Cellar Reviews (2023)

I did start with the ones I thought would hold up most poorly, but this is year four of this and what is here now almost completely are ones which are hard to decide an order based on time sensitivity. I realize there are gonna be more disappointments along the way, but if I can find a decent amount of beauties like this one, too, well...

I was just really in the mood for a big stout this month is only reason for the BCBS.

 

2010 Doggie Claws, stunning in every way.



It's beautiful to look at, pouring with perfect clarity and a massive rocky head. I get honey dripped peaches and apricots plus toffee and hints of marzipan. I had this vintage a year and a half ago and it was magnificent then too. Easily the best Doggie Claws I've had, both then and now. Still available on the HotD website, for anyone placing an order this vintage it is worth the couple of extra dollars.

First of 2023, cheers cellar dwellers!

 

I liked this beer, but didn't pick out my second of the four pack for over 2 1/2 years, so let's see how it's holding up.

Revolution Brewing Mixed Berry Ryeway



Can Notes: Canned 7/10/20, purchased and kept refrigerated this entire time.

OG Review Link: New Beer Sunday #815

Appearance & Aroma: Consistent with OG review.

Taste: Very heavy on the fruit, with a light bourbon back. This dropped off perceptively, the depth of the fruit is just a syrupy sweet concoction with faint bourbon noted and rye has left the building.

Mouthfeel: Pretty consistent beyond the change in perceived bourbon. Drinks very light and easy, but I suspect the alcohol is still in the beer.

Overall: This is one I wish I got to while fresh, the complexity and bourbon cherished fresh has turned into what I take one of those fruity Slurpee cocktails they sell in plastic shaped guitars people strap around them and drink all day would taste. Going to line up the remaining two cans to drink soon, as a reminder to work through my remaining cellar expeditiously.

 

Gotta thank @jmdrpi for letting me know this thread existed. I’ve drank down most of my cellar at this point so I don’t know how much contributing I’ll be doing but when I can, I will.
Anyway, late ‘19 bottle. Might have made it a bit too cold. It’s still thick as hell, but it’s all maple syrup at this point. No coffee, not shocking of course, but not much chocolate, which I do find a bit surprising. Barrel more prominent than I remember. Unsurprisingly, I had this too long, better fresh, but still quaffable. Cheers all.

 

Hello cellar dwellers! Okay, maybe not actually dwelling, but obviously very familiar with them.
We had our monthly SAN last night and what an evening it was.

The 3 on the left were from 2020 with only the Malted Milk Ball dropping off a tiny bit from our “fresh” review of it.
All were stellar with no issues getting any of them completely drained in short order. The Kamigoye (Come to God) was a collaboration between Transient and Magnanimous Brewing and its one of the finest pure BBA Stouts out there. Nothing that didn’t fit, everything that was supposed to be there was, just wonderful.
The Decoy (2021) was nearly as “pure” but had a dark fruit, figs or plum type in addition which I really enjoyed but it threw a couple of the other people off.
The biggest surprise was the “smallest” stout there- Anorak- not even imperial, let alone barrel aged, it was still in most of our top 3 for the evening.
Rey Gordo would have been amazing if consumed alone or with maybe an Old Rasputin as the IBU was just too high for the crowd it was in.
And the sole BBA porter was mostly chocolate and stout taste which hit one of our people just right. Little too sweet for me for much of it, but it was nice.

 

I don't typically age beers for the sake of changing their flavor... but I have hung on to some beers for the novelty and I have bought old beers. To compliment @Rug 's post in this thread on the 1993 Courage Imperial Russian Stout (and in case anyone here finds this interesting), here's a post I made in a different thread on a comparison tasting of the 1993 Courage with various vintages of Harvey's imperial stout in 10 year increments.

 

That side-by-side comparison was well done too!

 

This was bottled 07/03/18. Still has a decent head and lacing. Same deep char, leather flavor with a nutty finish. Not getting any barrel but never really did. This is very smooth right now. Enjoyable for sure.

 

There was a recent discussion in the Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread regarding the inclusion of this beer, brewed in 2021, in the recently sold BA Stout Boxes. I purchased this beer at the brewery last month on sale, and will review for science and discussion.

Revolution Dark Mode



Can Notes: 12 oz can filled 12/2/21, purchased in December 2022. 13.8% ABV (14.3% ABV in 2018). Imperial Milk Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Hopefully refrigerated this entire time at Revolution Brewery, refrigerated since bring home.

A blend of chocolate malt, traditional roasted barley, and debittered black malt lend this Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout its nebulous, void-like hue without harsh, distracting astringency to make your mouth sad. Golden oats enhance body while a dash of applewood smoked malt provides the gentlest expression of smoldering depth. Go dark now or store cold. (Emphasis Mine).

