Cellar Reviews (2022)

If you go back through the BC2021 thread, you’d see that there was some discussion about this beer falling off. Obviously everyone has their own opinion, but I disagree with it pretty strongly. I haven’t noticed a difference over the last 3 years. It’s a great beer, and I think it will continue to be for another 5 years or more.

For the love of god I hope they bring back BCBBW before then.

 

2013 Barrel Roll #4 Barleywine from Hangar 24

I gambled buying a few old-ass barleywines recently. This is the second of them, 3 more to go. Old Knucklehead was ok, this one is a good deal better.



The cork was brittle and broke when I tried to worry it out, hence the corkscrew. Thank god most breweries have moved away from that cork n cage nonsense. Unsurprisingly the beer pours flat, so the body is a bit watery. Up front there is a big caramel note and subtle chocolate. I get some brown liquor soon after that builds towards the finish where it's met by a sharp, woody bite. I wouldn't recommend seeking this out necessarily, but if you have one squirreled away it's drinking pretty nice right now.

 

Another recent purchase, another gamble on old barleywine. No regrets here!







This is drinking very nicely right now. Up front is just the straight up caramel and toffee of a well aged American barleywine. There is a little tart fruit next and then a potent, vinous oak note at the end. I also got a little lingering aspirin bitterness. I felt like this purchase was drawing to an inside straight, but I'm glad I gambled. I'll open a 2010 bourbon barrel OG soon.

 

Hombrew (#49) from about 1984, opened on the occasion of a visit from family for a birthday celebration. Quart sized "tavern tall" green Ballantine ale returnable securely crown capped, chilled to 45F. Brewing details from memory: amber malt extract with some dark malt grain, generic whole hops, ale yeast, fermented at room temperature, bottled with added sugar. About 5% alcohol. Poured into a 2 quart glass pitcher. Impressive large, long lasting, dense tan head over deep amber body. Little aroma. Flavor is beery, but not complex There is a slight astringency in the aftertaste, possibly due to it being highly attenuated. All in all, a drinkable brew. I believe I prefer #43, which I sampled about a month ago.

 

Lets celebrate 10 years of Straight jacket!

I believe this would be batch number 2 of Revolution Straight Jacket.

2012 Revolution Straight Jacket bomber poured into a Deep Woods Snifter because proper glassware is an absolute must with this cellar pull.

Appearance: Light brown with deep ruby red hue. Big off white head that fizzes away fairly quickly.

Smell: mostly smells of fusel alcohol. Faint oak, bourbon, and caramel. Nose honestly smells kind of dead for a lack of a better word.

Taste: Lots of REALLY dry oak "funk" and some hints of bourbon. Caramel, toffee, and vanilla sweetness. Very smooth flavors and everything is well balanced. This still has that trademark straight jacket flavor that you know when you take that first sip. Sweet flavors and complex oak; how can you go wrong? This is really delicious!

Mouthfeel: Drinks pretty light for a barleywine with not even a hint of detectable booze. Very dry is an understatement.

Overall: How is there no oxidation flavors going on in this beer? That is a really impressive feat for Revolution's barrel program back in the early days to have a beer that is so stable a decade later. Over the last 5 years, I have had big respect for the Revolution barrel program, but this is a nod to the past.... They were killing it right out of the gates and back then I was not so excited about those beers.

Side note... I would like to post a picture of this beer, but it's not straight forward on this site so I probably won't.

 

I'm not familiar with this beer, but: Long term stability should be helped by the high alcohol content. Also, if the beer was bottled with a trace of yeast, that can tie up the oxygen and prevent most deterioration. A bomber could have been filled with lightly filtered beer. The dryness might indicate additional bottle fermentation (see my review of 30+ year old 5% homebrew above). Finally, I think bottles that are well capped might be preferable to cans. I saw a youtube review of old commercial canned beers that seemed to demonstrate a breakdown in the can lining (mystery dregs) in some of the beers. But Revolution doesn't put Straight Jacket into bottles any more (too bad).

