Cellar Reviews (2021)

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by ManBearPat, Jan 1, 2021.

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  1. zac16125

    zac16125 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,358) Jan 26, 2010 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Tonight’s cellar beer is a 2019 Hair of the Dog Matt. A couple years old but just a baby compared to most of the HotDs people are popping with their recently cellar store opening. This beer is new to me, so no fresh review for comparison. Let’s give it a whirl.

    Pours murky out of the bottle and opaque in the glass. Dark brown, nearly black. No head to speak of, just a few fizzy bubbles. Aroma is ridiculous, rich and luscious with massive complexity. Sweet, vinous, smokey. Dark fruits, charred wood, earthy almost nutty bourbon characters. A scotch like level of complex whiskey characters. Brandy and subtle port bring some notes reminiscent of a fine spirit. Taste is also quite complex but it’s much more smoke forward. I get big charred wood, huge leather, rolling tobacco. There are dark fruits present but not to the degree of the nose, what’s there is pretty vinous. I also get oaky notes, subtle unsweetened cocoa. Whiskey notes are also subtle compared to the nose, but they are there. The flavor profile is very nice, but I’m a bit bothered by the relatively thin mouthfeel and lack of carbonation that makes it feel outright flat. ABV however is well masked and it’s reasonably drinkable.

    4/4.75/4.25/3.25/4.25
    (Original/fresh review: n/a)

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  2. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,330) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    2017 CBS for tonight. After 4 years, I'm really not sure what to expect here. The pour is the typical black with light brown head. The nose is very familiar! Coffee, silky bourbon, charred wood, roasted malts, molasses, black licorice, old leather boots (the inside!), cherries, and a bit of vanilla. The taste is fantastic. I would say that it's sporting a much higher dominance of black licorice at this stage, which I love. The toffee comes through on the back end. The coffee is there, and has definitely not transformed into a green pepper taste (thankfully!). It has, however, diminished a bit. Lots of dark fruit - blackberries, plums, red grapes. Chocolate fudge, vanilla ice cream, and pillows of marshmallows follow. These all get a bit more pronounced as it warms a bit. I am shocked by how amazing this tastes right now. To be 100% honest, I prefer this to the numerous fresh bottles that I opened. Super thick and creamy mouthfeel. I'm all in!

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  3. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,330) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    2019 However Improbable from Bottle Logic. Rumors were spreading that this was going downhill, so I had to crack my last bottle. Glad I did, because it's amazing! Nose is full of bourbon, coconut, rum (or maybe that's just the coconut?), fudge, vanilla, toffee, maple, lactose, and some dark fruit. The taste is on par with the nose. Sweet for sure, but not cloying. Brown sugar, milk chocolate, marshmallows, coconut, bourbon, and more dark fruit than on the nose. The latter consists mostly of plums and blackberries. It's odd, but this makes me think of a bourbon county stout with coconut. Each sip builds on the previous one, with improvements through time. Dang, this is just amazing. Really glad I drank this before it did go downhill.

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  4. darktronica

    darktronica Grand Pooh-Bah (3,138) Aug 29, 2014 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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    Three Floyds' Behemoth bottled December 2016. I always appreciate their wax game; five years later and the wax is still pliable and thin enough to easily get through. Anyhoo, the beer. Still about as aggressive an American-style barleywine as you can find while maintaining a high level of quality, but oxidation is definitely showing signs of taking hold.

    A lot of people age DFH 120 Minute IPA for years, and that's probably the most accessible reference point. In contrast to many 120 Minutes I've had of similar age, though, this is picking up more of the orange pith and black tea notes from oxidation that end up accentuating the sharp bitterness that is better balanced by other flavors when fresher. 120 Minute gets sweeter and more balanced, but big Three Floyds' beers seem to maintain their aggressive hoppiness almost indefinitely; I don't know how they do it, but it's the same with Blot Out the Sun and some of their other notable annual releases. Personally, I seem to enjoy Behemoth most around 2-3 years old; this is getting a bit long in the tooth for me, but it's still quite enjoyable and bursting with flavors.
     
  5. argock

    argock Pooh-Bah (2,754) Dec 30, 2006 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    2014 Bell’s Expedition Stout
    13504 PKGD 09/18/14
    Stored at 65F in basement

    Pours usual jet black with dark tan short capped head with a few small crusts of lacing. Very fudgy in the aroma with some dark and burnt caramel and lighter raisin. Delicious flavor, kind of what I imagine fudge made with dark slightly bitter chocolate might taste like with little hints of raisin and moderate roast. Alcohol very light in the flavor. Feel is extremely smooth and full-bodied. A treat that makes me want to start working on building the cellar back up after a winter off due to COVID-19. Just bought 2 six-packs last week!
     
