September 2014 Cellar Thread

Posted this in another thread, but I thought it would be more appropriate here:

I received three REALLY OLD IPAs in a trade the other day (as part of a trade for a dozen older Stone beers) and my friends and I tried it last week.

I was really pleasantly surprised to say that I really enjoyed the 2006 Stone 10th Anniversary IPA with eight years on it. It had converted into something that tasted just like a Barleywine or Old Ale that was sorta under-carbonated. Boozy, sweet, syrup-textured, and malti-messed for sure, but enjoyable as a sipper. Several of us rather liked it.

We also tried the 2007 Stone 11th Anniversary Ale (which is now sold as Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale), and I have to admit that it was in a weird in-between stage between IPA and Barleywine. Drinkable, but the consensus was that it would have benefitted from another year of aging.

So, the verdict is that you should drink high ABV IPAs fresh... or with at least 8 years on them

 

Timely review, I was considering popping one soon.

Just had a 2013 abyss. Very well balanced, roasty, chocolate, extremely delicious. Will it improve? Would be tough IMO since it is so delicious now. I have a 2012 I plan on opening soon, will update there

 

Crack open a bottle of 2014 HF barrel aged daybreak to lick my wounds from a rough day at school.

A: black body with a massive brown head that slowly drops to a thick cap.
S: chocolately, lots of cognac, light roasty expresso.
T: very chocolaty and a lot of cognac notes. Roasty expresso. Hints of orange peel linger in the finish with a hint of dark fruits.
M: super smooth and creamy. no booze at all.
O: this was bottle in January 2014. So it has around 8 months in the bottle and those 8 months really made this beer awesome. It seems like the cognac is building up and really makes for interesting flavors that compliment each other nicely. This beer is really smooth and delicious. I was inspired to post this because I didn't expect this beer to age so well and I think that as the cognac flavor continue to get bigger this beer will get even better. You folk that stll have bottles consider yourselves lucky.

Or let me know if you want to trade them my way if you don't want them....

Cheers!

 

2013 was, indeed, incredibly delicious. Appreciate Deschutes's deft and measured touch with the barrels.

 

Had a 2012 Founder's Imperial Stout last night and it was amazing. Coffee and dried fruit aroma. Super smooth with no boozyness. It had very little carbonation and had some sediment and what appeared to be a chocolate loogie floating on top. Outside of those two things it was perfection.

 

2012 Dogfish Head Burton Baton (bottled 11/12/12); one of the first beers I put into my fledgling cellar.



Essentially an oak-aged barleywine now, no surprise. Very, very sweet with a lot of toffee and caramel, but the nice vanilla and oak aspect kicks in a lot at the end. This isn't a bad one to cellar especially if you like sweet barleywine-type beers. The hops are essentially gone at this point which is about 21 months.

 

2009 Super Kitty is probably as fine as it is gonna get. We cracked one last October, it was great. Opened another Tuesday to celebrate coming to a divorce agreement finally with bitch soon to be ex, and I think this is as blended and mellowed as optimal. If you have some I would pull them now and enjoy.

Just an amazing fucking beer with 4 1/2 years on it. Alcohol even more well hidden, hops now a subdued, lightly herbal and citrus that dries just right, the tart of the yeast and toffee/caramel of the malt have mellowed as well, now a taste that is just astoundingly delicious.

 

@cavedave, I hereby request that you sneak a dig on your soon-to-be-ex into every review you write. Not that your reviews are lacking, but I enjoy this particular spice.

 

2008 J.W. Lees Harvest Ale

Served in a pub glass, refrigerated at 55 to settle the obvious chunks that showed in the bottle when moving from the cellar to the fridge.

Pours still, crystal clear amber, smells of butterscotch, plums, candied dates, caramel. Taste is caramel with a sudden chlorophyll back end; rather shocking to have such a vegetal taste, turns more earthy mineral as it warms. Sweet beets comes to mind, sweet beets. Slight carbonation on the back. This tastes like sweet beets with prunes/raisins. Vegetal/earth/mineral flavor begins to fade after the initial few sips, as it airs out. I really should have let this glass breathe a few minutes after opening, as is de rigueur with aged bottles that begin to reach the "long term" aging realm, as is intended with the other 08s- I plan to take these decades.

As it warms- earthen sweet candy, tiny effervescent bubbles, medium-thick body. Pretty darn good, more earthy than Thomas Hardy, more carbonation as well, very nice late season sipper!

 

Russian River - Redemption from April 2013. I waited too long

 

I can never get past the "veggie" taste unfortunately.

 

After about 5-10 minutes of letting the glass breathe the vegetal taste went away

 

2012 Ten Fidy. This is drinking just about perfect. Velvety smooth, more pronounced roasted notes, and the chocolate flavors really shine through. Also, can taste zero alcohol in this one - which is a little scary, given the ABV. In any event, do yourself a favor and put a few of these cans away for a few years.

 

2013 Velvet Merkin. I'm not in the camp of people who believe FW's beers don't age well (I absolutely love DDBA '12 these days—not to mention all the 7-year-aged stuff they pour at Barrelworks), but this hasn't really improved with a year. I didn't take careful notes when I had this fresh last year, but compared to this year's, the bourbon is a little more prominent, but it seems slightly less smooth, and the mouthfeel is distractingly watery. Not too surprising, since the ABV on this is right at the threshold of cellarable for a non-sour. I prefer this year's fresh, but I'll still be stashing some '14s to try with some age on them.

 

2012 Bells Kalimazoo stout

Smells of light cocoa, licorice, hazelnuts. Tastes of coffee, dark choclate, not much else. Body is light and creamy like a mousse. Leaves a smokey coffee bitter chocolate on the back end, very smooth!

 

2010 Bell's Third Coast Ale (Batch 9970)
Aroma is earthy with a lot of burnt caramel and some herbal hops that barely poke through. Flavor is also very caramelly and sumptuous and is definitely a malt-fest. Mild oxidation which doesn't detract. Smooth feel with low to no alcohol heat. Really enjoyable beer at this point.

2011-12 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Aroma is still a little on the light side with some licorice, prune and raisin, dark chocolate, and medium caramel with some alcohol nostril singe. Flavor is much better than aroma with plenty of medium and darker caramel, dark chocolate, rum raisin, and a little alcohol bitterness in the finish along with a hint of oxidation with leathery, musty maltineess in the finish. A fine beer but I wonder if it is not hitting the top or even slightly falling off its peak.

 

2012 Bruery Black Tuesday. As expected, jet black with a whiff of mocha head. Chocolate fudge maltiness blended perfectly with vanilla bourbon notes. The mouthfeel was full but not heavy, with lingering heat, but not overwhelming. I'll be trying this side by side with '13 and '14 when the new batch comes out, but I already have a feeling it will be my favorite of the three.