Sam Adams triple bock 1994

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by not2quick, Dec 23, 2017.

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  1. not2quick

    not2quick Grand Pooh-Bah (3,600) Dec 1, 2015 Missouri
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    So I came across this in an antique mall for $2.25. Figured it was worth the tick. Anyone have experience with this beer recently? Is it a total mess? Any tips? Should I decant?

    Thanks
     
    #1 not2quick, Dec 23, 2017
  2. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Haven't had it recently but it was kind of a mess back in the mid-90s when I had it (strong soy sauce flavor).
     
    #2 dbrauneis, Dec 23, 2017
  3. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Oh, yeah. Pour slowly and leave a good portion* of the beer in the bottle, to avoid the now-heavy chucky sediment. (Since it's not carbonated, a slow pour has no drawbacks). The last few bottles I opened in recent years are left practically opaque below the fill level with a film left by the beer.

    And, of course, some bottles show signs of leakage around the base of neck "foil", since the cork was a straight cork (like one finds on sherry), not flared like a champagne cork. "Why would it leak if it was basically uncarbonated?" Beats me.

    * Yeah, yeah - some might say "100%" would be the ideal portion to leave in the bottle..

    No other comment on the taste of this "controversial from the start" beer - but there have been times when I've enjoyed it :wink:
     
    #3 jesskidden, Dec 24, 2017
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  4. youradhere

    youradhere Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2008 Washington

    The 1994 and 95 were good years, the 97 is the one everyone gets mixed emotions over- I myself like all 3 years.

    The 94 has some more bitter chocolate syrup to it I thought; 95 was good as well.

    The fact you bought it at an antique mall however, this makes me think that it will taste like a 22 year old $2 antique mall beer, which will be interesting to say the least

    Crack it open with something to chase it just in case, it might surprise and be decent- more likely it will be a mess given flea market storage conditions.
     
    #4 youradhere, Dec 24, 2017
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  5. dlcarst

    dlcarst Zealot (733) Aug 21, 2015 Missouri
    Trader

    I'd guess it sat in a non-temp controlled storage unit for at least a decade. But for 2.25 it's well worth trying.
     
    #5 dlcarst, Dec 26, 2017
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  6. ManBearPat

    ManBearPat Pooh-Bah (1,813) Dec 2, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    Yeah well worth trying... 20+ year old beer for a couple bucks. Doesn’t even seem like a question!


    Please report back!!!
     
    #6 ManBearPat, Dec 27, 2017
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  7. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    One tip I'd make; be careful pulling the cork. Several recent reviews have referred to the cork breaking off when they tried to remove it from the bottle. I don't find that at all surprising actually, as it was something of a problem with the last bottle I consumed (which I think was roughly 15 years ago).

    Jesskidden's comments about the cork are accurate as well, and frankly, it always surprised me how loose fitting the cork was in the bottle. I would expect the OP's bottle to be seriously oxidized at this point, but you never know... certainly should be an interesting experiment to sample the beer at this point.
     
    #7 John_M, Dec 27, 2017
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  8. not2quick

    not2quick Grand Pooh-Bah (3,600) Dec 1, 2015 Missouri
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Man thick prunes and raisin. Sweet and port like.very surprised. Very happy with my $2.25 antique mall pick up.
     
    #8 not2quick, Jan 1, 2018
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  9. youradhere

    youradhere Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2008 Washington

    Very nice!
     
    #9 youradhere, Jan 1, 2018
  10. socon67

    socon67 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,895) Jun 18, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Just impressed to even find bottles making the rounds. Awesome find!
     
    #10 socon67, Jan 1, 2018
  11. wickedestman

    wickedestman Initiate (196) May 15, 2016 Finland

    I had a 1995 back in 2013-2014 and it was very nice (also probably cellared properly all the way). Reminded of Utopias and was thick syrupy and boozy liquid. It definitely had flavors of extended cellaring/age but was still very drinkable and a fun experience.
     
    #11 wickedestman, Jan 7, 2018
  12. kylenabilcy

    kylenabilcy Crusader (411) Aug 10, 2010 Wisconsin

    There's a bottle shop in Wisconsin that has probably close to a case of the 97 on the shelf. It's "on sale" for $27 per bottle.
     
    #12 kylenabilcy, Jan 8, 2018
  13. Ostpies

    Ostpies Initiate (0) Nov 3, 2015 New Zealand (Aotearoa)

    Nice find, that ones on my wish list.
     
    #13 Ostpies, Jan 25, 2018
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