Cellar Reviews (2020)

I also thought that it might be a good candidate for aging a few years ago.
I don't think that anymore.

I aged a large format bottle. Intentionally at first, but it ended up staying in the cellar (converted freezer) for longer than anticipated (total of 4+ years). Regretted it. Ended up with some caramel flavors in the malts, some mild oxidation. The hops were still present but certainly muted. It wasn't terrible, but I really don't think anything was gained.

So...at least don't do what I did.

 

Great additional data point. Don't take it to 4+ years.
With any new beer I'm cellaring my rule is to start at 6 months if I'm unsure of how the style will work out and 1 year if its a style that I'm reasonably sure can hang but a specific brand I've never tried

 

Today I pulled an incredible Fernet Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout out of the refrigerator by the great brewers at Lake Effect Brewery.

Lake Effect Brewery is a microbrewery operating out of the NW side of the great city known as Chicago. Clint who owns and operates the brewery serves as a mentor to many home brewers, and has allowed many great breweries to brew with him over the years including the much hyped Hop Butcher which started as a brewer working "the third shift" at Lake Effect Brewery.



Bottle Notes: Lake Effect Fernet Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout. 11% 2018 Bottled, brewed in collaboration with CH distillery. From bottle: Imperial Stout. In this variation, we filled and aged for six months a 53 gallon oak barrel that first housed CH Distillery’s Bourbon, then it housed their fernet. The result is an interplay of malty sweetness, with the multi-layered botanicals and bitterness of the fernet. Chickory, mint, licorice root are just some of the many accents experienced. Enjoy in a snifter glass.

My beer review notes:

Appearance: Multiple pours into nonic glass. Pitch black pour, creamy bubbly light thin head dissipates after a few minutes leaving loose bubbly lacing. 4.25

Aroma: Bottled 2018 and refrigerated since, let this warm up for a bit. Very interesting aroma, bold mint leads the way, backed well by black licorice. As this warms roast malt and chocolate emerges. Excellent aroma. 5.0.

Taste: Taste is excellent. Licorice leads, backed by mint and milk chocolate. Caramel and oak emerge as well as this warms up. The bourbon follows, lingering in the back but silky smooth when it emerges. Higher abv well masked throughout the pour. This is an outstanding BA stout. 4.75.

Mouthfeel: Body very rich, smooth and creamy, incredibly smooth, faint carbonation lingers in the back. Easy clean finish. 4.75.

Overall: Overall this is a world class unique complex pour. Sweet rich flavors well balanced by smooth bourbon. Mint is one of my favorite flavors and is incorporated well. The bourbon Fernet combination was genius. I really hope Lake Effect tries this combination again. Outstanding. 4.75.

My only regret is I cannot stock up any more of these. Lesson learned, always buy two, drink one and age the other, buy more as appropriate.

Wishing you the same incredible Beer Cellar experience I had today!

 

This was something I never intended to age. For a while after purchase it sat on top of my mini fridge in the basement but for at least the last year it’s been in the actual fridge. I liked this beer when it was initially released but definitely recognized it as a novelty. Let’s see what’s happened since.



First off, speaking of novelty, I present this glass. I hate it, it’s not very elegant and is very thick. The perfect glass for this beer.

Bottled 6/27/17. Poured a burnt orange, no shortage of head here and long lasting. It’s been a good 5 minutes since my pour and I still have a half finger of finely bubbled head here. Good amount of blobby lacing as I drink it. Also there is a decent amount of floaties now.


Aromas of soft malts, a bit of corn, oak and faint amounts of bourbon. Not bad actually.

It goes downhill from there. Initially, upon first sip it’s candied grapefruit and caramel. Then the cheap malt liquor aspect boots the door down. Rich and full corn, blast of alcohol, oxidation, oak and cheap bourbon. It’s definitely not the “bourbon soda” I remember it being.

Again, the mouthfeel feels full and slick, low on carbonation.

As previously said, I liked the beer when it first came out. While it’s not horrible now it definitely has not evolved into anything better.

 

best use I found for this beer was to mix it with some ruby red grapefruit juice for a high brow sidewalk slam. Good on you for braving this thing again

 

I like the glass!

The best use I found for this beer is trying to pawn it off on unsuspecting 'friends' or poisoning ants. One of the worst non-infected beers I've ever had.

 

Release #76, 8/20/15.

Smells all chocolate. Tastes like a fudge dream. After nearly five years the coffee is gone, although there's a slight bitterness on the finish. I love this beer and it hasn't lost anything with age.

 

Except that coffee

 

2017 Founders Backwoods Bastard

10/13/17 date, sk about 2.5 years old. Pours a hazy dark brown, cream colored head. Good head retention. Aroma of boozy vanilla and dark caramel. Taste is similar, but not too sweet. Full bodied, mouthfeel is silky smooth.

 

Touche

 

I drank about a case of that beauty when it came out. I have one or two left tucked away. Maybe it's time to pull one out.

 

haha I couldn't help myself. I know what yo mean though, sometimes a prominent flavor fades away but the beer is so well put together that the remaining flavors are still a perfect symphony

 

Truth!

 

Bourbon soda is a good description. That’s the vibe I remember getting when I first tried it.

Recently, I found the better part of a (second) four pack stashed away behind some boxes. I’m guessing it was a “thought I picked this up/next time I’m at the store I’ll get one” sort of thing. It’s not something I’ll reach for in general, and I won’t be sharing (or attempting to) while sheltering in place, so...

 

2017 Vintage. Drinking really well at the moment. Nose is all oak, tobacco, and smoke. Taste is light bit of dark fruit, burnt sugars, oak tannins. Great carbonation for the time it’s been sitting. Medium mouthfeel. Lingering roast finish. Really solid. Cheers.

 

2015 De Molen - Tsarina Esra

330 ml bottle, dated May 19, 2015. Says drink within 25 years, so the about 5 years of age seems appropriate.

Pours a very dark brown, but not quite pitch black. Thin tan colored head that fades to nothing. Aroma and taste of dark molasses, black cherry, a bit of smoke and licorice. Not much roast flavor at all. But not overly sweet. Medium bodied, lower carbonation.

 

The Bruery - Bakery: Coconut Macaroons 2/6/2019

Age hasn't diminished the carbonation because the head, if anything, was larger and lasted longer than on 8/4/2019. Smell and taste are similar except I can't detect the coconut that I previously noticed in both. Plus, counterintuitively, it seems to have gained more alcohol heat with aging. And the mouthfeel seems to be thicker.

This was in no way a bad experience but I don't think aging did anything positive for this. Probably fresher is slightly better.

 

2016 BA expedition stout.

I first tried this beer in 2018 fresh and fell in love with it. I'm still sitting on a few but was curious as to how this beer would age long term so sought out some older vintages - 2016 being the oldest I could acquire.

I'm not sure if the discrepancy is due to age or due to just a different year than I'm used to but I dont love this like I do 2018.

Looks is big, black and inky. Smell is all the familiar roast, char and oak. But the taste takes a turn for an earthiness i.wasnt expecting. It's very dirt like and hoppy for a stout much as I perceive storm king stout to be. Theres loads of bakers chocolate and little sweetness to offset it. The barrel is less pronounced than I'm used to and I'm truly struggling to find much bourbon, vanilla, or oak in the flavors.

The mouthfeel is as rich and chewy as I know it to be and I have zero complaints here.

Overall I just dont know. Prior to this beer if someone asked me what my favorite beer was I'd arguably have said "barrel aged expedition". Now I'd have to qualify that statement as "2018 barrel aged expedition or fresh barrel aged expedition".