 

Postimages.org
Upload your photo
Click the "direct link" tab below the photo (think it's the 3rd option down)
Click the "image icon" above the post box on BA (the mountains and moon between the smiley and + sign)
Paste link into that box

Really easy from a phone. Haven't tried it from a pc but I bet it's just as easy

 

Haven't opened up one of these (2018 version) in quite awhile. Still have a 2019 four pack, and one bottle each for 2017 and 2018 after this one.

Founders 2018 CBS (Sans Canadian Mountie)



Link to OG Review (of 2017 release)

Link to lone Cellar Review (4/10/20, also of the 2017 release)

Observations of the 2018 bottle. Bottled 11/2/18, properly cellared until 4/17/22, refrigerated until today. 11.6% ABV.

Let this sit for 20 minutes before diving in. Further erosion of the maple and chocolate, sweet but negligible. No coffee. Tastes like a sweet milk stout. Still boozy, the bourbon works well, is smooth, nice and enjoyable taste wise, potent after a few ounces. Bourbon takes completely over once you get beyond the first 6 ounces.

Bottom line, this is a solid enjoyable beer, but degraded from a top shelf bottle to one subject to the savages of time. Will try to pop a 2019 bottle to see how that has held up before Summer arrives. Definitely wouldn't hold these longer than necessary.

 

The cold rainy weather continues, so time for another Chicago cellar beer.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Wheatwine Ale (2019)



Goose Island kept the best by recommendation at 5 years (9/9/24) for this variant in 2019, a few were lowered to 2 years. Based on the floaters in the pour, hoping the 5 years is wise.

Purchased for $5 at a close out sale at Walgreens in Wicker Park, cellared until 5/17/21, refrigerated thereafter. Will compare today to my OG review of a draft pour at the sadly shuttered craft beer and whiskey / bourbon bar Fountainhead.

OG Review link 4.25 / 4 / 4.75 / 4.25 / 4.25

Poured 10-11 oz into a GI snifter. Lots of floaters, didn't expect that. Will check my remaining four bottles in the cellar to see if cellared bottles were impacted, if not will not refrigerate (though I don't believe that is the reason). Anyway, this looks like a snow globe and appearance is 2.0 being generous.

After letting this warm for 15 minutes, first aroma is bourbon, somewhat harsh, nothing further. Aroma was faint fresh as well. Apple caramel and bourbon taste, sounds sweet but the mix holds well. The mouthfeel is very thick, gooey, floaters do not interfere or cause an issue drinking. Very strong, strong like bull early in. Will definitely nap soon.

Overall, it's better to taste marvelous than to look marvelous. Glad the floaters were the only significant flaw in this beer, but I wouldn't hang on to these much longer, nor would I cellar in the future. Still happy with the $5 + tax value.

 

@Beersnake1 's treatment of Founders Underground Mountain shifted me in this direction today, my one and only bottle on hand.



Not sure if / when I bought this single, or if it was a gift from my brother Andy. I did properly cellar until transferring to my refrigerator 12 days ago. Bottled 8/8/19, Lone review based on a draft pour back when this was released. I hope this beer returns at some point.

Original review notes in italics / today in standard font.

• Appearance: Pitch black pour, tan creamy head leaves generous lacing. Would call the lacing and head off-white in clearer / stronger light than what the bar offered. Looks very good. 4.5 vs. 4.25.
• Aroma: Nice strong coffee aroma, roast malt chocolate backs, very nice. Let this sit for 15 minutes, aroma strength has decreased substantially, coffee lacking at first but stronger as this warms. Roast malt also strengthens over time, though less than what my OG review notes indicate. 4.5 vs. 3.75.
• Taste: Very strong and pleasant coffee taste, roast malt and chocolate backs. Excellent. Thankfully the taste held up well over time. Coffee still there, though not in a lead role, the roast malt plays that part. Liking the coffee which has held up over time, really impressed since coffee typically fades over time. 4.25 vs. 4.0.
• Mouthfeel: Medium rich body, creamy, light pepper. ABV 11.7% well masked. Would call this a full rich creamy body at this stage, perhaps more my perception today vs. my observations 3 years ago with the beer feel the same texture in both instances. Not getting any pepper with the bottle, which is good since the coffee held on well. Nice thin layer of lacing is holding on very well, beer looks and feels great. 4.5 vs. 4.75
• Overall: Solid pour. Agree with this assessment. Aroma drop-off the primary drop-off over time. This is a really solid beer, and I hope Founders brings this back. 4.5 vs. 4.25.

