KBS fresh or aged?

To my palate fresh KBS is wayyyyy better than aged. I've had pours from >1 year old bottles and kegs and they were nowhere near as interesting as the fresh from the same batch..

 

I just had '12 and '13 side by side and I like the aged version much better. 2013 was like chewing coffee and trying to rinse out the taste with beer for me, just too much.

 

I finally opened up my 4 year vertical of KBS last night. Here are the notes:

2010 - Excellent. I thought it was going to be bad, but the coffee and chocolate had mellowed, the vanilla had rounded out and integrated. There was no harsh notes at all.

2011 - Very good. There was more coffee and there was a bit of booze. The flavors hadn't integrated as well as the 2010.

2012 - Good. I don't know if the bottle was off. But the astringency from the coffee was very up front, and the booze was very present.

2013 - Excellent. Super fresh coffee, mellow chocolate and up front barrel notes.

It was a toss up between 2010 and 2013 for a favorite. I ended up going with: 2013, 2010, 2011, 2012 in that order. A neat little experiment that i probably won't end up doing again. I typically just left 1 to age from each year, so I don't really even have a choice.

 

Nice. Ive got a 4 year vertical right now but i think i might wait until it becomes a 5 year to open them.
In other news, i opened a bottle of 2012 KBS last night. For me, the coffee had faded leaving way for the vanilla and bourbon. Quite delicious i must say.

 

Agreed FBS loses coffee and doesn't improve with age KBS on the other hand is better aged at least IMO try it with one bottle doesn't really lose the coffee just mixes with the other flavors but FBS isn't the base beer for KBS like some people seem to think.

 

Had a '12 bottle in February and I found it better than Black Note '13 (12oz), BBPt5 '12, BA Blackout '13, CW BBS '13, and Arcadia BBS '12. (Note: the 2013 bottles may have needed more time to age for a similar comparison; could try it again with the 2013 KBS but I ran out of BA Blackout, CW BBS, and Arcadia BBS)

When I had the '13 KBS, it was definitely (too) coffee-strong and harsher on the bourbon barrel side. In comparison, the '12 was a complex and balanced of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee.

Definitely a little aged. Though if it's like FBS, not too aged. FBS is good with 3-6 months on it; it's not so great after 9 months.

 

I just drank a '12 on Saturday, and to me it was definitely akin to an "adult" chocolate coffee milkshake with vanilla splashed in, incredible beer. Haven't had a bottle older than that so I can't comment on it with more age, but still.

 

I have to echo those who enjoyed the '12 (with a year on it). I just had a '12 and '13 side by side tonight. The '13 is phenomenally balanced and smooth, but the '12 had this fantastic bourbon chocolate vanilla thing going on. The coffee gives way to the bourbon, but in a wonderfully warm and controlled way. I have to say I loved it with a year on it, and will likely save one of my remaining '13s for next year. I will likely drink more of my KBS fresh than aged, but it's not a terrible idea to hold onto a bottle.

 

I had 2014, 2015, and 2016 on draft at KBS week last Saturday. I was also lucky enough to get the noon pouring of CBS, which was the only release on the day. The CBS I was told was brewed and kegged in December 2014. The 2014 KBS was definitely my favorite. The '16 is great, but the bourbon kind of punches you in the mouth. Lot of sting on it. The 2014 was mellowed, and was truly fantastic. This is the first year I've had bottles, as I picked mine up on Friday. I am planning on aging a least one maybe two of the four packs.

 

Thanks for the data point on the 2014. I may be in line to grab a vintage bottle or two later this week, so I've been intrigued to know which older versions are showing well at this point.

Anyone else have an aged KBS bottle recently? I drank one of my 2015's a week ago and loved it, so I'm wondering if others (at least those that generally like KBS with age) have had any 2013 or 2014 bottles recently.

 

Add another vote for the 'fresh' camp.

I had the 2014 maybe a month or two ago, and the 'heat' that adds that bite to KBS (which I like when fresh) is entirely gone. The 2014 was smooth and the chocolate note was very noticeable... coffee faded a bit but you could still tell it's there. By no mean was it bad, but I really like the complexity and coffee component in your face when it's fresh.

 

Had the 14 in 14 and it was great. Had the 14 in 15 and it was great. So basically it's great.

If you get two, drink one and age one.

 

Is there a beer that BAs are more divided on whether or not to age than KBS?

 

Last year I did a '11-'15 vertical. Consensus in our group was '13 was the best tasting. Coffee had faded a bit, more chocolate and vanilla made it's presence.
That being said, this year's freshies are tasting phenomenal!

 

Like it fresh just a bit more than aged, mostly for the coffee flavor.

 

I had the 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 last night. 2012 had no coffee/chocolate/bourbon flavors left at all - it wasn't bad, but it tasted just like a regular imperial stout. 2014 was pretty good with mostly chocolate flavors and not really any coffee, but I would say it was below 2015 and 2016. 2015 had a lot of chocolate and I still got some coffee, whereas the 2016 was full on coffee flavor. It seems like my ideal range is to drink these within 12-18 months of release based on this.

 

This year's (2016) fresh is really balanced already IMHO. barrel aspects already muted a bit (which I like ) and coffee and chocolate shine. So I will be attempting to drink my allotment fresh this year.

 

Who is to say which is "better" one way or another? It really depends on what your personal preference is. Certainly, some aspects of the flavor profile on the beer change if it is aged for a few months. But it is hard to quantify which is "better" in terms of enjoying aged versus enjoying it fresh.

Eric

 

Looking forward to trying 15 and 16 side by side tonight.

 

If you don't prefer coffee or barrel character then why buy a barrel aged beer made with coffee? There are a ton of Imperial stouts you can buy off the shelf that taste that way now.

Had a 2015 last week and while it was fantastic, there's no coffee which is what I want in a KBS