October Cellar Reviews

Not old by Cellar Reviews standards, but having Clown Shoes' Gargoyle Love Song now. Review fresh here. Worth pointing out that I have been loving the absolute shit out of some brandy barreled beers lately (namely Old Stock CR 2011 and FW's Maltose Falcons).

Bomber dated 10/10/14 (one year ago today) into a Teku at cellar temp.

Look: incredibly dark fudgy brown with a light brown head. Looks thick and awesome. 4.75/5.

Smell: cinnamon, milk chocolate, dessert wine, iron (I get this in so many stouts and have never seen it from anyone else...), dust. 4/5.

Taste: first sip reveals too much to make any sense of any one element. Subsequent attempts give fruit up front (more like plum than grape), powdered chocolate, oak, char, some earthiness, leather. As it warms, the fruit develops more depth. Not particularly sweet. 4.5/5.

Feel: silky, chewy, but somehow with a medium body. Fairly dry. 4.25/5.

Overall: I'm trying to think of another beer that changes gears mid-sip as forcefully as this one does. The cognac leads the way and then transitions quite abruptly to a burly, bitter (in a good way) stout. The flavors don't integrate, exactly, but they do complement each other and create an interesting juxtaposition. My major gripe is that the base beer is just too dominant; if the cognac were on equal footing, this would be a 4.75 beer. As it is, it's still interesting and tasty. Of stouts in the same general ballpark, I'd put it above Velvet Merkin and w00tstout 2.0, and a bit below w00tstout 3.0 and Monster's Park. 4.25/5.

Edit: I didn't re-read my own prior review of this before today's tasting; love seeing consistency of things like "powdered chocolate", "slick/silky feel", etc. Makes me a wee bit surer I'm not just pulling things out of my ass...

 

Also, was shocked on looking at the bottle to see it's 14% abv. It drinks like 8-9%; I figured it was probably a well-masked 10-11%. Don't know that I've ever had a beer that does a better job hiding its abv.

 

After hearing how Terrapin Wake n Bake doesn't cellar well, I opened (last night) the only bottle that I had left from 2014. I was blown away! It was much better than fresh. It had tons of coffee and was extremely smooth. The amount of coffee flavor was much greater than fresh 2014 FBS.

 

I just dug out some Devils Backbone Pumpkin Hunter and Dogfish Head Punkin that I'd inadvertently left in the cellar from last year. I compared them to the fresh ones and I don't think I'll ever drink a fresh pumpkin beer again! The sweetness gets tucked under the blanket of the rich malts and all the spices and genuine pumpkin flavors stand out a bit more. In particular, they tend to taste less like pumpkin beers and more like really nicely spiced nutmeg/cardamom/cinnamon/allspice dark ales. I think I'm going to start collecting a bunch from this year and leave them downstairs in the "Do Not Touch" box for another 2 or 3 years.

 

Speaking of pumpkin ales, though not as old, just had Almanac Heirloom Pumpkin:

October 2014 bottle into a Teku at cellar temp.

Look: hazy slightly orange brown, good head that never shows any sign of diminishing. (4.5/5)

Smell: pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin (which isn't a given in this style, and is welcome), booze, tart cherry. (4/5)

Taste: pumpkin, mild tang, grape. Surprisingly little pumpkin pie spice (again, welcome). (4.5/5)

Feel: on the full side of medium-bodied, very creamy, and just a bit of dryness toward the end. (4.75/5)

Overall: I've heard rumors of infection, and even though I do get a bit of something that might be described as tart, I think it's pretty clearly just the brandy influence. And even though that element doesn't meld quite as nicely with the pumpkin as you might like, those elements are interesting and delicious enough on their own that it adds up to a really good beer. Definitely preferred to Avery's BA pumpkin beers (despite my swearing off Almanac beers due to their price, I'll buy this again if ever I see it, while the same wasn't true of Rumpkin). (4.5/5)

 

2009 BA Speedway. This was the last beer release that I waited in line for. I remember it being at least a couple of hours and the whole thing turned into a mess. Decided to open this to share with some good friends who were in town. Let's just say it was worth the wait.

