New Glarus Belgian Red - 1996 Vintage

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by Lansman, Jul 23, 2012.

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  1. Wisconsin

    Wisconsin Initiate (0) Jul 24, 2008 Wisconsin

    #21 Wisconsin, Jul 24, 2012
  2. drgarage

    drgarage Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2008 California

    I'll be sure to let Cantillon know that their beers are poor candidates for cellaring.
     
    #22 drgarage, Jul 24, 2012
    SixThousandDollars, jnrjr79, HomeBrewed and 3 others like this.
  3. jedwards

    jedwards Initiate (0) Feb 3, 2009 California

    Very cool. Post some tasting notes when you open them, I'm super curious!
     
    #23 jedwards, Jul 24, 2012
  4. Jose2412

    Jose2412 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2012 Michigan

    A bottle like Arcadia's BA Shipwreck Porter has wax that MAY do something, but just holding the damn bottle of Belgian Red it melts and gets all gross.
     
    #24 Jose2412, Jul 25, 2012
    zchall23 likes this.
  5. Lansman

    Lansman Savant (1,116) Mar 19, 2011 Missouri
    Trader

    So, on our way up to the Great Taste this Friday, we stopped by to open up the bottle marked '1996 Vintage' to see how it has held up after all these years. The verdict - it appeared to have been properly cellared, and it took on a Sour Flanders type taste as the Lactobacillus ran wild inside the bottle over the 15+ year period. It was funky, and actually quite delicious. You can see a noticable difference in color from the fresh Belgian Red and the 1996 Belgian Red in the pictures below. (Brown vs. Red color difference is quite clear)

    Dan Carey was kind enough to relax with us (as a small crowd of BAs formed while we were there Friday afternoon) and here are the pics - in the end, Dan took three vial samples of the stuff (it wasn't oxidized, which was probably the most interesting development of all) and he said that the lab will try and isolate the interesting bacteria that has been lingering in the bottle. It would be neat to see what they can do with the stuff after all this time. We will be returning with the 1995 bottle sometime soon, and hope to sit down with Dan again to enjoy his creation!

    New stuff vs. old stuff - how will it turn out?
    [​IMG]

    Pouring the bottle next to some fresh Belgian Red...
    [​IMG]

    A look at a side-by-side comparison
    [​IMG]

    Dan calling up a lab tech to try and isolate the bugs
    [​IMG]

    Pouring the old stuff into lab vials
    [​IMG]

    Next to be opened at New Glarus - date/time TBD.
    [​IMG]
     
    #25 Lansman, Aug 13, 2012
    stingray, jmdrpi, sandman3479 and 35 others like this.
  6. kawilliams81

    kawilliams81 Pooh-Bah (1,972) Feb 27, 2009 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Really cool stuff. Thanks for sharing.
     
    #26 kawilliams81, Aug 13, 2012
    beerepiphany likes this.
  7. Wisconsinality

    Wisconsinality Initiate (0) Aug 15, 2009 Wisconsin

    I was one of the lucky ones to get to try this. Greatly appreciated. It was interesting to see Dan's reaction when he first tried it. I think if it tasted like that when it hit the shelves, I would buy it a lot more than I do. Didn't dry out as much as I thought it would.
     
    #27 Wisconsinality, Aug 13, 2012
    KevinJohnson2 likes this.
  8. knelson

    knelson Initiate (0) Nov 23, 2010 Wisconsin

    OP: We were sitting behind you guys on the patio when Dan C came out and popped this. We could tell by his reaction that it had aged very well. Thanks for posting as we were wondering what was in the bottle. Lucky find. Glad to hear it held up so well!
     
    #28 knelson, Aug 13, 2012
  9. Gonzoillini

    Gonzoillini Initiate (0) Oct 15, 2008 Illinois

    Just wanted to thank Kevin and his group for graciously sharing a good sized pour with my group that Friday morning. It was a truly interesting and unique experience getting to sample the fresh off the tap and 1996 vintages side by side. Loved listening to Dan explain what he think happened over the years to this batch (and to learn that there was a "sour" batch that he thought was terrible made in 96).

