Half Acre (2019)

I think for most of us the aging isn’t intentional. It’s overcrowded cellars and fridges.

 

a BA stout shouldn’t need to be consumed “fresh” to avoid the risk of it turning into a completely different beer than what was intended.

Yes, adjuncts fade, but that’s not at all what seems to have happened with certain bottles of Benthic

 

Not to mention the poster indicated he got the bottle in trade... with no way of knowing how it was stored, or what was done to it. It could have been dropped, left in the trunk of a car in 90 degree heat, or any number of things that would fuck it up.

 

Very helpful. It's meaningful contributions like this that keep me coming back to BA.

 

Peach is what threw me for a loop on this one. I stopped in for a pour this weekend and couldn't remember what was unique about it and didn't read the menu description. Alright beer but fairly unbalanced, not something I'd have again, but not a bad beer.

 

I'm not saying its right 100% of the time, but his original point is not necessarily inaccurate. Most breweries with quality barrel programs do say to drink fresh. They release them when they feel they are ready to be released (by no means am I saying this is true of all breweries). But I'll trust someone like John Laffler (unquestionably GI's best ever barrel manager) when he said to drink BCS variants fresh, as they are released when they believe they are at their peak. And I think Revolution is a brewery lately that has proved this as well.

Again, not saying this is always the case (and obviously not with BCS of late), but for those brewers that have truly mastered the barrel, its true more often than not.

 

Yeah, I'm not saying the point is wrong. Yes, most beers are generally going to be best when the brewery releases them.

However, people on this forum do age them. This particular beer was sold in multiples in a format that lends itself to sitting on as opposed to drinking right away. To come on here and say "this beer is tasting this way" is useful to some people on this forum.

Crapping on that person with the standard "well, you know you aren't supposed to age that beer" in a snooty retort is not.

 

The rule is essentially "do you want it to taste as we intended? Drink now. If you want to see what age does to mellow the heat, adjuncts, etc., drink later."

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with cellaring (or whatever you do) these beers, but I would also say that if you hear "coconut stout" and go "oh my god, I have to have this," I'll be a little confused if you don't open at least one fresh.

 

Sorry to hear it. The one I domed last night was delicious.

 

Just five days until the online Benthic sale -- any informed guesses as to what kind of variants they'll be offering this year? (There's nothing official online yet AFAIK.)

 

I'm gonna guess Vanilla Benthic is one. They had a keg at Far & Away last year, and entered it in fobab this year too.

 

Maaayyyybe.

 

It's going to be Vanilla Benthic whether you make it or I have to dump vanilla beans in my glass of normal Benthic.

 

I am all in for Benthic this year. Had it on tap this last Thursday and was incredibly impressed. Blows past years out of the water. Surprised no one was at Balmoral to sample it.

 

I like your style!

 

HA, PLEASE bring back Double Barrel. One of my all time faves

 

Read it and weep.

https://www.halfacrebeer.com/news/2019-benthic

 

The variants all sounds delicious. My only slight complaint is the full bundle you need to get 2 2 packs of regular Benthic.

Honestly my ideal would be a mixed four pack with one can of each but I realize I'm in the minority of not wanting to hugely stock up on multiple cans.

 

Nailed the vanilla as being a variant.