December 2017 Cellar Reviews

2014 SN Bigfoot Barleywine Ale - night 5 of 6
Cellared at 60-65F
Served at 50F in a clear glass snifter
Medium murky amber with 1 finger beige frothy head
Aroma seems muted but sports grapefruit and woody herbal hop character with medium caramel malt aromas
Flavor is smooth but not as complex as some of the older versions. Hops dominate with grapefruit and woody earthy notes followed by medium caramel maltiness. Alcohol character is sweet with moderate bitterness.
Carbonation is medium with full body and very drinkable.
A nice beer but at the bottom of the pack as lacks complexity compared to most of the other older versions.
2012 > 2013 > 2011 > 2014 > 2010

 

https://postimages.org will give you a permanent link for any pic you upload.

 

https://s33.postimg.org/6906v4sin/9_B4_D5_F7_B-5_EC8-4_C4_E-_B104-42_FF4082336_B.jpg

Flavors don’t change too noticeably over three years, other than it getting a little more raisiny... really just love this one every year- plus the labels are really cool

 

can't see the pic... I think maybe you pasted the link into the main text body? to include a picture in your post, you need to click the 'Image' button (next to the smiley face) and paste it into the field that pops up.

 

It would be aged in a keg at the brewery, not a barrel.

 

So would that make a difference vs bottle? Because otherwise I don't understand why they do it when Founders always claims drink in 365 days.

 

The beer will still age in a keg, albeit more slowly.

 

This year Founders released a gift pack with a 2016 and 2017 bottle, despite the advice to drink fresh.

 

2015 SN Bigfoot Barleywine Ale - night 6 of 6
Cellared at 60-65F
Served at 55F in a clear glass snifter
Hazy medium amber with 1-finger foamy beige head
Citrus glazed toffee is the best descriptor. Heavy grapefruit on 1-dimensional medium caramel toffee. A fair amount of boozy heat stings the nostrils.
Flavor is decidedly hop dominant with medium sweet caramel cut with high hops bitterness with floral and grapefruit hops flavor. Alcohol presence is moderately strong with a light coffeeish roast note in the aftertaste.
Carbonation is moderate with full body and smooth overall feel except for the bitterness which is slightly harsh.
A wakeup call of a beer -- grabs you by the throat and bullies you.
I enjoyed this short vertical -- 2012 wins by a nose!
2012 > 2013 > 2011 > 2015 > 2014 > 2010

 

5 years seems about right in my experience.

 

Hibernation Ale 2013

Flavor hadn't changed that much. Seems thinner than I remember. Not much fruit other than a shot of it here or there. Carbonation was still good and the look was as it was when it was fresh. No obvious oxidation. Hop flavor and bitterness had faded quite a bit (as my notes when it was fresh indicate it was apparent then).
Not great, but it was alright. Better when it was fresh.

 

2011 Southern Tier Backburner

dark garnet color, thin off-white head that fades. aroma of caramel, toffee, and some earthy undertones. similar flavor - mildly sweet. rich, but not cloying. lower carbonation, sticky mouthfeel. Too bad they stopped brewing this one.

 

2013 Classic Release Stone IRS
Cellared at 60-65F
Served at 55F in a clear glass tulip
Black with short head but some lacing.
Aroma combines fudge, black coffee grounds, light soy, and touch of black licorice.
Flavor is much more roast and dark fruit — date and raisin — with more licorice but also more roast in the finish. A lot of medium caramel through the mid-palate.
Feel is very creamy and full-bodied with low carbonation and silky feel but slightly sharp roast aftertaste.
Definitely a classic, I don’t see this one getting a lot better. I have a 2012 that has been cellared under the same conditions so will see the differences.

 

I just wanted to say - albeit in a mildly tipsy mannor - that I greatly appreciate everyone that contributes to these threads. It is such a pleasure to read through cellar reviews on here on an almost daily basis. I wish I had a larger cellar to contribute. I should hopefully have something more to add before the end of the year.

 

I recently did a similar vert, minus the 2011 and up to 2016. I too found the 2010 the worst of the bunch, but I enjoyed the 2016 the most. I've decided to stop cellaring my Bigfoot and just enjoy it as I get it. That's the fun part, just seeing what happens to different beers through the years. Cheers!

 

Bell's 30th Anniversary Ale
Bottled in 2015. Still full and rich and still holding some malty sharpness. Nice fruit flavors and soft roast. Pours thick and black but a pretty small head considering. Body isn't as rich as it looked coming out of the bottle. It states it's meant to cellared for many (30) years, but I'm thinking it may not hold up that long. Good now, but not as good as some of the earlier anniversary ales I've enjoyed from Bell's.

 

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout -- Winter '14-'15 bottling
Poured into a clear glass snifter
Jet black with minimal head and no lacing
Aroma is mainly fig and date with chocolate and black coffee with some alcohol
Flavor is smooth but a little underwhelming with malt of course way in front but the intensity seems less than it should be for a big beer. Some medium caramel with date fruit flavors and chocolate with back coffee. Not the most refined imperial stout for sure in the flavor category and age hasn't really changed that a lot.
Feel is very creamy and enjoyable.
I liked this beer but I have a sneaking suspicion the newer bottles are going to hold more flavor intensity.

 

December 20, 2016 Sofie aged 1 year:

More champagne appearance in the head, body stays opaque orange IPA appearance like it does fresh but now has more foamy, champagne cream head.

Smell is same with bubblegum fruity strawberry aroma but aged has some raspberry that wasn't present before

Taste and mouthfeel is where this beer really fades. When fresh I got abundance of flavors such as strawberry, banana, clove, sourness, sweet and sour mango, pineapple, citrus, and lemon grass along with some hops.

Aged the hops are more present and comes off as an aged IPA that has totally lost its flavor. There is flavors of banana and clove along with some bubblegum, but no sourness and very bland. The beer is more smooth and no longer very fizzy and is less of a slow sipper and more crushable. I prefer the fresh sour fizzy slow sipping fresh version. I have 2 more I'm aging because I want to know how it is in 2 and 3 years and since already aged a year I might as well continue to age but must say as of now Sofie fresh is the way to go.

 

Deschutes/Hair of the Dog - Collage 2
Bottled on 8/01/16, & holding up great! Alcohol heat of this 14% beer is almost nonexistent now. Lots of oak & vanilla from the barrels. Tastes of red wine. Really smooth for the abv. Berries, dark fruit, vanilla, oak, licorice. Mouthfeel is thin, but coats the tongue. I have a feeling this will continue to age well for years to come.

Cheers!