    I also liked watching Dan when he tried the Risggoop that I opened up, his expression was somewhere between interesting and trainwreck.

    Cheers!
     
    #29 Gonzoillini, Aug 14, 2012
    mnbearsfan, skawars1, dvelcich and 1 other person like this.
  10. Epical8

    Epical8 Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2010 California

    Yeah awesome! thanks for sharing
     
    #30 Epical8, Aug 14, 2012
  11. Lansman

    Lansman Savant (1,116) Mar 19, 2011 Missouri
    Trader

    Still early yet, but didn't want this thread disappearing entirely - we will be opening up the other 1995-96 bottle referenced above with Dan on either Thursday, August 7 or Friday, August 8, pending availability. More to come as we get closer to the Great Taste. For those in the area, if you're there at the right time, stop by and say hi for a pour!

    Also, as an aside, the Wild Sour Ale released last year tastes very similar to the bottle we opened above - would be very interesting to find out if a portion of the harvested yeast was used in that bottling.
     
    #31 Lansman, May 14, 2014
    JammyV, DooshBagalow, boilermakerryan and 5 others like this.
  12. DooshBagalow

    DooshBagalow Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2012 Illinois

    I have one bottle with a pre-thumbprint cap, and another from the batch before the 2012/2013 drought. Would like to try and coordinate adding these in if possible.
     
    #32 DooshBagalow, May 15, 2014
    Lansman likes this.
  13. SaulTBauls

    SaulTBauls Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2013 Iowa

    This thread is amazing. Thanks for digging it up @Lansman!
     
    #33 SaulTBauls, May 15, 2014
    beerepiphany, DooshBagalow, pawpaw and 1 other person like this.
  14. belotj

    belotj Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2011 New Jersey

    @Lansman ...came across this interesting thread. Any outcome/notes/pics on the second bottle?
     
    #34 belotj, May 12, 2015
    Lucular, Thequinn, DooshBagalow and 1 other person like this.
  15. SixThousandDollars

    SixThousandDollars Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2012 Florida

    #35 SixThousandDollars, May 13, 2015
  16. Lansman

    Lansman Savant (1,116) Mar 19, 2011 Missouri
    Trader

    Second bottle has not yet been opened. Thinking we might crack it with Dan on our way up to the Great Taste this year in August.
     
    #36 Lansman, May 13, 2015
    Thequinn, belotj, DooshBagalow and 1 other person like this.
  17. pudgym29

    pudgym29 Zealot (634) Mar 14, 2009 Illinois

    This is an interesting thread. I have a couple of bottles of Belgian Red in our beer cellar here at the domicile.
    I have forgotten when they were bought (but think it was after 2002 - as they were obtained at Discount Liquors in Milwaukee). Can anybody out here on B A tell me when it was packaged? :slight_smile:[​IMG]
     
    #37 pudgym29, May 31, 2015
  18. Lansman

    Lansman Savant (1,116) Mar 19, 2011 Missouri
    Trader

    Quick update. Amazing that it has been three years already. Interesting to see how much the place has changed looking at those pictures up above (as well as the crowd there on the Friday before the GTOM).

    We will be opening up the 1995 bottle (with the 'Best By April 1996' label) this coming weekend with Dan at NG. 20 years after bottling. Will post pictures and tasting notes similar to what we did three years ago for all to see.
     
    #38 Lansman, Aug 4, 2015
    jsrose16, LambicPentameter, PapaGoose03 and 7 others like this.
  19. mbockstruck30

    mbockstruck30 Pooh-Bah (1,800) Dec 31, 2010 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Has it really been 3 years since you created this thread? Man how time flies. Looking forward to seeing how it held up.
     
    #39 mbockstruck30, Aug 4, 2015
  20. mbockstruck30

    mbockstruck30 Pooh-Bah (1,800) Dec 31, 2010 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    So Lansman, how'd this go?
     
    #40 mbockstruck30, Aug 11, 2015
    DooshBagalow likes this.
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