Think I'm going with my last two new to me 2019 Bourbon County beers this weekend before returning here next week for more tales from the cellar. Have a great weekend!

 

Small (okay large) preface here. In 2016 I tried Lagunitas High Westified and was absolutely enamored by the beer. Blew through the 6 pack in a week. Immediately searched out any more that I could find locally and hounded all of my connections on acquiring more. I even bought out the couple 6 packs that craftshack at like $4/bottle which was over double normal cost after shipping factored. I still have just a couple left and it continues to blow me away when I revisit.

In 2017 I was a little bummed that it didn't return but was equally as excited to see Willetized arrive. Not wanting to miss out on the best beer to dollar I'd ever come across I bought a ton in 2017. Sadly... while great (really great when considering the price) I didn't feel it lived up to 2016 high westified.

I've revisited this 2017 Willetized much less frequently than HW and always felt largely the same about it. That is - thqt it's incredible beer but just not quite how I feel about HW. Well today is another one of these revisits...


So, while I STILL cannot say it's BETTER than HW... man has it aged as gracefully as any beer I can compare it to and is drinking more to my matured tastes than ever. Maybe its the straight from the 60 cellar I'm drinking it at but it is hitting all of senses on all of their high notes.

The aromas are richer and more potent than I've recalled in 2017 Willetized.

There continues to be more rye influence in these Laguntias series of beers than ANY rye barrel aged beer I can put them up against (High Westified and Willetized both). The smell of smoke and chocolate in this 2017 is nuts. The flavors of semi sweet chocolate are so dense. The oak so forefeont. The rye so almost "bright" and in your face it should almost be the measuring stick for a rye BA beer (yeah I'mlooking st your rye black gold you let down you). The light touches of vanilla from the barrel are nuances but complimentary.

The feel is so good. Not perfect, its not incredibly sludgy but DEFINITELY not thin. What i love about the feel is how dry, slightly chalky, and bitter it finishes. In recent years I've grown away from sweeter beers and anything from bcbs to pastry is a bit much for me. De molen and ashy beers are so much more mature to me. This barrel aged stout is absolutely born of related influences.

As far as aging notes I honestly cannot say I detect a LOT of change. Chalkiness I tend to associate with age and given my lesser perception of this aspect in prior visits I am going to attribute to age. Overall, this is is the best I've tasted one of these guys and edges fairly close to where I rank high westified.

I think I skipped 2018 because it was bomber but also have a fair share of either/and 2019/2020. I'll have to dig into that corner here in the near future.

 

Fuck it




Too impatient to put in the detail of last post.

Look? Look for yourself.

Smell is much, much, much more mute than the previous 2017.

Taste is richer for SURE! Almost sickeningly potent. Dense. Much much more, much more dense than 2017. Somewhat sweeter. Just super fucking rich its kind of nuts. Definitely sweeter than 2017 and less chalky.

Feel. Way, way thicker than 2017. Not sludgy, not sweet, but man its a meal.

Overall... idk. Its almost like an oakier, better bcbs. Thick and meal-like. But overall too much. Its not the delicacy that 2017 is. The cloying oilyness and the drinking straight mash feel is a bit much in comparison. Right now I have now interest in circling back to this guy compared to 2017.

 

I’m back to drinking so little beer now, and the main thing I miss about it is…this thread.

2019 Woot Stout

Pours opaque black, billowing light tan head with good retention. Not much lacing. Aroma is sweet, somewhat spicy, a bit boozy. Lots of caramel, huge dark fruits, pretty big port wine notes. Bourbon characters are subtle and I don’t get any nuttiness no the nose, but very nice aromas. Taste is roasted malt, cocoa, some dark fruits, toasted oak, marshmallow. Again, not really any pecan per se, but a bit of indiscriminate nuttiness; whiskey notes are present and pleasant but subtle. A mild

boozy bite on the finish. Mouthfeel is full body but not thick, ABV noticeable but not unpleasantly so, drinkability is above average for the style and ABV. Overall, a nice beer for sure. This is a new to be beer so I don’t have a fresh review for comparison, but I will say I don’t get much adjunct character and the barrel notes are subtle at this point. I suspect both were more prevalent fresh. This is drinking mighty fine know, albeit closer to a regular BA stout than an adjunct laden one (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but likely not how the brewer intended this beer to be consumed).

