Drinking Whales

Very nice. The fuck of it is always the best reason with friends. For me, it took about 5 years before I started trading. And then I went through like a year or two of just collecting all these insane beers through trades and really spending way too much. But after awhile, I just looked at it all and kind of realized it's kind of ridiculous to spend so much time and effort on this just so I can look at them with this kind of weird self-satisfaction. Nowadays, I only have maybe a 30 beers that I'm very protective of. The rest, I burn through on bottleshares and tastings. Bottleshares are the best ways to enjoy these beers, IMO. Get together with a few other collects and you each bring one whale and you just enjoy a smaller amount of each bottle. We've done some pretty epic ones.

 

I'm somewhere in between. I have a cellar that I ambitiously built up over the years that I only occasionally tap into. But as I get new "whales" I drink them

 

I only drink whalez brah.

 

Beer is meant to drank, breweries(on the most part) are always making more...

 

I've had almost all beers on the Beers of Fame list and half of the Top 250 beers, but I don't think I've had the privilege to drink even one whale from the top 100 of the White Whale list yet.

 

Definitely, but aging can be an important part of elevating a beer to its true potential. In my personal opinion, a beer like Black Tuesday or Abyss should not be had within the first year of bottling. It winds up being a little boozy. And so hoarding can be useful in really enjoying a great beer later on. But yeah, other than that, crack that shit open and share.

 

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

I'm a selfish bastard! I drink my whales alone and usually as soon as I get them!

Its almost holidays and I have some epic beers lined up (Look out on the "What beer are you drinking now" from the first week of Dec).

 

backing this guy 100%

 

Aging can also destroy the way a beer was suppose to be enjoyed. I cant think of a better example than Hoppin Frog Boris. Quite a good brew while fresh that really goes downhill and gets thin while it ages.

Also, Abyss from 2009, while an anomaly in the Abyss series, certainly goes against your statement.

A certain popular brewer whom I hold to very high regard is very much against aging and cellaring his beers. They are idealistic candidates in the ~15% alcohol range. But he claims they are pre-aged for you in oak barrels and are bottled/sold at their peak to be enjoyed at that time.

 

I would agree on BORIS and really any beer with a healthy coffee presence. The coffee fades over time. Fresh BORIS and FBS are absolutely better. I even think KBS is better fresh. But I do think some beers absolutely benefit from aging.

And I understand the pre-aging philosophy, but there's no doubt, I've had quite a few BA beers that needed more time on them. Black Tuesday is really the one that most comes to mind. But I've definitely had fresh Abyss that kicked a little hard. Some brewers and breweries definitely encourage aging. I know Stone is famous for having vintages of Old Guardian and Stone RIS that are world class.

 

I believe there's a term for this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion

 

I won't drink a sperm whale.

 

If I land a Huna, I drink it in within a few days. It's impossible for me not to do this.

 

I bet a bunch of whales get drunk by the owner in private after a bad breakup or event . Much like Sideways

 

i used to save them for special occasions, but it got to the point where i have more special bottles than special. im breathing today thats a special occasion for me. If i got a beer ive never had before in a trade i usually drink it within a few days of that weekend. I usually save the harder to get stuff, or unusual stuff for tastings. the guys i taste with have pretty much tried everything...

 

I have never bought a wale, but if I did you can bet I would drink it. I'd create an ocassion if I had to.

 

This doesn't really pertain to whales specifically, but I buy faster than I drink.

 

I let my cravings do the talking. Most whales fall into a limited amount of styles. Not always craving a sour, imperial stout, barleywine etc. Usually it's when I am craving something along the lines of those styles and my local shop has nothing interesting that I'll crack something special up. I hate sharing. I find a 750 of uber delicious beer suits me just fine. Unless of course somebody else is busting out something nice!