OG Review of draft version (called Barrel Aged Lynott's Stout until the 2021 release):

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/377391/?ba=ChicagoJ#review

Similarities (2018 draft version enjoyed fresh vs. 2021 enjoyed today):

• Appearance same.
• Thin / watery body compared to other DW offerings.
• Still very sweet, consistent with milk stouts.

Differences:

• Mild cardboard in the aroma.
• Getting chocolate fudge that I did not note in the OG review.

Final Verdict:

• One edit to my OG post would be this is a thinner stout, but would not call it extremely thin. The other notes are relevant. Would lower smell to 4.0, perhaps 3.75, taste to 4.25, overall to 4.00 if this was my only version.
• The slight drop off here is consistent with the typical drop off I find in a 1-2 year old BA stout.
• Beyond the time variable, can vs. draft is the other unknown in terms of impact.

 

So…I went to open a 2021 bottle of Mexican Cake to find that I didn’t have one anymore but I had a 2017 bottle of this instead. I was honestly shocked because I thought I drank all my Double Negatives.

Anywhoo, this poured wonderfully. Nicely carbed, still has an awesome chocolate smell. Wow. I thought 5 and a half years was too old, probably perfect. Still thick, still nicely carbonated. All chocolate, slight bit of alcohol char, and a nice taste of slight coffee bitterness. This aged phenomenally.

 

…… and now you’re hooked and will become a regular posting in this, the single best thread in all of BeerAdvocate?!?

 

I was really looking forward to another Cellaruary thread but I'll post here instead.

It's worth noting though with cellaring, proper care to keep the temperature range low (60'F or below), store in a dark place, and no large temperature swings are essential to getting world-class beer after a few years of aging. Any of the above can spoil beer which is probably why so many people have bad experiences with cellaring.

Brouwerij de Molen - Hel & Verdoemenis (2014)

Belgian beers are my go-to. I always start with Belgian beer to showcase the benefits and amazing character that comes from aging these beers. The grain bill, the yeast, the ABV, their packaging, I'm not sure I can pin-point exactly why but my guess is it's a combination of all of it. This beer did not disappoint. Classic russian imperial stout notes of medium-roast coffee or smooth espresso, slight bitterness like bittersweet chocolate (but not astringent) and light tannic properties from the bourbon barrel aging. Even a hint of vanillin and bourbon up front but fades quickly. Taste is really complex with layers of flavors each coming at a different point, small notes of dark fruit & tobacco at the end but not prominent. Very little oxidation which I was extremely impressed by. Definitely drink at the recommended temperature of 50'F/10'C.

4.3/5



De Struise - Rio Reserva Double Barrel Aged Bourbon + St Emilion Wine (2012)

This one knocked my socks of at how good it was. Like the H&V it had very little if any oxidation present that I could tell or if there were notes of sherry it was hidden by the double-barrel aging and richness of the body. Great notes of caramel & toffee with loads of brown sugar notes and vanillin, followed by dark fruits like raisins, figs, dates with a little black cherry and red grapes. Classic esters from the yeast with notes of clove and earthy wood on the nose. Very smooth, very rich, excellent all-around.

4.5/5

 

Just the reverse I'm afraid.

My desire has been to lessen my beer set for keeping. Drinking those stouts was a step in that direction. I've got 11 bottles of beer stashed away in the "not for drinking" category at the moment. That's probably a tiny number for those in this corner of the site. I'd like to get it down to 6 max. MAYBE I'll get there by the end of the year (but I'm not going to hold my breath).

 

Honestly, I think that makes you an inspiration for most of us.

I successfully stopped the totally random purchasing of excess beers about 9 months ago. I've made a couple of large transfers from the cellar (it's in my storage unit) in the last month. But man there's a bunch of beer in there that I really wonder why I ended up with so much.

Really it's just too much Narwhal. What the fuck was I thinking in 2019-20?

 

For those that didn't see it, there is now a "Cellaruary" thread in the main Beer Talk subforum

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...ant-to-be-consumed-not-collected-2023.671258/

 

Last bottle from a case I bought almost 10 years ago to celebrate a new chapter in life. It's been probably 8 years since I had the second to last bottle. Not sure why I hung on to this last one so long, kind of a souvenir from that era I suppose.

It's a foamer! I even got this one cold anticipating trouble. This has held up okay but it's not what it was in it's prime. Light barnyard and some hay, kind of muddled overall and pretty far from the zesty powerhouse it once was.