The Half-Acre thread (2018)

I think it's a big step to assume people are reporting infected bottles. It could be simple as people asking them when the sweet spot is or how long Benthic will last, or people reporting that certain flavors aren't as good as when the had it at Big North or somewhere else.

Has anyone opened a bottle recently? I admittedly haven't opened either of mine. I intended to over the holidays, but other bottles seemed to get in the way. I'll have to remedy that soon.

 

Of course any brewery is going to want you to drink now and not sit on anything in hopes of you buying more.......I say you bought it do what you please!

 

From a financial standpoint I actually I think a brewery would wish people would hoard a case or more of a beer for their cellar or whatever. Isn't that what cellaring beer amounts to really? An opportunity to buy more beer than one can consume at any given point in time?

 

If I had to guess, I'd say the former is more likely as what, Benthic has just been released not too long ago and they do mention a year in their instagram post. Unless it was for Big Hugs or something else...

 

Exactly. Deschutes is the only brewery I've come across that has a best "after" date on Abyss and Black Butte Anniversary. I didn't see that on the 2016 Abyss or variants though.

My point being is you bought or obtained the beer, do what you will. If you got only 1 beer that might be a cellar candidate, I've say drink it up, nothing to compare it to. If you have 2 bottles, drink 1 now and sit on the other.

 

In my opinion, Abyss is definitely better after a year or two (where the wine really starts to come out). However, I can see the argument that a lot of the adjunct stouts and/or very hoppy stouts are better fresh, when their ingredients shine through more. Obvious exceptions are beers that have too much alcohol heat initially, but HA does make a good point about releasing beers with the idea that they're ready to drink now.

On the other hand, I think one of the Floyd's (Nick?) has come out and specifically said he wouldn't drink fresh DL, and would instead drink it with a couple years on it, so clearly not every brewer is on the same page with this.

I'll definitely say that while the OG Rare I had in 2015 was fantastic, it didn't taste like a beer that had been actively improving for 5 years.

 

I think FFF only release things when they are at their peak. When asked they've all said "It's drinking great now."

Aging is what leads to stocking up which leads to all this craziness...

 

Yeah, the stocking up thing is definitely a problem, and I say that as someone who will sit on BA beers for years, if only because I can't bring myself to drink them. My New Year's resolution is to drink my damn beer!

 

I'm just getting into the whole aging thing. Pretty much the sole reason I'm doing it is because I can't find enough reason/anyone to split my shit with. Was talking to one of the guys at Binny's and he was like, "I can't find anyone to share with. Every time I set up a bottle share people keep canceling. I guess I'll just have to drink my damn beer."

I think this sums up the whole thing nicely. I feel it's a little of the snake eating its own tail. There's too many fucking releases, can't drink all your super cool beer, save it for a good time, that good time never comes, there's another beer release.

I don't think necessarily that aging and saving is a big contributor to the hoarding madness but can more or less be a symptom. I get that you should drink this shit fresh, but who's going to look at a bottle they spend $25 on and how ever many hours waiting in line for and go, "Gee, today is a good day to drink this beer that might not be brewed ever again."

 

I know that there's people who do this, and nothing against them, I'm just using what I typically run into as a short example.

 

I think this is what a lot of people do. They buy 2 cases of a 13% barrel aged stout and then its like "oh fuck who do I drink this with? I don't have any friends". Then they are sitting on 24 bottles of beer for years because they open maybe....one every few months. Because that's on top of all the other cases of beers they've been hoarding.

 

Not having a family, dying with a closet full of beer is a top 5 fear. A Saturday afternoon Hawks game is as good as any for me.

 

I don't even think it's that. You can buy one rare or high priced beer and it just doesn't seem worthwhile to drink it on your own. I know I had grandiose plans for my cellar when friends would have regular beer tastings before everyone got married and had kids and now can't find time to get together. "Want to come over and have some 2010 Rare?" "Nope, can't do it tonight." This is supposed to be a communal thing and I suspect a lot of it ends up consumed in isolation. That's why I wish there were more bottle share events- some bar/restaurant with food and space should put something on.

 

fantastic idea in theory, but probably difficult (and maybe not even profitable) to produce and execute.

 

Been a few years since they did this... Canned GDDC.

 

Man, Half Acre is killing it right now.

 

If I get better news than this today, it's gonna be a hell of a good day.

 

Beer Hates Astronaut cans?

 

I mean, granted, yes, but usually that's a summer release, so I'm trying not to be greedy.

 

Isn't GDDC usually a summer release, too?