Cellar Reviews (2020)

Amazing Barleywine, especially that year's as that is the only year that I got a hold of. I have one bottle left. Maybe pop the cap on my birthday? Less than 3 months from now.

 

I’d be happy to send you another in the future. COVID has made times tough, but when I’m in a better position, I’d be happy to. So, drink away when you like, knowing there is a backup.

 

Just giving yall a heads up. Tomorrow or Saturday, whenever I think I'll be popping a bottle, I'll be creating a new thread: Bourbon County Vintage Reviews. A thread dedicated solely to cellar reviews of Bourbon County. Not just BCBS, but BCBBW, and all other variants. If there was ever a "brand" that deserved it's own thread, it's Bourbon County. Surprisingly, one has yet to be created. As i've said elsewhere, about half my cellar (somewhere on the order of 70 - 100ish bottles) is solely Bourbon County. I have a variety of vintages and some variants (although those are mostly newer at this point).

Anyway, aside from me being a BCBS fanboy, i've seen many people comment on "Is it falling off yet," or "it's past its' prime." I had a 2009 several months back, and it was better than any of the 2014s I've opened for a couple years. Absolutely amazing. It's my favorite beer to explore. Even if no one else contributes, it would be a cool project for me to keep posts in. BUT, hopefully you all will enjoy it as well, and add some posts as you too dig one out from your cellar.

 

I've said it before, but fresh Parabola reminds me very much of BCBS with several years on it. Do I like it as much as BCBS (fresh or aged)? Not quite, but it's certainly very fine, and it's really at a sweet spot when it's fresh, IMO. Admittedly, I haven't tried Parabola with age, but it's hard for me to imagine it getting better, when it already has lots of balance, and the bourbon note is somewhat muted, in the background, and melded with the other flavors.

Thanks for the post.

 

I'm only just getting into parabolas with any age, do you think it's best fresh but holds up or best fresh and falls off quickly?

I definitely feel like bcbs is built to age more but parabola is certainly one I'm working on keeping long enough to try with age

 

@unlikelyspiderperson that @Beersnake1 was drinking a 22oz. Larger formats hold their original essence for longer than smaller formats. Similarly, in whiskey, the lower the fill of the bottle (ie the more air space in the bottle), the less long the whiskey inside will taste the way it did near opening.

This isn’t to say everything that has been said doesn’t still apply, only that if they had made 12oz Parabola back then, and @Beersnake1 did a SBS with a bomber and a 12oz, that the bomber would be noticeably superior.

Keep that in mind for any you might presently age.

 

That's interesting that you put bcbs in that category. 4 years old is the oldest bcbs I've had but I feel like it's a beer that definitely improves over the first few years.

I'll be watching @Beer_Economicus 's thread with interest for sure. I hope we start to see some of the variants out here as well

 

I don’t know that it will now get started this weekend. We had a bit of a hiccup yesterday, and it occurred right after I opened a beer. That beer was promptly “corked” and must now be consumed later today. Depending on how the day goes, that may be all I end up with. We’ll see. (It was not a BCBS.)

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2016 Sucaba. Let’s see how 4 years in a bottle has treated this gem of a brew.


Pour is quite fizzy appearing, with a big tan colored head that dissipates away quickly. Aroma is big dark fruits, cherry Twizzlers, subtle chocolate, and a very prominent and distinct aroma which I simply cannot place. Not many barrel characters on the nose, just subtle oak. Taste follows with dark fruits up front and tons of dark cocoa bitterness on the finish. More bourbon on the taste, actually quite big bourbon booziness with prominent charred oak. I also get pretty substantial toffee and candied sugar. Taste is quit excellent. Really surprised how much bourbon is still present here, although on my original/fresh review I did exclaim that “I’ve had glasses of bourbon with weaker bourbon profiles than this”. Drinkability is just ridiculous for an ABV this high. Overall, this remains excellent.


4/4/4.5/4.25/4.5
(Original/fresh review: 3.5/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5 ; of note original review conducted before BA had 0.25 intervals)

 

Tonight’s vintage beer is a pretty special one for me, a 2015 Cognac Barrel Aged Mexican Cake. I would say this is one of my more desirable/difficult to obtain beers in my cellar, and I’ve been holding on to it for a while now. Also brings back some good memories of attending Cake Day at Westbrook. I loved this beer fresh, it was one of my favorite BA Cake variants (back when I used to try them all when I lived in Charleston). Let’s see how this one has developed with just over 5 years on it.


Pours a completely opaque jet black with 1.5 fingers width of very dark mocha colored head. Aroma is moderately big cognac notes, tons of chocolate, and roasted malt. Vanilla also remains surprisingly prominent, subtle leather notes as well. Almost no peppery heat on the nose. Aroma is quite fantastic. Taste is tons of chocolate, amazing how that’s held up, with big roasted malts and vanilla on the finish. Cinnamon is present but fairly subtle. More peppery heat on the taste than was present on the nose but is still rather subdued. Cognac notes are certainly present but more subtle than fresh, which is somewhat of a negative as I loved the cognac characters on this one. Drinkability is good considering the adjunct laden nature and overall bold flavor profile. Overall, this remains an excellent beer, although I don’t think it’s gotten better with this much age (which I guess should probably be expected considering my favorite part of it fresh was the barrel characters), still thoroughly enjoyed though.


4.25/4.75/4.25/4.25/4.5

(Original/fresh: 4.25/4.75/4.5/4.5/4.5)

 

Also, not a review but cellar related. I needed up my lambic/gueuze cellar game, this freshly received package should help
jumpstart that. Future cellar reviews await, so long as I can remain patient....

 

Nice score, also beautiful rose. I'm pretty sure I've got the same one growing out my back door

 

Nice! You have a rose bush, I have to go out and buy them like a shclub. I’m actually more of an orchid fan, but I thought the rose next to the Cantillon Rose bottles classed it up a bit haha.