BCBCS: not what it was?

2016 and 2017 BCBCS, while still very good, were not as good as I remember 2011-2015 BCBCS being. Not sure if that's due to palate changing, more great BA coffee stouts on the market, preference to the specific coffee used or something else, but I agree with you.

 

I don’t think so much that it’s declined as there are just so many great BA stouts out now. Back then there were far less breweries that had a great barrel program. But now there are just so many doing it so well. But I’m sure if you gave someone who has never had a BA stout before a BCBS or a variant they would be blown away.

 

It should also be noted that a different coffee from Intelligentsia is used for this beer each year. It could just be that you prefer different beans over others. It may have also declined - who knows? I just think that this variance in coffee from year to year should definitely be considered as a factor in why you may feel as though it is not the same as it used to be because it really isn't, or ever will be, the same each year.

 

I don't think I agree with this theory. The BA imp stout craze isn't that new of a thing. There were a lot being made in 2013/2014 and during those years I felt BCBS and BCBCS were the best of the best (only really new thing is the pastry stout phenomena, which isn't really relevant to the BCBS and BCBCS conversation). In 2014 I would take BCBCS far over a Big Bad Baptist, for example. But now, I prefer BBB. There is no way to know why exactly some think BCBS has fallen off, but I personally don't believe it's because there are better BA stouts now. I think there were great stouts back then and while it use to be a competitor, it isn't anymore.

 

It's one of the few coffee beers that showcases true coffee flavor. It's incredible, Every year. I echo the statement about the different beans, that'll change the profile each time.

 

Or maybe coffee has gotten better, and they need to step it up with better beans...

I feel like it's stayed the same, as "big beer" tends to do, and the smaller guys continue to innovate. Kinda like what has happened to pliney, still good, but others continue to improve.

 

Saw this the other day:

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game

Maybe you've got something like that going on in your memory for the beers.

 

I thought this year's bcbcs was a return to form after blah versions in 2015 and 2016

 

With the blend of coffee being used changing each year I can definitely see other years being better than others. Add on top of that that more and more people are doing bigger, badder coffee stouts each year and our ever changing palates and I think it is a natural progression to feel that way.

 

You are dealing with a product which is made annually. As such. What's available each year is going to change. The time frame you mention this decline in whatever you are alleging also coincides with the time frame where a lot of breweries also jumped into barrel aging programs so what's rare then is now common.
Your problem is probably just that you can't taste its rarity anymore.

 

I think BCBS is still good but it lost something to me due to the massive amount of beers out with the same characteristics. Seems like you can pick up a beer in the same class any day of the week so for me it is more burnout than anything. If I took a break from the style and came back I think I would be saying it was fantastic. I have a stockpile of these so I plan to age them and enjoy whenever, actually more towards summer during the IPA craze a nice BCBS goes well to break that up.
Cheers

 

This is the hardest thing for me, in the tasting world. I can't compare the same beer that I had 2-3 years ago, to this year's vintage.

 

let's start by acknowledging it's still a good beer. cavedave was correct for the most part (it survived but not without experiencing many of the bumps i predicted). i agree with OP & Zaphog, to me the product was consistently better before.

most of the variants (Coffee) are dependent on added ingredient(s) that aren't generally the same year over year. how the added ingredients mesh will vary per release, period. also, based on my experiences, some bottled dates / batches with-in a release year are more to my liking (aka better) than others with-in the same release.

i'll double down on my 2011 predictions as many of them have come to pass. because the AB/In-Bev acquisition was at the same time, i believe it was always misconstrued as my reasoning for concern. it wasn't anything to do with GI's acquisition, it was the expansion itself even if GI did it on its own & particularly the timing of the expansion that was the issue. one of the main resources was going into decline right as they expanded. there are a lot of naysayers here. the evidence that barrels are a driving factor here is beyond pretending otherwise now. mho.

 

The great thing about BCBCS is that you taste the complexity of the coffee, all of the barrel characteristics, and the beer all working together. Most "new" coffee stouts are huge char, roast, chocolate bombs that cover up any other flavor in the beer. Considering how we are in an age where more and more people want beer that doesn't taste like beer, I'm not surprised this thread has begun. Shame.

As far as the Pliny comparison where someone said "people are brewing better and better DIPAs." I'd change that to "more and more different DIPAs." Just because something is new and different, doesn't make it better.