Cellar Reviews (2024)

Thank you @jmdrpi for kicking off our gathering of Cellar Beer Enthusiasts for another fun year!

I'm going to begin my participation in this thread like a boss. This may be the oldest cellar review I've performed for a canned Revolution offering. It's been sitting in my still packed refrigerator for over half a decade. This is my final can.

Revolution Boss Ryeway (2018)



Can Notes: Refrigerated since purchased January 18, 2019. 12 oz canned 12/20/2018 @ 8:34:59 AM.14.6% ABV Rye Ale aged in Armagnac WhistlePig The Boss Hog Barrels. Brewed and canned by Revolution Brewing, 3340 N. Kedzie, Chicago Illinois.

Review Comparison: Same 2018 release enjoyed in the 2022 Cellaruary thread on February 28, 2022.

An exceptionally complex sipper that combines bold American rye with toasted, nutty French oak. Boss Ryeway is a new take on Ryeway to Heaven matured in WhistlePig Boss Hog Armagnac barrels. It's expertly blended with a small selection of bourbon and rye barrel-aged Ryeway for balance. Dry but incredibly full-bodied, with oak tannins and spice notes, it's a one-of-a-kind experience. Enjoy life now, or store cold.

Appearance: Consistent with prior version. No score change. 4.25

Aroma: Also consistent, starting with dark fruits (plums, peaches) though the rye and backing bourbon are also present about 15 minutes after pouring. Liking the current one 0.25 +. 4.50

Taste: Pretty much no change from nearly two years ago. This starts off very sweet, much more than the standard Ryeway to Heaven. However, if you wait 20 minutes plus, you get an excellent blend of whiskey and rye, plus the base we are familiar with. Would have rated this much lower drinking cold, but it's on point at proper temps. No change.4.75

Mouthfeel: Carbonation pretty much awol, but everything else consistent including the felt potency. 4.75

Overall: This held up very well. Wouldn't suggest cellaring anything including these beyond 5 years, but really enjoying today and score about the same as my 2022 crack it at. 4.75

 

New year, old beer.

Amazingly still has all the IBUs it started with.
One of the best.

 

A Westmalle Dubbel bottled May 2018. Love this beer…. And my government-run specialty booze store just got a couple of cases in stock recently, so I may need to stop in and acquire one of those….

Still drinking very nicely…not sure how much farther to push my last bottle or two. Smoothe (very slightly reduced carbonation?) and lots of dark fruit.

 

From 2019 - just enough bitterness to make an edge but for the most part, smooth and easy.

 

I see you cracking some older Narwhal fairly regularly, what's your sweet spot for that beer as far as age goes?

 

As it's one of my favorites and the price point is still within my grasp, I do stock these annually and just go through them slowly. I'd say 2 - 3 years for most releases is the sweet spot for me, but really, it's been good (maybe not as good as it's peak) for more than 5 years.
Just a solid beer.

 

As you might know, my dada is aging beer. Yet, Westmalle Dubbel is IMHO not very suitable for aging contrary to Westmalle Tripel.

 

Sorry this will be a short but sweet review. We had some weather here, fifteen inches of snowmelt in one day along with three inches of rain earlier in the week, followed by this storm just ended that put the power out twice during the last 28 hours.
2016 Suarez Merkel.
Re: the superlative quality of Suarez saisons. If ya know ya know. This one no exception. Cherries still blast clean flavor, perfectly balanced in just the right amount of herbal bitter and saison yeast tart. Finish begs for another sip with lingering tart cherry and hints of sourdough. Has held up perfectly. Amazingly delicious. Cheers!

 

This one is just starting to show its age.
Probably my fault as this wasn't kept at a great temp the last couple of years.
Since moving to Florida, there's no cellars or basements here with which to keep a beer out of the fridge.
Still, no alcohol showing, a slight sweetness has set in along with a dry finish.
I have a couple of older bottles with the better looking label as well.

 

We used to camp for a couple weeks in eastern PA during August every year. What we did was simply dig a 4’ trench to put our coolers in and cover the top with rigid insulation for easy access.
6’ would have been better, but not so easy access then.
Anyway, temporary root cellar!

