Cellar Reviews (2020)

Holy markup batman.

Although I am still somewhat surprised they don’t get scooped up. For reference purposes, what would a 3F Armand and Gaston 750mL be? I assume if you have Hommage you have A&G too; that’s the last (and only for a long time) 3F on a shelf I’ve seen around here. I believe it was $30 here in FL (only had 2 on the shelf and I bought them both) but may have been $35.

 

A store has the following:
OG 750 - $29
A&G 375 - $20
A&G 750 - $33

They also had Kriek the last time I was in there but not sure currently. I believe they have a mix of green and brown bottles on some.

 

I can’t believe you have a store with 4 different 3Fs just sitting on the shelf. I may have to drive up there......with a moving truck.

 

Ha yep, apparently there's these hazy ipas that everyone likes to drink so I just use the store as my personal cellar for 3F, Tilquin, Boon, Hanssens, Beersel, etc. Oh and they have a 3F A&G magnum just chilling. That's somewhere around the $140 range I believe but could be more.

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2018 BCB Coffee Barleywine. This is my first time with this beer. I love BCBBW, I love BCBCS. I do not think I’ve ever had a coffee adjunct barleywine so I am curious to see how this is. Here goes.

Pours a dark mahogany with some ruby hues when held to light. Small tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is very interesting, it’s almost spicey like a capsaicin peppery heat. There’s a strong fusel ethanol character as well, maybe that boozy heat is masquerading as some spice. Coffee is noticeable, and some subtle sweet malts are there, but overall this is quite a strange aroma and not particularly great. Taste is a bit odd too, although at least it is more barleywine-esque and I don’t get any of those peppery notes I got in the aroma. I do get tons of booze, and tons of bitterness. A bit of black coffee adds to said bitterness. The base beer characters are some burnt sugar and caramel. Subtle barrel characters but admittedly you have to work for them. Although there are some interesting notes here for the most part they are overpowered by this bitter, almost astringent note. Mouthfeel is fine, it’s very warming, ABV is high and it’s certianly a prominent component of this beer. I have an very high tolerance (and if we’re being honest, love) for high ABV beers but the boozy prominence here is just too much. I think this is the first time I’ve ever said this about a BCB beer (and I believe I’ve had every single variant to date except a couple of the 2019s I’m waiting on), but this beer is kind of a mess. I try not to overreact to things, but Goose Island, WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY WERE YOU THINKING! (*all caps for overly dramatic effect*). But in all seriousness, I just don’t get this. You have BCB Barleywine which is just a fantastic beer, and you have BCB Coffee Stout which is an elite beer bordering on perfection. Scrap them both and in exchange put out this? Big fail. Looking forward to the return of the OGs, whenever that may be.

I have one more of these, and plan to sit on it for a long time, hopefully some good things come with age.

4.25/3.75/3.5/3.5/3.5

 

Tonight’s beer is a 2016 Westbrook Mexican Coffee Cake. Although it was around on draft several years prior, I believe this was only the second bottling of this Cake variant (I think the first bottled batch had waxed tops because I remember having that in my cellar for a while). It’s been released at least a couple times since, perhaps every year at this point. I enjoyed this beer fresh but thought the coffee was a bit over powering. I’m sure it’s changed quite a bit in four years though, so let’s see.

Pours motor oil thick, with a large, dense, dark mocha colored head with great retention. Beaut of a beer. Aroma is roasty, fair amount of chocolate and cinnamon still, some tobacco and faint leather notes that I don’t typically get in fresh Cakes. Vanilla bean and a subtle yet pleasant peppery heat round it out. I get essentially no coffee notes on the nose. Taste has changed quite a bit, the adjunct characters as a whole have faded substantially, which is not all that surprising however I have found regular Mexican Cake to age and hold its adjunct flavors remarkably well for a number of years. I get a decent amount of dark fruits up front, then a very pleasant roastiness on the back end. Some semi-bitter, semi-sweet bakers cocoa is there, and unlike the nose I do get some black coffee notes on the back end (although again much more subtle than when fresh). A touch of cinnamon, peppery heat is at first unnoticeable but does build somewhat as it warms. It’s smooth and pretty drinkable for the style/adjunct/ABV. All in all, this is an enjoyable beer that is certainly different than fresh. When fresh the coffee adjuncts were too prominent, now the coffee (and really all the adjuncts) have faded too much. If I had to guess the sweet spot for this beer was probably between 1-2 years. Still, not a bad brew for a random Wednesday night.