The smell was light and almost cola-like. This has thinned just a little, which of course is to be expected given the 6 years. There is barely any coffee left and the palate is dominated by a mellow fudge-like bourbon taste. The heat is all gone from this one and there is some light sherry type thing going on but all the flavors meld in an extremely nice way without much hint of cardboard-y flavors.

Overall, I was very surprised at how well this has aged. I am typically one of the proponents of "don't cellar barrel aged beers" philosophy. But man was I wrong on this one. If anyone is lucky enough to have this in their cellar, drink it now.

 

November 2014 Brewery Vivant Tart Side of the Moon

Not entirely a cellar review, but I found this in the back of my fridge and it's almost a year old so I drank it last night.

Pours an opaque black with a brown head that dissipates to lace and disappears after a few minutes. Smells tart, but subdued. The mouthfeel was super smooth, maybe the best thing about this beer at this age. Really great mouthfeel. The dark chocolate flavor was still present, but the black cherry notes fell out. Tartness wasn't as present as fresh, but still there.

This beer is just as good as it was fresh, just really depends on what you like out of a sour "dark farmhouse" ale.

 

Firestone XVII

I know that I opened a bottle of this last winter but can't find the review anywhere in this forum, so nothing solid to compare it to unfortunately.

Nose starts with lots of toasted malts and a hit of bitter chocolate, the Bravo really shows itself here. Oaky but not super bourbon forward, not getting a whole lot of vanilla or caramel. Taste follows suit with the nose, kind of like a slightly over-baked chocolate chip cookie, enveloped in moderate woodiness. Mouthfeel is moderate, doesn't seem to be thinning to any worrying extent, and there is definitely a good amount of warmth, but definitely no heat left. Overall very solid with a lot of the imperial brown ale coming through, but the barrel aspects are definitely starting to diminish, and any fullness that was originally contributed by the barleywine components is definitely diminished significantly. I will probably open another in a few months to see what direction it is going and whether it becomes a drink sooner rather than later type of situation.

 

2012 BCBS

This is my first taste of anything from this series. A buddy who got me into the craft scene a few years back heard me talking about this legend and one day pulled out this 3 year old version from his enviable beer fridge and placed it in my unworthy grip. I'd been sitting on it, faithful as Horton, and decided to give it a go tonight. This is like chocolified prune juice. The bourbon is in full effect on the nose while the taste is just, honestly at this point, 2/3 through the bottle, just a delectable dessert mess. I can't even pull apart the individual flavors because they just work so damn well together. Impressed.

 

2013 Schneider Weisse Tap X Aventinus Cuvée Barrique.

750ml dated 8/16/13 (2 years, 2 months, and 2 days ago, cuz OCD) into a Duvel tulip at cellar temp.

Look: reddish brown, with large fluffy head that fades quickly. (4/5)

Smell: apple cider vinegar, molasses. (4.25/5)

Taste: mildly tart apple juice, with a fair bit of sweetness up front that gives way to a biting bitterness. (4.25/5)

Feel: a bit syrupy, almost still. (4/5)

Overall: looking back at my notes from 10 months ago, not seeing much difference. Still prefer Rodenbach Vintage, or probably even Rodenbach Grand Cru, but this is nice nonetheless. (4/5)

 

2013 Fou Foune - I typically do not cellar Fou, but this made me change my mind a bit. Not overly acetic and still super fruity/jammy with a great tartness. I have some older Fou (for science) and look forward to doing a vertical someday.

 

Deschutes' Not the Stoic, best after 4/22/15 (i.e., 6 months ago). Rated this a lowly 3.5 fresh. Waxed bomber into a Teku at cellar temp.

