April 2015 Cellar reviews

2013 Old Curmudgeon- wonderful mix of plum, raisin, chewy caramel malts, toffee, and a tinge of oak in there. well worth the wait and one of the beers i'd say actually improves with age. oddly i wish there was some alcohol in there

 

Agree on the BCBCS - had one in Dec (2012 as well) and I was blown away at how well the coffee's held up. Wonder if the 22oz. format has anything to do with that. Cheers

 

Didn't realize there was a thread for this until now, otherwise I would have taken full notes. Last week I opened a 2009 Brooklyn Monster, my last one, and it was great, and fascinating.

2009 Brooklyn Monster- At 6 years old, I honestly wasn't sure whether or not to expect greatness. Also don't have a guess on what more time would do, but I do know that it was worth saving. The flavor was dominated by tobacco, which is one of the flavor descriptors I've never been able to pick out, but this was distinct. And it tasted like that in a good way. And this was spicy cigar tobacco, the good stuff. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

 

i had some 4 year old BM last year and it was wonderful. tasted like dates and plums soaked in rum and layers of caramel malt. probably one of the most overlooked beers worth aging, probably because its pretty hot initially and people dont think its worth picking up. however im glad i can still find it on the shelves sometimes even though they stopped making it

 

Madcap, couldn't agree more with your review of the Brooklyn Monster vintage. Love the spicy, cedar like notes and you're exactly right that it has a cigar like thing going for it. I actually cracked an old bottle last summer and smoked a La Flor Dominicana Double life ro with it. The earthy and spicy notes of the cigar really complimented the beer. I'd highly recommend that combo of you have an old Monster Ale again, assuming you enjoy a cigar now and again like I do.

Cheers,
Scott

 

Posted this in the Rare Barrel thread, but forgot to post here:

I did a side by side of Shadows of Their Eyes b1 and b2 recently, and preferred the year old bottle, so that says good things about TRB aging potential. The dark malt had toned down a bit in the older bottle allowing more acidity to come forward, and lended a cherry note to the beer that wasnt present in the fresh beer.

 

Founders Curmudgeon bottled February 2013. Boy was this good. The nose was sweet and malty, and the taste followed. The flavors really opened up compared to the fresh 2015 bottle I'm drinking now. No hint of the medicinal notes I sometimes get in a fresh bottle. Funny, though, cause in December I drank another bottle from the same 2013 4-pack and it tasted a bit oxidized. Maybe just an issue with that particular bottle.

Curmudgeon is a beer I've really come around to.

 

Firestone Walker Parabola 2013.
Still big barrel character, but very little heat left. The roast has dropped the hint of char that is sometimes apparent in Parabola (can't remember if this batch had a lot of it fresh), and a bit of dark fruit has come in in its place. Not super chocolatey which I feel usually comes out around this time, but maybe it hasn't hit that mark yet. I didn't care for this vintage as much a yeah ago and thought maybe it was just going through a funk that it would come out of, but maybe I just don't like this batch as much as others.

 

I don't think they've used espresso since 2010. I know 2014's used Zirikana coffee from Rwanda (from Intelligentsia as always).

Yeah I think you're right in that 22oz bottles may not help preserve the coffee. I was thinking along the lines of how larger formats help other beer/wine age better. That probably doesn't hold up with coffee though.

 

'13 KBS. Poured nice and dark brown with a finger of tan head and a surprising amount of lacing. Aroma is extremely dull. Taste reveals muted barrel/bourbon, still lots of chocolate and a nice coffee finish. Altogether this is still a great beer, age has really just mellowed out the experience.

 

2012 Black Tuesday. The nose has lost the big vanilla bourbony character and has turned more woody. A touch of sherry is starting to come through as well. Taste is chocolate and caramel with a slight earthy, almost vegetal quality on the back end. Still very warming on the finish but not nearly as hot as when fresh. Significantly lighter in mouthfeel as well.

 

Once I let it warm to room temp (originally poured at 55), the sweetness became more apparent and took on more of a Black Tuesday-y flavor that I'm used to. The heat was more prominent but so was the vanilla.

 

2008 Abyss- I will caveat this with that this was a the end of the share. I brought this out when we were a little past our prime. I was luckily able to try the beer and get my thoughts before someone made a beerfloat with the ice cream someone left on my table, and led to the rest of the beer being used for these concoctions....last time I open something this late in the game ha. The beer was very chocolate forward almost fudgey, especially with the lack of carbonation on the mouthfeel. I have to say that I prefer this to the fresher versions of Abyss (92/100).

2008 BCBS- This beer really took me by surprise by how little this has fallen off. I think this might be my favorite year of BCBS right with the 2013. It was incredibly smooth, and the bourbon notes came through creating a balance I really don't get in years like 2012 or 2014. (98/100)

2012 BCBS- Well....this was boozy haha. The bourbon was just so upfront on this one, and I understand this is 15%, but I could just taste it, and mostly that. There was a little bit of the chocolate you get on all BCBS, but the booze was just so overpowering. (85/100).

BA Rasputin XII- This was my first experience having this beer, maybe I should have had it fresh to know how it compares, but I found this beer balanced and enjoyable, especially for a beer that has been sitting around for some time. There was minimal carbonation, and the bourbon notes were muted and balanced (92/100).

 

Hair of the Dog Adam- batch 6 (1995)

Pours clear mahogany with khaki head, dense yeast/sediment cake on the bottom, smell is tootsie roll and prunes; tastes like chocolate, velvety chocolate with a slight mesquite smoke on the back end. Mouthfeel is medium with medium carbonation. Truly has held up well over 20+ years, a decadent treat!

 

Hair of the Dog Fred- batch 41 (2001)

Pours bright copper with minimal lacing. Smells of toffee and coffee, tastes of toffee nuts, some slight booziness still. Mouthfeel is medium with prickly carbonation, still sticky sweet! Very nice for being 2 years shy of driving age.

 

Bourbon Barrel Aged Four Calling Birds:
Bourbon notes really well integrated with the dark candi sugar base, umami and ginger in the nose as well. Full and sweet lots of burnt sugar and dark fruit and a hint of soy sauce, rounded out with a bit of ginger and spice on the finish. Full bodied and viscous, and warming on the finish but not at all hot.

 

Had a solid share this weekend: Anyone have Cali brandy fresh?

Cali-Brandy Huna 2013-The beer pours a dark chocolate color, with an amber head that dissipates, forming a thin lace along the head of the beer. The nose is straight up brandy which is very powerful and a little bit of chocolate. The taste is a muted version of Huna, as the barrel definitely smooths the base beer out. You get a little bit of cinnamon and spice on the back end, but it is very muted. I have heard mixed things about this beer after aging it a few years. The booze is definitely present, I was hoping for something a little sweeter from the brandy, but this leaves me wondering how different this beer was fresh (95/100).

Veritas 013- Pours a nice orange/peach color in the glass with a good amount of head. Gusher alert, we made sure to open it over the sink but still lost about 2oz of the beer when we popped the cork. There is a strong lactic smell, however not overly powerful, with lots of peach and what seems like apricot a little on the nose. The taste is interesting when it's cold, it's tart on the front end, but then straight fruit juice on the back-end. Once the beer warms up a little, it completely changes, becoming more tart all around. I had 015 at EBF, my palate was shot and I wasn't a fan, but this is quite enjoyable (97/100).

 

Love this beer once the oxidation starts to creep in. Starts to taste like peanut brittle.

Reviews like this give me hope that the Bigfoot six pack I'm saving for 2032 will be somewhat drinkable when opened.