  6. zac16125

    zac16125 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,358) Jan 26, 2010 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Tonight’s beer is a 2018 Adam From the Wood, courtesy of the great HotD cellar store. A new to me beer, one I’ve wanted to try for a long time.

    Pours black, zero head not even any bubbles. Looks flat. Aroma is cognac, brandy, port, tons of spirit notes. Charred oak bourbon notes, a scotch like peat character. Taste is interesting. Huge scotch peaty notes, port wine, charred wood. Decent amount of dark fruits, moderately sweet. Great flavor profile but the absolute lack of carbonation bothers me. Due to the lack of carbonation mouthfeel comes off thin. This ones tough for me, because I really dig the aromas and flavors but the mouthfeel and flat nature really hurt it overall.

    3.25/4.25/4.25/2.25/4
    (Original/fresh review: n/a)

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    #446 zac16125, Oct 3, 2021
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 3, 2021
  7. zac16125

    zac16125 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,358) Jan 26, 2010 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    NFL Sunday Funday. Also the last day before I start a diet so gotta make it worthwhile. Starting the day with this, just barely qualifying as a cellar review for me as it’s just hit the 1 year birthday mark (bottled: 22Sept).

    Aroma is dark fruits, moreso than I typically get with BCBS. Caramel, roasted malt, big oaky vanilla from the bourbon barrels. Phenomenal. Taste follows, pretty big sweetness balanced nicely by the roasted malt. Some fusel ethanol is still there but it’s not hot or harsh. Barrel notes remain prominent. It’s wonderfully balanced between barrel, sweet and roasty. Mouthfeel smooth, ABV well masked, great drinkability. Overall, fantastic. I usually think that BCBS peaks around the 2 year mark but this vintage is drinking wonderfully at 1 year. Have several more that i’m looking forward to drinking over time.

    4.25/4.75/4.75/4.5/4.75

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    Cheers Cellar Dwellars!
     
    #447 zac16125, Oct 3, 2021
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 4, 2021
  8. ChicagoJ

    ChicagoJ Grand Pooh-Bah (4,073) Feb 2, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I don't have a fresh review comparison for this one. While it was a one off collaboration between the Beachwood Blendery and Sierra Nevada, I believe this review may be useful for the style, or similar offerings by these two breweries.

    Beachwood Blendery Sierra Nevada Collaboration Fortune Favors the Funk

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    Cellar Notes: Purchased at The Beer Temple during Beachwood's first Chicago drop in the Fall of 2019. Cellared in an underground unheated basement for three months shy of two years, before being pulled from the Cellar and refrigerated from June 20, 2021 until today.

    Bottle Notes: 500 ML, 6.4% ABV. Belgian-style sour ale aged in oak barrels and dry hopped with ex-598 hops.

    A beer inspired by the Belgian lambic tradition. Blended Spring 2019 in collaboration with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.. Brewed and Bottled by Beachwood Blendery, Long Beach, CA. Best served at cellar temperature, 45-55 degrees. Pour gently into tulip glass.

    Appearance:
    Multiple pours into a large tulip glass, no sediment noted in the bottle or final pour from the bottle. Golden orange tan clear base, creamy bright white head lingers for a minute or two before providing cover solely over the base, leaves very fine loose lacing throughout. Heavy constant carbonation throughout. 4.0

    Aroma:
    White grape wine and funky yeast dominate. Wet wool blankets, lemon and peach as well. Bold and wonderful. 4.5

    Taste:
    Consistent with aroma, but not as pleasant as it is very sweet, somewhat blunted by a very heavy carbonation similar to emptying an entire packet of pop-rocks into your mouth at once with each sip. Would typically save that for the mouthfeel, but it is that impactful. A bit sour, perhaps apple and pear. Lemon and peach as well. Funky yeast really laid out here. Wild and pleasant overall, just challenging with certain sips but overall a winner. 4.0

    Mouthfeel:
    I'm not sure how this carbonation persisted over two years but they really pumped it in at the bottling and or the bottle conditioning (if this happened) played a big role and overwhelms even the taste sensation. Light, balanced, drinks below the ABV, very crisp and clean finish. 3.75

    Overall:
    This beer most certainly delivers on funk, with a fire hose of carbonation I don't recall in a beer over a couple thousand reviews. with this level of carbonation, which interfered with the enjoyment at times. Beyond that, a beer bursting with aroma, a bit challenging but overall worth the adventure and very grateful I pulled this out this morning. 4.0

    Come On, Come Over the music selection for the is fine offering
     
  9. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Today is a new beer to me.

