PNW Stouts

Discussion in 'Northwest' started by drone, Oct 30, 2016.

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  1. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I noticed that as well. Almost pulled the trigger on a bottle of the 2008. Almost. :sunglasses:

    What really surprised me was that the vertical included the 09. Maybe Belmont is hoping that people have forgotten that the 09 vintage was infected and that Deschutes was refunding the purchase price to those who returned their infected bottles. It's hard to even imagine just how nasty infected bottles of the 09 must be tasting now.
     
    #361 John_M, Nov 27, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2018
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  2. drone

    drone Savant (1,224) Jun 17, 2013 Oregon
    Trader

    How well does The Abyss hold up to that kind of aging? Oldest vintage I think I've had was 3-4 years, and while it was good, I think it loses a lot of complexity and nuance. I've preferred it fresh in years past.
     
    #362 drone, Nov 28, 2018
  3. honkduh

    honkduh Initiate (0) Jun 2, 2011 Oregon

    Not all batches of 09 were infected.
     
    #363 honkduh, Nov 28, 2018
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  4. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    None of mine were, and I've still got a couple left.
     
    #364 BBThunderbolt, Nov 28, 2018
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  5. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    In my experience over the years, this is not accurate. I realize this is what Deschutes espoused initially, and in fact it's a position I originally subscribed to and argued. However, after drinking a number of bottles over the years, my impression is that the amount of infection was a matter of degree. In fact, I actually enjoyed some of the 09's early on, as the infection imparted an interesting and enjoyable sour cherry flavor. However, I'm now convinced that there are no "uninfected" bottles of the 09.

    All that aside, assuming BS is aware that at least some of the beers they're selling are infected, it seems odd to me that they're willing to go ahead and try to sell those beers at $30 a pop, without at least providing some "buyer be ware" warning. Personally, I expect better from BS.
     
    #365 John_M, Nov 28, 2018
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  6. Joshbiir

    Joshbiir Initiate (0) Dec 8, 2016 Washington

    They sold the green monster at a premium price knowing it is absolutely foul too.
     
    #366 Joshbiir, Nov 28, 2018
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  7. derftron

    derftron Pooh-Bah (1,663) Feb 8, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    I had an infected bottle of ‘09 in 2015. Actually wasn’t horrible. Tastes more like a red wine. Wasn’t anything like the Bourbon County Barleywine from 2015 that was infected. That taste still haunts me
     
    #367 derftron, Nov 28, 2018
  8. LockeNess33

    LockeNess33 Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2016 Oregon

    Couple of years back I picked up a 2009 Abyss before I was aware of the infections that year (wasn't living in the NW at the time). Once I learned of it, I contacted the brewery and they confirmed that not all of the 2009 bottles were infected. Here's a snippet of their response:

    "Unfortunately, as you have read; some bottles of the 2009 vintage of The Abyss were infected with lactobacillus leftover from the Pinot Noir barrels we used to age the beer. This did create a slightly sour characteristic in some bottles, but certainly not all. We generally recommend enjoying our Reserve Series beers like The Abyss within 1-5 years of packaging, but we have gotten messages from fans recently that have opened bottles of The Abyss '09 that thought the beer was great!"

    They did still offer to refund the purchase price if I opened it and didn't care for it.
     
    #368 LockeNess33, Nov 28, 2018
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  9. distantmantra

    distantmantra Pooh-Bah (2,954) May 23, 2011 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    The Winco's in the Seattle suburbs have been getting similar beers the last year or os.
     
    #369 distantmantra, Nov 28, 2018
  10. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Take a closer look at the snippet you provided. Does it really say that not all bottles of the 2009 were infected, or just that the infection wasn't detectable in some bottles? If it's the latter, then I would agree with the snippet.

    I bought a considerable number of bottles of the 09, and was able to detect the infection in probably less than half of them. However, as time went by, that turned out to be the case in fewer and fewer bottles I opened. After a couple of years, pretty much every bottle I opened showed some signs of infection, though in a number of instances I didn't find the effect of the infection to be objectionable. The last couple of bottles I opened (3 or 4 years later at a bottle share back East), at least to my palate the beer was pretty much undrinkable.

    The 09 Abyss is now close to 10 years old, and to be honest, I shudder to think what the beer probably tastes like now. I doubt it will be a pleasant experience for anyone.
     
    #370 John_M, Nov 28, 2018
  11. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    My buddy Chris' birthday is Friday. Maybe we'll open one. For science.
     
    #371 BBThunderbolt, Nov 28, 2018
  12. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    LOL. If you do, please report back. I'd love to hear what you think.
     
    #372 John_M, Nov 28, 2018
  13. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    None of mine have been infected. Some of my friends had bad bottles, but, not me.
     
    #373 BBThunderbolt, Nov 28, 2018
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  14. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Are you sure you aren't related to Gary Fish? :sunglasses:


    My recollection is that Deschutes also had a very difficult time detecting any discernible infection or taint in their lab, despite all the reports from concerned and unhappy customers.
     
    #374 John_M, Nov 29, 2018
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  15. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I was, I'd be living in Bend.
     
    #375 BBThunderbolt, Nov 29, 2018
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  16. vurt

    vurt Grand Pooh-Bah (4,504) Apr 11, 2004 Oregon
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Block 15 Maple is well worth your time: a robust porter with three dimensions of maple. Brewed with maple sugar, fermented with maple syrup, and conditioned on sugar maple wood. Not too sweet! Very maple-forward. vurt sez check it out.
     
    #376 vurt, Nov 29, 2018
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  17. LockeNess33

    LockeNess33 Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2016 Oregon

    Didn't really look too much into it to be honest. Just thought their response was related to this discussion so decided to share. I guess I took their line of "This did create a slightly sour characteristic in some bottles, but certainly not all." as them saying that not all of them were infected, but reasonable minds could probably differ on their meaning there. Though it certainly sounds like we have some good empirical evidence that shows not all of the bottles were infected.

    I'm not too worried either way ... I'll drink it eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) and I'll either like it or I won't. Either way, always the next beer to look forward to.

    Seconded -- really like this beer.
     
    #377 LockeNess33, Nov 29, 2018
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  18. Raj

    Raj Maven (1,272) Jun 25, 2014 Illinois
    Trader

    Sounds delicious — Did this see distro or it is only at the brewery?
     
    #378 Raj, Nov 29, 2018
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  19. dphi

    dphi Zealot (534) Apr 14, 2013 Oregon

    Distro, $3.50/can I believe. Had one last night, solid.
     
    #379 dphi, Nov 29, 2018
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  20. vurt

    vurt Grand Pooh-Bah (4,504) Apr 11, 2004 Oregon
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Distro. I paid $14 for a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans at Orenco Taphouse last night after trying a can for science.
     
    #380 vurt, Nov 29, 2018
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