November 2017 Cellar Reviews

Interesting, I've never had oxidation in any bottle of The Abyss I've ever had (& I've had a lot of them!), & we've had them up to 7 years old. I just stuck a bottle of 2011 in the fridge, I'll have to get to that soon.

 

Glad someone opened one and posted. Reviews have been AWFUL over the years, so just kept mine in cold cellar storage...maybe I'll give it a go. Thanks for the review.

 

Yeah I was thrown off too - especially with the wax. Any older bottles I’ve had (although not 2009, and I can’t recall drinking a separate aged bottle of 2013) tasted fine. I’m going to crack a 2014 tonight and will report back to this thread.

 

Last night I had this beauty.

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2015


4.33/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2015 Vintage

Pours a nice black color. Very minimal head when poured from the bottle. What little there is is white.
The nose has got pleasing hints of smoke on it.
Taste mellow up front, then the pleasing smoke flavor comes in and lingers.
Feel is moderate.
Overall quite delcious, and it's good to see that this beer holds up well with age.

347 characters

 

Jack's Abby - Barrel Aged Framinghammer (2014)

One finger of dense khaki head with a foamy, rolling top. Quickly dissipates to a lopsided cap and collar. A bit oily. Pitch black body. Hints of brown and ruby are barely apparent around the edges of the glass.

The nose has subdued notes of fudge, berry (similar to what I pick up in a fruity coffee), slight oxidation. Bourbon and barrel notes are no longer apparent.

Taste follows the nose - subdued notes of fudge and berry-forward coffee to start. I'm picking up on some prickly or boozey vanilla notes in the middle. Finishes more boldly with coffee, caramel, and tons of rich dark chocolate. Like the nose, the bourbon qualities are no longer present.

Feel starts thin and watery to start but finishes fuller with coffee-like bitterness. Low carbonation for the style.

This may be one of my favorite beers fresh. Age has changed it quite a bit. I still prefer it fresh, but cellering provide a interesting and tasty outcome.

Here are my notes from a fresh bottle of the same vintage:

Notes from 7/13/14 - Consumed from a snifter

A: 1/2 inch of dark khaki-colored head which quickly dissipates. Body is the color of flat cola.

S: Bourbon, vanilla, caramel/brulee, rich chocolate

T: Bourbon, molasses, vanilla, chocolate coffee ice cream. Slightly boozy. As it warms there's more bourbon and caramel sweetness.

M: A little thin on the front but turns syrupy on the back. Slight numbness from the booze.

O : Sweet and sippable. I enjoyed it less as it warmed, but delicious nevertheless.

 

2014 Deschutes Abyss
Best after 11/10/2015

Poured into two snifters - dark black with a dark tan head that dissipated quickly. Smell is sweet chocolate, dark fruits, some barrel. Taste of chocolate, port, sweet dark fruits (figs?), and some tobacco as it warms. Silky smooth, full bodied mouthfeel, and easy to drink. This is the abyss I remember! Aged wonderfully and much better than the 2013 I had last night. Wish I had another bottle.

 

If you have more than one then definitely open one now- it’s an easy drinker. Not sure how the flavors will develop, I think I can vaguely recall medicinal/olive notes real heavy in it fresh, but that drink/memory was 5years ago so that probably isn’t accurate.

 

Last time I opened was a gusher...so anything beats that. That was at least three years ago though...cheers.

 

have a bunch of 09' cans I need to investigate

 

2010 Brooklyn Monster Ale
A: Decanted murky, like iced coffee without the ice, with no head
S: Caramel and cola aromas
T: Brooklyn's yeast flavors are off the charts in this beer. I tried this with some tangy semi-sharp farmhouse cheddar and the caramel notes with the lightly spicy yeast contributions come through even late in the finish. There is a touch of paper/cardboard in the finish too, but the fig and date notes along with the range of caramel and light herbal hopping with firm bitterness is a solid combo.
M: Full, round, low carbonation of course
O: I still have a few more of these bottles to pull out. It is time to grab a few more!

 

Excellent year of The Abyss.

 

Hair of the Dog- Adam Bier Batch 88 (2013 I think?)

Pours deep clear mahogany with thick soft head, the head lasts and lasts, collapsing to a thick crust. Smell is amazing- coconut, whiskey, milk chocolate, coffee, anise. Taste is deep espresso coffee and dark chocolate, whiskey oak, coconut, almond. Mouthfeel is thick and silky smooth, prickly carbonation hides deep within. Overall very good, decadent and rich, fantastic now and for a few more years I’d wager.

 

2013 Third Coast Ale: murky brown, quickly fading head, caramelized dates on the nose, tastes of dates up front followed by a malty backbone, ends with a vodka infused mix of bbq plums. Body is still medium with a decent amount of carbonation. Happy where its at but will hold on to my remaining bottles. This hasn't passed its prime yet, i think it can go several more years.

 

2013 BCBS

Let's just say if the 2015 or 2016 versions turn out half this good in 2-3 more years, we are in for a real treat.

This was aged at ~50 degrees since I obtained it in 2014. Sweeter than I remember it being fresh, which is surprising. Not boozy, zero heat. I get some vanilla, chocolate, and slight carmel.

Amazing. My last one, sigh.
4.75/5.

 

An unlikely candidate I didn't check the date when purchasing at a new store so I ended up with an Oskar Blues G'knight imperial red IPA canned on 7/4/16

Look: hazy orange with a huge tan head and tons of lacing.

Smell: big tropical fruit, grassiness, toffee, caramel and malts on the nose

Taste: toffee, caramel, malts with a hint of hoppiness and bit of booze. Similar to a mellow barleywine

Feel: medium low carbonation, pretty smooth

Overall: this one has turned into something between a strong ale and a barleywine, not great but not a drain pour, it's 8.7% abv has kept this one on life support

 

Got to enjoy a glass of Victory Java Cask from 2016 over the weekend.

2016 bottle. Nose is chocolate, lots of depth to this note, some heat at the end. Taste is a combination of cocoa, bourbon and coffee. Mouthfeel was thick, lingering with sweetness and whiskey. Overall I was surprised by the heat on this after a year, though this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the brew.

look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.58/5

 

Thanksgiving Day WBAYDN X Post



A: See pic above

S: Fresh lemon rind, Welch's grape juice, earthy nuttiness, Pinot Noir (reminds me of one I had recently, hence the specificity), musty basement, fresh sourdough.

M: Acqeous and effervescent.

T: Bright, pleasant acidity with notes of white vinegar and lemon juice, followed by fruitier notes of Granny Smith apple, white peach, under ripe plum, kiwi, with some earthy and funkier notes of nuttiness.

D: If I could drink this with every meal, every day for the rest of my life I would. It's not as complex or funky as the Mariage Parfait, but it's just so drinkable and approachable. If you like the flavor profile Boon Geuze you'll enjoy this beer.

Hope to be contributing more to this thread when I dip into the cellar.

Happy Thanksgiving