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

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Tonight’s beer is a special one. I figure we may not have much time before a complete societal collapse, so might as well drink some of this while I still can.

This beer needs no introduction, but I will give it one anyways. 2015 Sam Adams Utopias. This beer is elite, is one of my highest rated beers to date, and truly one of my favorite beer drinking experiences. Tonight it’s a 2oz pour into a snifter.

Pours a translucent dark mahogany with copper and ruby hues when held to light. No head or lacing as this is non carbonated, but lots of alcohol legs on the sides of the glass. Aroma is so huge, so rich, and so incredible. Tons of dark fruits, raisin, sweet red grapes, and dates. Huge port wine and sherry notes. Some bourbon notes with oaky vanilla. Fusel ethanol to balance all the sweetness. Just phenomenal nose. Taste follows but is a bit boozier than the nose which detracts a touch from other characters in the incredibly complex profile, but they are still there. The taste has tons of chocolate up front, booze and dark fruits; think an alcoholic chocolate covered cherry. There are some port wine characters but not as prominent as on the nose, bourbon notes are stronger though. Mouthfeel is smooth and although ABV is noticeable it’s not as prominent as most spirits with comparable ABVs and is much smoother. All in all this is a phenomenal beer that drinks more like a fine spirit than a beer. Since this is a cellar review thread I should comment on how it’s changed. Well the answer to that is, probably not that much. This beer was designed for the long haul, and personally I do not think it has changed all that much even with 4 plus years in an open bottle. Comparing to my original/fresh review, I do note some slight changes in which flavors are most prominent and have some slight differences in segment rating, but truthfully those are probably more palate variation than they are development or change in the beer, at least that would be my guess. Regardless, an absolute marvel and my hat goes off to Sam Adams for this brewing accomplishment.

4.5/5/4.75/4.5/4.75
(Original/fresh review: 4.75/4.75/4.75/4.75/5)

 

Perfect description. I have a 2008 that I'll be dipping into probably between now and the end of the year.

 

2017 Founders Backwoods Bastard



After my negative experience a week ago and @Beersnake1 's admonishments, I decided to end these ASAP. It smells and tastes a little better, for whatever subjective reason, but this is still past its prime and I'll have to start chipping away at the 2018 and 19s.

 

Today’s NFL Sunday Funday beer is a 2018 BCB Bramble Rye. I’ve had Bramble Rye before, the original one which I think was from ‘12 or ‘13, I think I’ve had the 2018 but am not sure. If so I didn’t review it. Let’s give it a whirl.

Pours black with a light tan head. Aroma is huge berry, just massive blackberry and big raspberry jam. I also get roastiness, subtle chocolate, and even more subtle barrel notes. All non-berry characters are much less prominent than most BCB variants, and this an absolute berry bomb which is surprising. Those berry notes are present in the taste but it’s more much balanced. Huge blackberry both sweet and tart, pretty big raspberry as well. Roasty notes, and some charred oak. Although it’s less barrel forward than most BCB beers. Decent amount of chocolate, faint bitterness adds to the balance. Mouth and drinkability is the standard BCB, and as always the ABV is remarkably hidden. Overall, very nice beer. The additional adjuncts are much more
prominent than most BCB variants, maybe even a bit too dominant. I have one more in the cellar and will probably give it a couple more years, I feel like this could be elite if the berry characters mellow out. Time will tell.

4.25/4.25/4.25/4.25/4.25
(Original/fresh review: 4/4.5/4.25/4/4.25; of note original review is from the OG Bramble, the 22oz bottle I think from ‘12 or ‘13).

 

Nice! I remember those little Rogue pony bottles. I think they also had the XS IPA in those mini bottles?

 

I remember having one that was a couple years old that i didn’t know was that old until I opened it and it was horrendous. So maybe an experiment that is better left undone , haha

 

At this point I think that’s actually lower than what the MSRP is. Granted $200 for a beer seems like it’s a crazy high price, but when you consider a 2oz pour is probably an adequate serving size and really I don’t think you’d ever drink more than a 4 oz pour. Plus you can open the bottle and literally drink it over years. If you break that cost to 8-10, or even 12 pours if you’re being conservative, it seems much more reasonable.