Cellar Reviews (2022)

I had a 2019 Bourbon County Midnight Orange last night. I had forgot I had this one and am kind of mad at myself as this was one of my favorites when first released.

The base beer was still awesome, lots of heavily roasted (almost charred) malts, dark fruit, & bakers chocolate. The orange had almost completely faded away.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had one of these recently.

 

It's been over 11 years since I had my only bottle. Got a few coming soon, can't wait!

 

2017 Bells Expedition Stout. Pours like motor oil. My pour was vigorous but the head is minimal, just a small lacing around the ring of my glass. Aromas of Licorice and Chocolate. Flavor is Dark Chocolate with Roast and Char. Just a touch of bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is velvety smooth with minimal carbonation. This beer is drinking very well and I feel as though this may be its decline. If you have bottles drink them soon.

 

2019 Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout



Canned on 5/17/2019. When I first found this I picked up a single, liked it a LOT, and picked up a sixer to cellar, of which this is the fifth. Like an idiot I didn't update my tasting notes but in my initial encounter with this thought it tasted a bit young. No problem with that now! In fact the bourbon barrel taste might be stronger than what I first remember. The flavors are well melded now into a very pleasant concoction. The funny thing is I don't even like pecans that much; maybe I should drink bourbon with them. Maybe aging this another year is a mistake but that's why we fearlessly experiment.

I was very disappointed to find out this is no longer brewed, at least for canned distribution. WTF Stone? I look at their current website: no Bastards, no Cortex Wreckers (Old Guardian) and now this? I am doomed to be disappointed.

 

The best thread on BA is back for another year! And almost done with a full page already, can’t believe I almost didn’t get it on page 1!

Fun little experiment today courtesy of the wonderful HoTD cellar program. A side by side comparing Fred batch 1 (vintage 1997) to Fred batch 102 (vintage 2021). I’ve only had Fred once before, many years ago and I believe relatively fresh at that time. Honestly I thought it was kind of a mess, and I wasn’t a fan. That being said when I saw batch 1 available on the HotD cellar store I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try the original vintage.

Side note, as you can see from the bottle labels the description changed over time. Based on the description, particularly of the hops which you can read below, my assumption is the recipe has also changed over time. I’m fairness, it has been almost 25 years.





These don’t even look remotely like the same beer, carbonation-wise which is expected, but the color is also completely different. Never would guess they are the same beer based off the pour. The fresh batch is dark golden; only slightly hazy, with a big dense almost creamy appearing head that lingers forever and has fantastic lacing. The batch 1 is also very hazy but essentially translucent, has almost no carbonation based on the pour just a couple bubbles. Color of the batch 1 is a nice mahogany brown, like a barleywine.

Aroma of the fresh batch is huge fruity eaters; apple, peach; some balancing spicy phenolics. Pretty big candied sugar, decent amount of caramel. Really great aroma here with a nice complexity and balance. Aroma of the batch 1 is remarkably muted. Just some cardboard , likely oxidation, mild generic sweetness. Just not much there.

For the taste the fresh batch is a lovely mix of sweetness and clean american hip bitterness. It drinks like a barleywine but with a more pale malt bill. Great mix of fruity esters, candied sugar, and a bit of spice. This is a really impressive beer. Taste of the batch 1 is just so bizarre, i mean clearly it’s from the age but it’s not like the typical astringent bitter oxidation. It honestly has a marshmallow character which is just so strange. It’s like marshmallow, overripe fruit, and simple syrup. It’s really one of the most interesting and unique beers I’ve ever had. Although i described it in a strange way and it is strange, it’s actually quite good and it’s definitely not a “too old to drink and ruined from oxidation”, far from it actually.

Mouthfeel of the 2021 is full bodied with appropriately high carbonation, yet still smooth and wildly drinkable. Mouthfeel on the batch 1 is medium body, essentially no carbonation; some limitations in drinkability.

Overall, the batch 102 (2021) is a phenomenal beer. It tastes nothing like batch 1 and also, as least in comparison to my original review, nothing like my first experience with the beer (batch 92, i actually commented at that time that I was concerned it may have been an off batch). The batch 1 is like nothing I have ever had before, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and this is certainly worth a try particularly if you are a cellared beer fan.

Batch 1 (1997):
A: 3.75
S: 2.75
T: 4
M/D: 3.75
O: 3.75


Batch 102 (2021)
A: 4.75
S: 4.5
T: 4.75
M/D: 4.75
O: 4.5

 

Awesome side-by-side, thanks for posting! I've been going back and forth considering those early Fred and Adam for sale online. My beer budget has been out of hand lately...

 

Really enjoyed your side by side writeup of Hair of the Dog Fred @zac16125 , looking forward as always to your reviews throughout the year!

Returning to compare my 2017 BCB Barleywine vs. the 2016 bottle I enjoyed last Monday.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale (2017)



Bottle Notes: 16.9 oz bottled 10/10/17 @ 10:21, refrigerated (not cellared) since purchase. 14.4% ABV.

Comparison with the 2016 bottle enjoyed last Monday

Appearance: Consistent with the 2016 bottle enjoyed last Monday.

Aroma: Malt, some barrel, smells oxidized vs. the unimpacted 2016 bottle.

