Cellar Reviews (2021)

Oh man only a couple pages into the cellar selection and it is bonkers. If they ship to Fl this is gonna be a pricey purchase…..

 

Right. I had to stop looking after the first page and come back here for some sort of assurance that the shipping was prohibitive and there's nooo way it could make sense for me to order several cases. Right guys?...right...

 

That 20% discount will probably cover the cost of shipping, And the prices actually aren’t outrageous from what my early skin showed. This is def gonna be a 200plus purchase from me. But i’ve been looking to diversity my cellar anyways and this seems like a great option. I hope they ship to FL.

 

"Honey, my accountant assures me that we'd be losing money if I didn't buy this beer!"

 

I can have a certified letter sent to confirm it.

Signed:
zac16125, CPA
Cellar Paraphernalia Acquirer

 

That is definitely cheaper than driving to Portland. Combined with the advice of other professionals in this thread I may just have to order a couple boxes while I'm out of town.

 

Just placed my order, thanks for the heads up! It was easy to navigate and an absolutely incredible selection!

 

Thanks to Doc my beer drinking is limited to the point I have to not buy beer now and drink only from the cellar if I hope to finish them before I kick off. Not buying beer is like having a no-show job. Reading that breathtakingly incredible list of HOTD beers I feel like I just got a $400 bonus this week.

 

I am in awe of what is available and had a really hard time deciding what NOT to buy. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the prices. Very vintage Doggie Claws for cheaper than fresh bottles locally? Wow. So excited for this box. I'll definitely be posting in a few weeks after the sediment settles.

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2016 BCB Prop. The often maligned, chipotle pepper variant. Peppers, maple syrup and cocoa nibs are the adjuncts in this one. Reviews were all over the place with this one, I did not try it fresh but had one about a year ago, cellared for 4 years. I really dug it, actually thought it was still a bit hot and may benefit from more time, let’s see how another year treated it.


Pours opaque black, less than one fingers width of dark mocha head that dissipates down to a whispy film. Aroma is capsaicin peppery heat mixed with rich dark chocolate. Some decent roasted malt notes. Barrel notes are present, with charred oak and a nutty bourbony character. These are somewhat overtaken by the peppery heat but much less so than before, and it seems the chipotles are fading with time (for me, a good thing). Taste is chocolate and peppery heat. Heat is actually up front, then it fades and the other characters some out, including dark chocolate and fudge, and maple syrup notes which are first subtle then actually surprisingly build as you acclimate to the peppers. Surprising amount of maple syrup left, surprising amount of all adjunct left actually. It’s a nice balance of sweet and heat. The characters that have faded some are the bourbon barrel notes. It’s still excellent though. Mouthfeel is fuller side of medium bodied with great masking of the ABV and very good drinkability. Overall this is quite excellent, and I do think it’s gotten even better with the extra year on it, but i likely wouldn’t take it out much longer even if I had another one (which I unfortunately do not) as I think the barrel notes are dropping off and I wouldn’t expect much further development even as the peppery heat fades further.

4.25/4.25/4.5/4.5/4.5
(Fresh review: n/a
Cellar review at 4 years: 4.25/3.5/4.5/4.5/4.5)

photo url

 

Iris Vintage 2007 (brewed 2007, bottled 2010) -- gross under the cap, picture is actually after I took a wet rag to the top of the bottle. Miraculously the cork came out intact.

Nicely carbonated, initial aroma of warm, musty hay. Moderate but perceptible oxidation. Mild tartness with an almost dried apricot flavor. Lingering tannins and a surprisingly present noble hop character.

 

Good evening cellar dwellers! I haven’t dove in the cellar with you all in a little while, figured it was about time to! Tonight’s beer should be an interesting one, Westbrook’s Ravers Extra Ripe. An old ale, inoculated with Brettamomyces and aged in a combination of bourbon, red wine, and apply brandy barrels. This was one of the early beers in the now well developed Westbrook barrel program. It was initial met with, let’s just say less than rave reviews (see what I did there?). Looking at the BA reviews now, seems like I was actually the only person to like it fresh! With the Brett this has no doubt developed significantly with time, bottle says to drink within 2 years. It’s now close to 7, oh well I’ve always been a gambler. Let’s see if this bet paid off.

Pours slightly hazy, a color somewhere between dark copper and light mahogany. Decent sized tan head builds then dissipates down at a moderately quick rate. Aroma is very fruity and quite tart. Extra ripe dark fruits (see what I did there, again?!), prominent caramel/toffee. There are some apple brandy notes that are subtle, and faint oak, otherwise the barrel characters are gone from the nose. Subtle barnyard notes are the only funk I get, which I’m fine with I don’t need this to be a pungent bomb. It is at first quite reminiscent of a flanders red, although that subdues some as the other aromas come out. Very complex aroma and quite interesting. Taste on the other hand, is a mess. This is overtaken by oxidation. I get almost nothing other than a harsh, bitter, metallic character. This one is a drain pour.

Looks like I lost this bet, fortunately the stakes weren’t that high!

Cheers Old Beer Lovers!

4.25/4.25/review terminated early due to oxidation
(Original/fresh review: 4.25/4.5/4.25/3.75/4.25)

 

BCBS 2011. Was saving this for last day of Nagoya Sumo Basho day 15, but cracked to enjoy tonight with Juryo matches, day 11.

In cellar unmoved since 2011. Pours thick and gloppy with coagulated protein making plopping sounds at the end of the pour. Despite the ring of bubbles in the pic there is close to zero carb. The nose is a funhouse mirror of "fresh", showing dark chocolate and burnt caramel, zero fruit and barrel notes, with hints of port, sherry, cardboard, and an unattractive scent I cannot describe. Cardboard and sherry overtake the remnants of all the goodness of the original taste. Despite the alcohol being low in the aroma it is strong and unpleasant now. No barrel, no dark fruit, even the chocolate, strong in the nose, is barely there. It is a deep and unpleasant mix of port, cardboard, unbalanced bitterness, and the sweet is a sickly molasses-like awfulness that detracts greatly. I do not drain pour, so this will go down, but I highly recommend that folks holding this year consume them ASAP, or just give them away. Glad this is my last 2011. Wish I had better news for you guys. I think 7 years is the max to put on these.

 

First post in cellar reviews so here it goes:
Purchased at a local shop where it appears to be fridge kept but who knows for how long.
Nose is mild to moderate smoke and rye spice with a bit of woody notes as well.
Palate is bittersweet chocolate, Smokey malts, oak tannins and a bit of vanillin.
Mouthfeel is medium and mildly slick.
Overall a very enjoyable offering, especially at 10 bucks for a bomber. Cheers fellow cellar dwellers.