    Shared Brewing – Achromatic Vibes (2020)

    12% ABV

    (This is just over 1yr old)

    The beer is listed as an Imperial stout with vanilla beans and coconut on the bottle, and a “Stout – Russian Imperial” on BA.

    The beer was removed from a 45ish degree temp fridge after having been refrigerated for approximately 10 months. Beer poured into a Hill Farmstead tall wine-style glass. Consumed (domed) across approximately 2 hours, across 3 separate pours with the beer kept refrigerated between pours.

    First Impression: As soon as the cap was popped, a little bit of vanilla escaped. Poured heavy and thick, like motor oil. Perhaps thicker than any other stout I have ever poured, including the two derivations from SP that I have tried. This left me intrigued. 4.25

    Appearance: As is always the case with SP/Shared, this beer is essentially still (just like all the stouts). Very little head which dissipates quickly, never to be seen again. It is very thick, and that is evident both during the pour and when swirling. After taking a sip, the glass is coated. Small particulates and residue are also left on the glass in a way that a strictly oily stout (e.g. BCBS rare) simply does not. 4.25

    Smell: For a stout this is quite aromatic, but for any beer this is pretty subdued. Immediately you get vanilla. After that what you get definitely changes. Mostly I get a vague sugar-sweetness most akin to turbinado sugar with layers of vanilla like that of powdered sugar. What ruins this a little bit is that you get some of that vanilla-alcohol almost burn in your nose much like you do with vanilla extract. At first I would rate this higher, but over the course of enjoying the beer I have to rate it more fairly. 4.15

    Taste: This is a beer that definitely changes as the temperature of the beer changes, and I would argue that the beer is better off at a colder (i.e. fridge) temperature of 45-55. In that range you get more of the vanilla with less of the bitter malt-chocolate, and less of the sticky-sweet feeling (see mouthfeel below). You certainly get vanilla first and foremost. The coconut you really have to search for, although perhaps you wouldn’t if just the vanilla were not present, since coconut already has vanilla-like flavors, particularly when it is limited. When cold the beer presents more as a vanilla and chocolate beer – with some taste towards the back (and aftertaste) that I can’t quite put my finger on. At first I liked this a lot, but I like it less 15 ounces in. 4.35

    Mouthfeel: This has a good mouthfeel when cold, less when warm. But there are two components – there is literally the mouthfeel during a single sip/drink, and then there’s the mouthfeel over the course of the entire bottle. I have a bitter sensitivity, so while this may be sweet for others, it isn’t for me. -But, I recognize that it clearly has a lot of sugars, as it will make your mouth sweet/sticky. So, after about 4-5 ounces, you’ll quickly get to this point of ‘saturation’. 4.15

    Overall: I want to like this a lot more than I do, and I wish I liked it as much near the end of the bottle as I did at the start. Look, when I finish a bottle of BCBS, especially something like Rare, my palate may be a little wrecked, but I have enjoyed myself. Other than the ABV, nothing is a chore to consume it. This is totally different. This is heavy, this is sticky, this is tiring, and this is a slog. I’m convinced that this beer is not intended to be consumed by oneself, but this is the way it is packaged, so this is the way that I am going to review it. My review started off higher at the start of the bottle, and keeps falling the more I consume. I can understand how someone would rate this a 4.8 with only 4oz. and I can see how someone might rate this a 4.6 with only 5-7oz, but I don’t see how someone rates this higher than a 4.3 if they are consuming the whole bottle. It’s a chore, and a little part of me wishes I had just traded it away (Although, as always, I am grateful for the opportunity). 4.25

    BA Review Score: 4.256

    My review (apparently 1 of only 4) can be found here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47799/502600/?ba=Beer_Economicus#review

    Cross-posted with WBAYDN and NBS.

