Cellar Reviews (2022)

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Beersnake, Jan 1, 2022.

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  1. zac16125

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

    Happy Sunday Funday Cellar Dwellers!

    2017 BCB Northwoods Stout
    bottled: 10Aug17
    reviewed: 2Oct22

    Pours jet black. 2 plus fingers width of dark tan head, decent retention before dissipating down. Aroma is roasty, berry, blueberries there and still pretty prominent. Barrel notes pretty faded. Substantial almond which is quite nice. The nose has faded a bit but the taste has continued to develop and is simply lovely. Dark fruits, nice blueberry but not dominant, smooth toasty oak barrel notes on the finish. Long lingering oaky vanilla. Mouthfeel is silky smooth, carbonation low but fine, ABV completely unnoticeable, excellent drinkability. All in all this is exceptional and I think it’s continued to develop and improve even at 5 plus years. Super impressive. Only negative is this is my last one!


    4.5/4.25/4.75/4.5/4.75

    (Original/fresh review: 4/4.5/4.25/4.5/4.25)

    (2020 review: 4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5)


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    Cheers, beer nerds!
     
  2. Rug

    Rug Grand Pooh-Bah (3,300) Aug 20, 2018 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Damn, you're making me wish this was one of the vintage bottles I picked up when I visited Chicago a few weeks ago! This one was significantly more expensive though so oh well
     
    zac16125, Whyteboar and ChicagoJ like this.
  3. Whyteboar

    Whyteboar Grand Pooh-Bah (3,380) Jun 7, 2008 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    So every month a few of my friends and I have a SAN - "Stout Appreciation Night"
    Last Friday these were out beers, 2020 was the youngest. One of the attendees didn't know what an RIS was so I thought she should have an decent introduction.
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    These are all good, funny (but predictable) that every one of us had different 'favorites' for the night.
    Well, better get back to work. Cheers all!
     
  4. ChicagoJ

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

    Quick check in with a beer style we don't see in these parts too often. I enjoyed this early this morning.

    St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Watou Belgium, best by 10/19/24)

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    I believe they use a five year best by date convention, meaning this beer was bottled October 19, 2019. I purchased this at store room temperature, had it refrigerated until this morning.

    No noted departure from my OG Review linked here. Find this beer can be enjoyed fresh or aged, and this bottle is no different. 2-3 years may be the sweet spot. The only regret is I was too anxious to dig in and didn't let it warm enough to let the flavors germinate further.

    While I don't plan on purposefully cellaring bottles in the future, this is one beer I will continue to buy with confidence within the best by date from quality stores. Wish this came in a 16.9 oz format, but in the future I'll splurge on the 25.4 oz bottle over these smaller bottles as 11 oz may be OK for most beers, but it really left me wanting with this among The Beer GOATs.
     
  5. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,134) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    In honor of this exciting news https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...-h-taylor-bourbon-barrel-aged-bigfoot.669205/ I am opening my last bottle of Vintage Barrel Aged Bigfoot.

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    This is mellow and magnificent. The caramel and whiskey are soooo smoothe. Subtle raisin and vanilla add depth. I get a hint of umami in the middle here, can't think of a better descriptor. The finish still has a bit of hop bite which goes well with a fairly strong oaky tobacco at the finish. No sign whatsoever of decline, this has years to go yet. I can't imagine it getting better though, it's absolutely incredible right now.
     
  6. Fordcoyote15

    Fordcoyote15 Pooh-Bah (2,224) Nov 19, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    What year is this?
     
  7. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,134) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

  8. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,134) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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    This is around one and a half years old, I first had this in June of last year and loved it. That hasn't changed. Brown sugar, golden syrup, toffee, boozy raisins, molasses, with hints of vanilla and oak. This is sweet but there are a lot of decadent layers at work. I can't really say if this has changed all that much but it's drinking damn fine right now. Hope the 6k's do as well.
     
  9. ChicagoJ

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

    Looked for a beer to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of What Beer Are You Drinking Now? thread and selected this anniversary beer chilling in my refrigerator for the past six months.

    Bell's 30th Anniversary Cherry Stout Reserve

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    OG Review Link

    Bottle Notes:
    Reviewing a bottle from the same four pack I reviewed over three years ago. Bottled 5/11/18, refrigerated at purchase on 6/8/19, cellared until 4/17/22, refrigerated until opening tonight. $13.99 for the four pack. 9.0% ABV

    Compare and contrast versus my June 2019 experience:

    Appearance: Head lasted very briefly and did not linger very long versus the original version enjoyed 13 months after bottling. 4.0 vs. 4.5 OG

    Aroma:
    Let this linger 15 minutes at room temperature before diving in. Getting a nice cherry I didn't get three years earlier, the chocolate and roast malt aromas taking a back seat but still present. This surprisingly improved over time, though that may have been a function of not allowing this to warm properly? Not really sure, but digging nonetheless. 4.5 vs. 4.25 OG

    Taste: Still pretty sweet, cherry leads over chocolate and roast malt. Getting light oxidation at this point, cardboard, so if you have these you may want to crack them open this Winter to avoid any further degradation. 4.25 vs. 4.75 OG

    Mouthfeel:
    Would say this thinned out a bit, still creamy but wouldn't necessarily call rich as I did in my review notes. Nearly halfway through at this stage, and is drinking light and easy, even below the listed 9% ABV. 4.25 vs. 4.5 OG

    Overall:
    This beer held up very well for the most part, though slightly under it's peak performance noted 13 months after bottling. Still enjoying very much, but plan on tending to my final bottle this Winter. 4.25 vs. 4.5 OG

    Cheers Cellar Dwellers!
     