4.5/4.5/4.25/4.25/4.25
(Original/fresh review: n/a)



Cheers friends!

 

2018 Adam From the Wood.

I tried a 2015 bottle last year that while good, wasn't among my favorites from HOtD. I decided to give a different vintage a shot in my last box from these fine folks.


Aged for 3 years in bourbon barrels. Perfectly flat, no carbonation at all. Less tobacco, cherry, and leather than the 2015, but they are still fairly prominent. There is also some cocoa, soy, and fig that I don't recall tasting previously. Just a lot of layers here, this is fun to sip and ponder. It call comes together pretty well, better than the 2015.

 

This beer takes me under 200 in my possession! Very productive 2022 in terms of cellar clearing, the cold rainy weather extending this into May. Today's batch was last reviewed by me in November 2020, so it is time to revisit with one additional bottle still in my possession.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2017)



Bottle Notes: Best by 9/17/22 (develops in bottle for up to 5 years). 16.9 oz, 14.7% ABV. Cellared from purchase until 4/17/22, refrigerated the past few weeks.

Basis of comparison is my 2020 Cellar Review Link & 2020 Bourbon County Online Tasting Link.

Appearance is the same, light head size, slight fine bubble lacing quickly recedes as I enjoy. After warming 20 minutes the aroma is more bourbon boozy than expected and also than noted 18 months ago. This is somewhat surprising as it has mellowed over time in prior experiences.

Took the jump at this juncture, and the taste is also sharp bourbon, the heat is on, on the street. Inside your head, with every sip. Mellows a bit as I approach the 30 minute mark, but it's still very strong with nominal complementary flavors. Not sure if this is a bottle / batch variation, or just adversely impacted by time, but it's not the top experience I have come to enjoy nearly every time with the regular version. Still good, enjoyable, just not top shelf.

Feels creamy and richer than my 2020 mouthfeel notes. Sweet malt helps balance some of the sharp bourbon notes, and as it approaches room temperature, it is more mellow and enjoyable. Patience is nearly always the best call when it comes for BA Imperial Stouts.

Overall, this is a good beer, but has suffered by the additional 18 months since I last revisited. Pay heed to the 5 year warning, it is real and fast approaching for the 2017 vintage.

Cheers!

 

revisiting 2018 BA Expedition. I was lucky to load up on this beer and have been doing an ongoing cellar / aging experiment with this vintage of BA Expo. This is bottle #15 that I have opened since it's original release in 2018.

Look: black body; this stout still summons up a decent thick cap of head with a hard pour. 4.25

Smell: Cola, caramel, vanilla, bourbon and deep dry oak with light barrel char. Smells really sweet and rich; smells wonderful. Hope the taste is the same as the aroma! 4.5

Taste: dark fruits mostly prunes, roasty malt, & a hint of bourbon are the primary flavors. Root beer, vanilla, and lots of dry oak. Hints of soy and cola which I am not a huge fan of. Moderately bitter finish. The aroma does not necessarily follow the flavor of this BA stout. Flavors definitely improve as this beer warms up / opens up. Getting more vanilla notes and the stouts tastes significantly sweeter and has more richness / depth. 4.25 to 4.5"ish"

Mouthfeel: Thick and chewier than I ever remember BA Expo being. Very smooth; not boozy at all. Improvement from last bottle that I opened. 4.5

Overall: Last time I opened up a bottle which was on 9/20/20, I was less than impressed and felt that the beer was in an "off spot". I think it is much better not then it was then. So I will say it is out of the "off spot" right now and is tasting closer to the BA Expo that everyone knows and enjoys. Overall it give it an approximate score of 4.35.

 

Ba expo > any other major breweries barrel aged stout. Walks all over bcbs, revolution series, kbs, etc.