 

Cross post from NBW 182

Mephistopheles' Stout - Avery Brewing - American Imperial Stout - 15.95% ABV (2010 release)

Yes, this beer is 14 years old, and I've never had it before today. I found this in a liquor store in the Twin Cities metro last year, and I knew it was something I should buy. I've heard a lot about it, and now I get a chance to try it.

I am blown away with the carbonation in this beer, and how long the head lasted. It is a beautiful looking beer. The beer smells very weak for what it should be. This weak nose translates into the flavor. There's some faint hints of what it was, but they are faint. I am glad I tried it, but, don't even think about having it aged 14 years. If you're sitting on an older version of it, I'd drink it now, rather than waiting on it.
Review:
3.75/5 rDev -11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle. 2010 release consumed on 1-14-2024. Served at room temp.

Nice pop upon opening the bottle and there's a nice bit of smoke coming out. Very pitch black looking when pouring into the glass. I did an aggressive pour to see if there was any carbonation in this beer, since it's 14 years old, and I am very surprised there's a lot of it. The head produced is 2 finger and brown in color. Frothy, and smaller bubbles. Head retention is off the charts. How can the head last so long with a 15.95% ABV Beer? Some clingy and sticky lacing on the glass as it slowly dissipates. Wow!
Roasted chocolate, malty nose. Hints of vanilla and caramel. Slight hint of coffee. Nose isn't too strong, but, it's a very old beer.
Taste is where this experiment is either proven good or bad. I'm not too sure it's a success. I do get some faint notes of caramel, chocolate and vanilla. The main flavor is a boozy flavor that is somewhat bitter tasting.
This is a very thick and full feeling beer. Smooth, and a very slight burn.
Was this a beer that was outstanding in its prime? Probably, but, at 14 years, way past. I wish I would have known about this beer in its prime days.

 

First cellar beer of the year. Nothing crazy, but very tasty. HH easter egg “variant”.

 

Joining Zac with my first cellar pull of the year (what pittance is left of my cellar). Mine is a 2019 Bigfoot. Nose was big boozy dried fruit, like a very hot rum cake.

Taste is a bit of an odd mix of herbal bitterness and caramel and dried fruit. I didn't love it at first sip, but its growing on me.

 

Happy MLK Day everyone!

Sipping this 2019 BCB Wheatwine. Didn’t have this fresh, but did have it around 18 months old. Liked it but didn’t love it, thought the 18 vintage was way better and Caramella on a whole different level than both. My main beef with the first pass of the 2019 is that it was pretty harsh and hot. So we’ll see if it’s mellowed out.

Pours a caramel color, looks clear on the pour but is a bit hazy in the glass. Surprising amount of sedimentation. Barely any head, just some fizzy bubbles that dissipate almost immediately. Aroma is sweet and boozy. Tons of caramel/toffee, lots of cinnamon, some vanilla cake batter. Fusel alcohol and nutty whiskey notes to balance the sweetness. Taste follows, big caramel, pretty big cinnamon, notable apple. Barrel notes are present with charred oak, some earthy /nutty whiskey characters. Fusel alcohol notes have def faded, making it more balanced and allowing the other characters to shine. Mouthfeel is a fuller side of medium bodied with a low but appropriate carbonation and excellent drinkability considering the ABV. Overall, this beer has unquestionably (at least IMO haha) gotten better with age. I have one more in the cellar will take it out a couple more years to see, but my assumption is this is likely near peak.

4/4.25/4.5/4.5/4.5
Original review (in early 2021, so not fresh): 4.5/4.25/4/4/4





Cheers Old Beer Nerds!

 

This keg has some age on it. Nearly a different beer, though I really appreciate both the fresh version and this one over 13 years in.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout



$6 8 oz draft served at Aces & Ales Tenaya. This has not dropped off much of at all over the thirteen years. Very consistent at this stage with the 2022 Stone release I enjoyed a year ago (review notes). I don’t get any maple syrup flavors (not added to this beer, but noted in the 2022 review), this is very rich, smooth and decadent. I highly recommend this vintage if you get a chance to enjoy.

 

A classic from 2019. More dark fruit than coffee and cacao, but seriously good.

 

2019 Narwhal - still drinking amazingly well.
Cross post with the Imperial Stout thread.

 

2022 - not that this is bitter to begin with, but this is outright smooth.