  10. Fordcoyote15

    Fordcoyote15 Pooh-Bah (2,224) Nov 19, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

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    2013 De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis barrel aged in Wild Turkey barrels.

    I'm a huge fan of regular Hel & Verdoemenis and would attest it may be the greatest stout ever brewed. So getting my hands on some barrel aged dusties was an opportunity I jumped at when I saw them available.

    The crack of the bottle top let out no hiss. The pour was flat as could be also. Pours more oily than I recall the standard to pour, and this looks lighter too.

    The smell and I know its passed its prime. Its not explosive with roast and smoke like the non barrel aged version. And I can edge out something off in the smell too. To its benefit I'm getting massive tobacco notes that I associate with old JW Lees Harvest Ale - a flavor/aroma profile I'm emphatic about that seems to come with age.

    Taste is so much more void than the standard. Its not chalky, dry, or the bitter roast bomb that i know and love H&V to be. It drinks SO much less extreme. Has this beer actually melded into something so much less intense over the last 9 years? Or is this just a product of variation in the beer from batch to batch? After all, lots of tweaks to the recipe may have been done between this and the fresher versions I know.

    I don't love this beer up front. It doesn't hit me with the smoke and ash I want and expect. Theres a note I want to call prune juice because its like the common stout descriptor of "dark fruit" but old and shriveled.

    Conversely to up front - on the finish, its all love. It has days and days of old leather, tobacco, and that classic JW Lees mustiness I picked up on in the nose.

    Overall I can't say this 9 year old beer is better than a fresh Hel & Verdoemenis. Its truly not. It might be entirely possible that beer simply cannot be improved upon.
     
    #290 Fordcoyote15, Oct 23, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2022
  11. Fordcoyote15

    Fordcoyote15 Pooh-Bah (2,224) Nov 19, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Too late to edit my last post to add. But a very non-aesthetic and not appetizing finish.

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  12. bayareahustla

    bayareahustla Zealot (632) Jul 13, 2012 California
    Trader

    Grabbed these earlier this year from SN website. Been drinking them randomly but decided to do them one after the other today.

    16 and 11 were my favorites. Bitterness was heavy on the 11 which I really like.
    Sweetness and balance was the name of the game on the 16.
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  13. zac16125

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


    Love this!
     
    ChicagoJ likes this.
  14. zac16125

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

    Evening Cellar Dwellers! Sipping on one I never intended to cellar but it found it’s way to the back of a beer fridge plus I just don’t drink much beer these days: a 2021 KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa.

    Pours opaque black, very large tan head with great retention and some really nice lacing. Aroma is huge chocolate, just massive and a spectrum including dark cocoa, milk chocolate, and fudge. The vanilla bean is also very prominent, cinnamon is more subtle. There’s a graham cracker like aroma that gives this beer the aromatic semblance of s’more. Some roastiness, a subtle herbaceous character, and pretty big coffee. Barrel notes are present and contribute nicely. Just a delightful aroma, so much going on and really well balanced. Taste is black coffee up front, with even bigger black coffee on the finish. Lingers flavors of bitter black coffee. There’s a metallic astringency that’s creeping in that makes it seem like it’s almost having oxidation issues already but at 14 months that is definitely strange. Other characters i get are subtle cinnamon, bitter unsweetened cocoa, toasty oak barrel notes. But it really lacks that depth and balance that was on the nose, it’s mostly just black coffee and bitterness. Mouthfeel is full bodied. ABV is not noticeable, drinkability is average. Overall, this came out swinging but def was a let down flavor wise. Not sure if it fell off a cliff or what, but in its current state this is a big disappointment.

    4.75/4.75/3.5/4/3.75
    Original/fresh review: n/a
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    Listening to Kitchen Dwellers in honor of you Cellar Dwellers!

    Cheers!
     
  15. zac16125

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

    Back to back days of Cellar Review postings for me, must mean beer drinking season has begun (too damn hot in Fl most of the year to drink the styles I like)!