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  10. GrumpyGas

    GrumpyGas Grand Pooh-Bah (4,393) Apr 7, 2009 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    2018 Bourbon Bounty Brand Midnight Orange

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    Bubbles, though attempted, failed to form a full cap on the purple/black body and some remnants of this, my more timely review: "Aroma is exactly the chocolate covered orange slices from my childhood and this is spot-on in the flavor as well."
    include a faint orange peel aroma and the base chocolatey flavors. Some bourbon notes remain, though even they are stunted, but the creamy feel stands strong after 3 years.
     
  11. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I just opened one of these last night, and was really impressed with how good it still was. Not as good as it was fresh (I really liked this one fresh), but still a very enjoyable stout.
     
  12. GrumpyGas

    GrumpyGas Grand Pooh-Bah (4,393) Apr 7, 2009 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Oh, absolutely. It is BCBS, through and through, just no longer what it was, and they warned me that would happen. No complaints here.
     
  13. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Opened an ‘18 bramble rye tonight and no full review as I’m on vacation with friends and can’t write something up, but I have to say this has really mellowed nicely. The rye barrel comes through the fruit notes nicely, but the fruit is just present enough to give it this lovely jammy-tartness. Based off my imperfect memory I like this one better now than I did fresh.

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  14. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I believe I have exactly 1 of these. I didn't like it fresh - too tart. I am banking that I will like it when I open it, and unfortunately kick myself for not acquiring an additional bottle. We shall see. Glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy that vacation.
     
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  15. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    NGL - Its still pretty tart. Its just that the rye comes through more now so it feels more balanced.
     
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  16. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm curious to see what I think when I get into it. I do recall that the one I opened I was pumped to open, but I opened it at a bad time. I was on a caving trip for work, I was sick and had been for a couple weeks, AND I was tired as hell. I drank that damn beer, but it wasn't the best mindset. I also went into it hearing about all the tartness (which definitely was there), and probably psyched me out a little. Lastly, until recently I wasn't a blackberry fan. I'm still not if the blackberries are tart. If a blackberry is tart, it can go straight to hell and suck a nutsack. But if it's sweet, I'll eat 2 pounds in a sitting without batting an eyelash. -Or, at least I could. I can't afford to eat $20 of blackberries at once, especially since I'll still want blackberries later that night and everyday for the next week.
     
  17. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,472) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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    Goose Island Brewing – Bourbon County Brand Brunch Stout Test beer (2019)

    12.5% ABV

    This test beer is akin to the 2020 release titled “BCBS Special #4”, which is listed as an oatmeal stout aged in Bourbon barrels with intelligentsia coffee and Bissel Maple syrup” – and listed as “Stout - Oatmeal” on BA.

    BA Review Score: 4.52

    You can view my review in the official BCBS Vintage Review Thread (started by yours truly): https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/members/beer_economicus.1196656/
     
  18. argock

    argock Pooh-Bah (2,754) Dec 30, 2006 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Society

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    2014 SN Bigfoot Ale
    PKGD 12/11/13
    Poured into a Duvel tulip
    Murky dark Amber with 1/2-finger light beige head with short retention but scraggly lacing.
    Dark and burnt caramel, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and herbal hop on the aroma.
    Flavor is slightly smoky burnt caramel with strong bitterness and herbal leafy hop flavor in the aftertaste.
    Feel is mainly low carbonation with smooth easy-going medium-full body.
    Overall - delicious and decadent with smooth full feel. A classic.
     
  19. Resistance88

    Resistance88 Pooh-Bah (2,796) Apr 9, 2015 California
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Ridiculous cola notes with mild hints of good vanilla and subtle barrel flavors( charred wood etccc blah blah blah)
    That's all.
    Shits good would bang again and lookin forward to the 2018 i have
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  20. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,862) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Been a while but I'm finally back in big dark beer mode and its time to dip into the cellar. Tonight I cracked open a 2019 So Happens It's Tuesday from the Bruery.

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    As soon as I cracked the can I was hit with a huge whiff of raisin/prune and walnuts.

    this is the dominant smell after the pour as well, although I would add some cacao into the mix as well.

    Taste follows suit with a raisin and prune note leading the way. Riding along under that there is a nutty malt note, some diluted whisky, and an ashy chocolate thing going on.

    Mouthfeel is still thin for the style by today's standard.

    Overall, looking back at my fresh and one year reviews I would drink these fresh if they dropped again. It always lead with the dried fruit notes for me but it has progressively moved into that lane to the point where its sort of one note at this point.

    Still an interesting beer and enjoyable to drink, reminds me of some kind of raisin wine or something, but the complexity i enjoyed 2 years ago is reduced big time.
     
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