Cellar Reviews (2020)

This is just a small part of something bigger. I searched for like an hour and I couldn't find the MSRP for the Horus bottle. I guess the next step is just to ask the guy I'm trading with what he paid because I would like to stay close to $4$. Regardless, I think I'm likely to go for it and I'll make sure to post here about it once I open it. The beer sounds delicious and it would be my first time with Horus.

Thanks and cheers!

 

I don't know the cost, but most of their beers are $30 - $50 - or at least, were. I'd be surprised if this beer was less than $30. If anything, you might actually be getting a "deal", as it wouldn't surprise me if this bottle was $45, which rings a bell in my head (but again, I'm not positive).

 

Definitely worth it if you're interested in trying Horus beers. I think the fade of coffee is often overstated and like I said above, beers built the way Horus builds beers shouldn't suffer anything less than some minor fade. And if you look back at the old Horus threads people have always complained that he uses coffee beans that are too delicate to stand up to the burly base stout. So you're probably getting it below original retail and its probably still comparable. I'd jump on it

 

I can't imagine how you'd make a stout that would really showcase Gheisha beans that are ~$70/pound. I also don't want to experiment and learn. Not on my dime anyway.

 

Folks like to hate on Prop 16, but I've enjoyed it every time I've had it.

 

Ya that's a lot of the criticism that was levied against him

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2016 Narwhal. I have great admiration for Sierra Nevada, some of their beers are amongst my favorites in their respective style (Bigfoot, SN Pale, hell even Torpedo is fantastic). However, I’ve never really loved Narwhal. I’ve also never really cellared it. So here goes.


Pours opaque, dense black with a huge fluffy mocha colored head. Beautiful beer. Aroma is soft roastiness, mild blond roast coffee, subtle vanilla/marshmallow, semisweet cocoa. Taste is huge roastiness, pretty big bitterness, mild dark fruits, coffee and bitter dark chocolate on the finish. Super smooth and nicely drinkable. This is an interesting beer in that has a dichotomy of mellow, almost soft aromas, but hit with an aggressive punch in the taste. I really enjoyed it and it undoubtedly gets better with age.


4.75/4.25/4.25/4.5/4.25

Original/fresh rating: 4.25/4/3.25/3.5/3.5)

 

Ya I definitely get what you're saying now. I was thinking about it and realized that it's sort of like.the rating to style thing. Just because you don't personally love it doesn't mean you need to switch to disparaging language, BL makes sweet stouts and its not fair to then make a review complaining about how sweet they are. Much more useful for everyone to take a stab at describing the type of sweetness and let folks decide for themselves if the beer sounds appealing.

I had two instances (a monsters park variant from modern times and a ba stout from revision) where the beer was really a bit much for me and not something I would seek out again. The MT I did dock a bit because it was just soooo overwhelmingly sweet but I still gave it a 4 and the revision I gave nearly a 4.25. They weren't my jam but they delivered what they promise and that's on me for buying something I should have known was.going to be outside.my preference.

Any way, keep the great cellar reviews coming

 

Thanks for your review. This sounds like it's an annual release. If so, when do they typically release the beer? I don't shop at Trader Joe's, but one is nearby and I am a big Unibroue fan.

Thanks!

 

Sunday Funday. 2014 Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout.

Pours slightly darker than cola colored, with 1 fingers width of fairly dense tan head. Aroma is is huge chocolate, big vanilla, muted roastiness, pretty prominent smooth bourbon notes especially considering the age. Really great. Taste follows, with really great chocolate and bourbony vanilla. My notes indicate that fresh this one is a bourbon bomb, that has obviously faded with 6 years, but the barrel characters def still there. Flavor profile is very nice, but overall is a bit muted and I do think this is likely past it’s prime. I’m guessing this would likely be ideal around 2-3 years, mellow out those huge bourbon notes and let the base beer characters join the party. Still enjoyed though.

4.25/4.5/4.25/4.25/4.25
Original/Fresh review: 4/4.5/4.25/3.75/4.25)

 

That is a lovely beer vase

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2018 Bourbon County Midnight Orange. This was by far my lowest rated Bourbon County variant when originally reviewed. I thought that fresh, it was pretty one dimensional and tasted like one of those super cheap orange chocolate bars. Let’s see if two years in the bottle has developed it towards my palate preferences.

Aroma is lovely roasted malt and huge barrel characters. Decent chocolate, but the typical BCB chocolate, not much additional from the adjunct, and orange is essentially unnoticeable. I do get pretty big nutty characters, almost peanut butter like, and large oaky barrel notes. Taste has a bit more chocolate and some orange, although the latter is very subtle the former is very prominent. Real nice chocolate notes, more dark cocoa than milk chocolate, but it doesn’t have that crappy cheap chocolate orange bar flavor it had fresh. More balanced too with the typical BC wonderful roastiness and bourbon barrel characters. For my money, this is undoubtedly better aged than fresh, now that’s mostly because the adjuncts have faded so take that for what it’s worth. But I’m certainly glad I cellared it and gave it another chance.

4/4.25/4.5/4.5/4.25
(Original/fresh review: 4/4/3.75/4/3.75)

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2014 Westbrook Bourbon Can Can. When this beer was released, they had a bourbon BA and a red wine BA variant. Fresh, I really liked the bourbon one, but the red wine variant blew me away. However, after approx 6 years in the cellar I fairly recently cracked the red wine one and it was good, but a bit disappointing. Let’s see how the bourbon variant faired.


Pours dark brown with a fizzy tan head; cola like. Massive aroma, tons of vinous dark fruits. Huge dates, figs, and plum. Probably the most dark fruit-forward smelling beer I’ve come across over this 6 month of so of cellar diving. Other aromas are a sugary sweetness, subtle bakers chocolate, and some decently strong bourbon barrel notes. Wonderful nose. Taste is fantastically complex. Chocolate is suprisingly huge and big dark

fruits carry over from the aroma. There’s also a nice balancing bitterness on the back end, and big charred oak and bourbony vanilla barrel notes that linger for ages. Black licorice and subtle roast round things out. Phenomenal. Tons of carbonation in this, bordering on too much which is a surprise after 6 years in the bottle. ABV is noticeable but not in a bad way. Overall, this is a gem. Funny how fresh I thought the red wine variant was notably superior as the red wine barrel notes complemented the base beer so well whereas the bourbon barrel not so much. However, with cellaring the rankings have sorta flipped and I definitely enjoyed this bourbon barrel variant more with age on them both.


3.75/4.5/4.75/4.25/4.5

(Original/fresh rating: 4.25/4.25/4.25/4.75/4.5)