    2020 DFH 120 Min on this random Tuesday, because I have a drinking problem.
    bottled on: 7/10/20
    reviewed: 10/25/22

    Not gonna lie, its ugly in the glass. Murky dark brownish amber, essentially fully opaque. Optimistically it has a nice sized white tan head with good retention and some nice lacing which bring up the appearance score. Aroma is lovely. Big fruity esters balanced by equally big caramel notes. Some hop spice that’s almost noble hop esque (although certianly those are not the hops used). Green apple and pear are notable, pretty floral as well. Just a killer nose. Taste follows, with just a great balance of malt sugars and hop bitterness, and a nice warning alcohol that brings it all together. Caramel, toffee, fruity, earthy, boozy all at once. The mouthfeel is upper end of the moderate on the heaviness spectrum with a nice carbonation. The ABV is noticeable, but in a positive way as opposed to a detracting way. It is quite remarkable how easy drinking this is for an 18% beer, I mean it literally doesn’t make sense. Overall, what more can I say other than to pull off this type of beer with these flavor and aromatic profiles clocking it at an absurd 18% ABV; I consider this a true masterpiece in brewing.

    I’ve had many vintages at various ages, all are very good if not great. But I must say, 2 years may be the sweet spot for me. I honestly don’t know why I don’t have a cellar full of these, and I need to make a conscious effort to buy these more often for aging.

    4/4.5/4.75/4.75/5
    (Original/Fresh: 4/4/4/5/4.5, of note original review was before BA had the 0.25 interval)

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  16. Beersnake

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

    2014 Third Coast Old Ale.

    Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice dark brown with minimal head. The nose is full of caramel, raisins, prunes, figs, a touch of maple, and a slight note of almonds. Incredible!

    The taste is a great mix of sweet toffee, dark fruit, and hops. The hoppy bitterness is clearly a shadow of what it once was, which is just fine with me! I like my American barleywines with some age to trim some of that hop bite. Grass, pine needles, leather, hay, figs, toffee, raisins, plums, brown sugar, and maybe a touch of coffee grounds/tobacco. Very smooth and easy to drink. No sign of the ABV. A treat indeed.

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  17. zac16125

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

    Evening folks. Tough loss for my Nittany Lions today but I did have my first ever eagle on the golf course today, so not a completely lost Saturday. Celebrated that eagle with a couple Busch Lights at the course, but home now and sipping on this 2020 Aventinus Eisbock, which I must say is a step up from those Busch Lights!

    Pours nearly opaque, but a nice copper to dark mahogany color. Small dark teas head disappears quickly leaving no lacing. Aroma is just huge fig and dates, caramel and toffee, subtle wheaty spice much lessso than fresh, essentially none of the clove that comes out fresh, but tons of dark fruit notes. Taste is more balanced and really really good. The dark fruits with fig remain the most prominent but there’s notbaly more spice including the characteristic clove. I also get some cocoa, a bit of bitterness, an almost floral character to round it all out. Truly just awesome. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good carbonation, no signs of the ABV and just crazy drinkable. Overall, It’s terrific. I’m a huge fan of Aventinus Eisbock but actually have never cellared it before. Grabbed three 2020’s and this is my first one. Will take the other two out a few more years and see how it continues to develop. But so far, as expected, it’s aged wonderfully.

    4.25/4.5/4.75/4.75
    (Original/fresh review: 4/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5; of note original review was before BA’s 0.25 interval ratings).

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    Cheers, fellow old beer nerds!
     
  18. zac16125

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

    Happy NFL Sunday Funday BAs! Todays cellar beer is a 2019 BCB Mon Cheri. A beer I loved fresh, and with 1.5 years on it. Unfortunately this is my last one, but let’s see how it is at a little over 3 years.

    Pours opaque black, small dark tan head, dissipates quickly and leaves zero lacing. Aroma is cherries, chocolate, cinnamon, a bit of oak. There’s some fusel ethanol notes, barrel characters in the milder side. Nice aroma but seems to have faded some with time. Contrary to the aroma fading, the taste remains amazing. Huge cherry, huge chocolate, a bit of balancing herbaceousness, barrel notes on the finish with toasted oak, some nuttiness, and bourbony vanilla. Black coffee bitterness and some oats. Great balance of sweet, roastiness, and a hint of balancing booze. Complex and delicious. Mouthfeel is full bodied, carbonation low but fine, ABV very well masked and drinkability is very good. Overall, it remains excellent. In terms of its aging, the adjuncts are fading in the nose but otherwise it’s holding up strong, and is super smooth and mellow right now. Can’t say that it’s gotten better since the last time I had it 1.5 years but it hasn’t faded much either. Drinking great right now.

    4.25/4.25/4.75/4.75/4.5
    (Original/fresh review:4.25/3.75/4.75/4.25/4.5;
    review at 1.5 years 4.25/4.5/4.75/4.5/4.5)

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  19. Rug

    Rug Grand Pooh-Bah (3,300) Aug 20, 2018 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I recently had a 2006 vintage bottle of this. I won't go as far as to say it's bulletproof with time, but damn does it hold up well. It looked quite oxidized (it was a deep reddish brown) but hardly tasted as such, maybe just a touch of umami. Craziest part is I just found it sitting on the shelf among fresh bottles at Half Time. Great beer at any age
     
  20. Fordcoyote15

    Fordcoyote15 Pooh-Bah (2,224) Nov 19, 2011 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I've got an '02 lined up to crack that I'm very much looking forward to. Will post in here when I do.
     
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