Taste: No oxidation, but the wine, oak and barrel noted last week has been replaced by cherry, front and center, with oak and slight bourbon following, 30-45 minutes at room temperature. No wine either, disappointing.

Mouthfeel: Consistent, ABV and strength also consistent, the primary change remains with taste.

Overall: While this is still an enjoyable beer, I'd rate this 0.75 - 1.0 lower in the aroma, taste and overall rankings if this was my initial review. At a loss as to whether this is just a difference between batch, or if refrigeration vs. cellaring played a role. Going to save the rest for desert later today.

Musical accompaniment

 

Stefon - Perennial and Solemn Oath. Dark rye farmhouse ale with brettanomyces.
Brewed in September of 2014, I've passed this one up at the upscale bottle shop for a while and thought he'd finally sold out long ago. But the owner used lockdown as a chance to dig out his cellar and put a bunch of stuff that's probably pushing it age wise on clearance and this one popped back up and I bit.

It's a slow gusher after I pop the cap and pours with a prodigious sienna head over a cherry wood colored body. Really pretty honestly, reminds me of a darker red hued Orval.

The nose is large and encompassing, walls of old wood and a dried cherry/generic dried fruit base note support an odd, but not exactly off putting, flurry of banana and spicy bubblegum. A menagerie of esters I suppose. It's definitely unique and intriguing but the dustiness of age is already apparent.

The taste follows the nose, in a way, with cherry/dark berry notes laid lightly over a spicy tannic quality that peters out into a dusty, stale, pale malt note.

I'm glad I tried this, if only to remind myself to jump on interesting beers when I see them. I can detect the bones of a beer that I would have really enjoyed 5 or 6 years ago. Heck, it may have only gone over the hill really in the last 2 years. But over the hill it seems, the malt flavors are stale and getting less pleasant as it warms. The Brett is just a sort of dryness that amplifies the stale flavor of the malt, like a layer of dust.

Oh well, it's a fun exploration none the less and I will definitely keep my eyes out for any other rye saisons I encounter.

Happy hunting cellar dwellers!

 

This beer one new to m,e so no basis of comparison with a fresh version.

Saugatuck Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Cosmopolitan Milk Stout 2018



Bottle Notes: Not sure when or where I purchased. This was properly cellared upon purchase, until I moved to the refrigerator on 9/3/21, where it remained until now. 36 IBUs, 10.5% ABV, 12 oz bottled 10/29/18. As always, we guarantee our beers for 6 months from purchase date. Cellar at your own risk. Limited release, 3 Bites in Every Sip.

Appearance: Dark brown black base, creamy tan head lingers for a minute before leaving a bubbly ring above the base and light cover above a portion. 4.0

Aroma: Let this sit for 20 minutes before diving in. Getting all three Neapolitan taste components, strawberry leads followed by chocolate fudge and a faint vanilla. As this warms further, a pleasant smooth bourbon aroma emerges. Sweet overall, but not cloying, flavors held up well over time. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, strawberry leads followed by chocolate fudge. The barrel plays a supporting role, letting the flavors shine but also adding some gravitas and complements well. Getting oak as well. Feels a bit faded in terms of strength and freshness compared to the aroma, but that is to be expected. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium body, flavor sweetness balanced by the bourbon. Drinks much lighter than the ABV, this at 1/3 of the way in. Light dryness, clean finish. 3.5

Overall: This is a solid balanced "pastry stout", aged intentionally to bring more balance and it delivered. The balance fit my taste preference, and I'm glad I aged and opened today. Would try a fresh version down the road, at least a sample, to compare and contrast, and determine whether this is balanced without the 3 1/4 years in the cellar. 4.0

Last planned cellar beer until I return home next month, unless I come across a cellar pour in Vegas.

Cheers!

 

Have you ever had the base version of that beer? It was way ahead of the pastry trend and subdued by modern standards as I recall. I'd be curious if it feels like they amped it up to prep it for the barrels

 

Todays cold weather has me reaching in the cellar for a beer. I usually don’t age adjunct stouts but somehow this one snuck by me. 2018 vintage.

taste is still pretty solid - coffee has faded but vanilla and cinnamon are still popping. Mouthfeel a bit thinner than I remembered.

definetely better fresh, but this is still pretty darn good.

cheers

 

2013 Slumbrew Yankee Swap. A yearly drop around the xmas holiday. Unfortunately this brewery is no longer. This is one of the gems they put out. Old ale that clocks in at 12%. Nice sipper during the cold winter months. Poured into an oversized Duvel snifter/tulip glass from cellar temp. of 55*. Dark brown appearance. Head quickly dissipates. Aroma of dark fruit, rum and maple syrup. Taste dominated by maple syrup, followed by fig and dark fruit. The rum and oak barrel is in the background, not overpowering. Feel is a little thin, but with enough carbonation. Nice finish. A dangerously easy drinker. I've got a 2014 in the cellar that I’m thinking of keeping for a few more years since this one is aging nicely.

 

2012 Firestone Sucaba - What more can I say. One of my favorite barleywines. Unfortunately they don't ship to my state anymore. Cracked this one open over the holidays. Candied sugar and dark fruit dominate the taste. Nice mouth feel and finish. I'd love to know how long I can sit on these since I've got some newer vintages in the cellar.