

I had a 4 year old Samael awhile back. My tasting notes were "Graham cracker, cheese cake, gingerbread, unbelievable". Definitely worth holding onto a couple of bottles.

 

2012 bottle of Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine:

A - Like a typical barleywine, a very hazy burnt orange/light brown. Not very attractive, but so it goes.

N - Whoa, huge aroma of bourbon, vanilla, chewy caramel, more bourbon, with a slight bitterness. Luscious.

T - Yowza. The same as the nose but multiplied. Lots of caramel, bourbon sweetness, and that slight hint of bitterness. I get a little bit of booze. Honestly, it's not much different than a fresh bottle, but that's still amazing.

M - This might be where the cellaring added a little something. This is superb on the palate. I'll mention the chewy caramel again, because it's almost that thick. It's rich, decadent, and completely coats the mouth. So good.

O - Yep, this one certainly bears aging well. Maybe next time I'll wait 5 years.

 

I wish I knew how much beer they retained in the barrels for their solera method. I say this because the Bruery old ales have been one of the main reasons I continue to be a member of their society. However, in my opinion, Bois was showing unusually exaggerated oxidation flavor at only 1 year in the bottle (across all barrel aged variations.) Having said that, I didnt have them fresh to note a difference 1 year made. While I continue to buy the anniversary ales, I actually havent drank any since before sucre came out. Ive always wondered if any of the bottlings included different ratios of older beer to make them taste more aged right out the gate.

Thank you very much for this commentary. I believe I have a bottle from '09/'10 and each time I see it in passing I think...well, its already been aged this many years, might as well see how far I can push it. Your words are encouraging enough that now im anxious to drink it instead of neglect it any longer.