Look: rich mahogany with very minimal head despite a vigorous pour. (4.25/5)
Smell: overripe banana, clove, vanilla, oak, salted caramel, strawberry/cherry. (4.25/5)
Taste: rich berry jam, classic quad banana/spice, vanilla/coconut/oak on the end. (4.5/5)
Feel: a bit on the heavy side, but tolerable, and not at all dry. (4/5)
Overall: this has certainly improved markedly from fresh. I wish the initial berry jam flavor lingered more, and the mouthfeel doesn't have the fluffiness I associate with great quads, but otherwise this is pretty impressive. (4.25/5)

 

Burton baton bottled may 2014
Look dark murky orange with almost no head.
Smell sweet malt peach and citrus fruits and vanilla.
Taste sweet malty, peach and citrus with some vanilla oakiness. Finishes with a slight hoppy bitterness.
Mouth feel was medium full with slight carbonation.
Great beer that should age well even longer.

 

We popped a bottle of Luscious last week that is drinking astoundingly well. Still bright and perhaps a bit more blended, still lots of roast and chocolate, the creaminess is now joined by just a hint of sherry that really compliments. Sweet notes have kicked back a touch, and alcohol that once was a light spicy note, is now MIA. Could be at its peak.

 

Cracked open a 2011-2012 Tilquin Oude Gueuze.

S- still smells slightly acidic, much less than when this beer is fresh. Lots of fruity aromas. Heavy mineral presence which I think is really nice.

T- acidity is much less strong, but it still has a nice sour bite. Lots of mineral presence just like in the nose. Much more fruity presence compared to fresh as well. The flavors are just starting to meld together nicely. Light funk presence.

M- Very well carbonated still. Still pretty dry. Very very nice. The carbonation will remain stable for the long haul.

O- This is just now starting to see changes compared to a fresh bottle of this gueuze brand. It is beginning to bring flavors in a nice balance, but it has a long way to go. This is my first taste of this gueuze with a few years on a bottle and I think this is a beer that will be very hearty and interesting in 10, 15, 20 years as well as anywhere in between. I like the big sour monster that this beer is when fresh, but see ridiculous potential as this develops over time and becomes balanced and nauanced.

 

2012 Palo Santo Marron bottled 08-14-2012

The sharp woody flavors from the fresh were gone and created a nice smooth, boozy sipper. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy this one fresh but a few years makes it really different and tasty. The aroma was very similar to fresh but had less oaky notes and more dark fruits aromas. The finish was my favorite part. The last few sips, now at room temperature, were amazing. Complex, sweet, woody and boozy.

I recently picked up 12 more bottles to cellar for a few more years.

 

Schell's Stag Series #7: Barleywine. Bottled March 2013.

Poured cellar temperature. Aged about 2 years, 8 months. Never had fresh.

A: Pours a burnt reddish orange with an off white head that leaves a thin film on the beer.
S: Cocoa, malt, faded hops, leather, caramel sweetness.
T: Caramel, candy sweetness, a bit spicy. Pretty basic.
M: Medium. Perfect for the ABV.
O: This is a basic barleywine and it delivers what's expected of it. In a world full of barrel aging and adjuncts, such a beer can be under-appreciated. So I'm trying not to do that. Cheers.

 

Pulled out a Black Xantus, Batch 2 from @KevSal . I think bottled in 2011, so pretty close to the 4 year mark.

Fresh, this this has a lot of coffee and chocolate with some bourbon oak notes and was a little rough around the edges.

Four years into progress, the coffee is all but non-existent on the nose (which is expected). However, the chocolate and barrel characteristics have also faded from the nose pretty hard. It smells a little musty at this point, pretty similar to how other big stouts turn around this time point...becoming a shell of their former self.

After the disappointment of the nose, the taste was fantastic. Oxidized, sweet coffee and chocolate with soy sauce and dark fruits roaming around. The barrel characteristics add a really nice touch of vanilla sweetness that I don't remember from the past. Finishes dry and boozy - the 11% abv is all but forgotten at this point.

If you have any at the 4 year mark, get after it soon. I was surprised how well this held up...one of the better post-three year beers I have had in a long time.