Old Ale Appreciation Thread (2024)

Boy, I wish I had another bottle of Poterie. That beer was phenomenal!

 

And to muddy the "style" waters more, HotD Adam is listed in Allen and Cantwell's book Barley Wine in it's list of commercial examples. It includes the anecdote about it's inspiration. I took a pic of that page from my copy below.

I also found a digital scan of the referenced Curiosities of Ale & Beer 1889 edition on Google Books, but there isn't really any more description of the Adambier other than it being strong and 10 years aged.

Ron Pattinson has some info about it being soured through aging
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/04/adambier.html

 

I picked up a 4 pack of Old Peculier last week. Enjoying my first can tonight - tastes great at cellar temperature!

 

Few locals I’ve enjoyed:
Redemption Rock Salisbury Mansion
Medussa Old Confustible

And classic
Smuttynose Very Old Brown Dog

 

Lancaster Brewing (Lancaster, PA) - Winter Warmer.

Desipite the name this is listed as an Old Ale here on BA which given the characteristics of the beer seems appropriate to me. Good depth of flavor, a lot of fruitiness, a little boozy.

 

As @Genuine previously posted, i believe this was my first Old Ale as well. Remember going into a North PHX beer store that was pretty new and coming across an older can which was spectacular to my inexperienced palate. Tried to recapture the original magic by keeping five years' worth on hand but never could. Still a tasty brew today, love the toasty, chocolatey, hoppy nature of this brew!
That beer store i suspect had brews coming out of the owner's private collection as i remember buying a Smisje BBBourgondier Quad that was 7-8 years old...never frequented enough to get to know the peeps there...dumb on my part because who knows...
Cheers!
Tom

 

Never had this beer due to the fact I always thought it was a spiced beer. Is it worth grabbing a pack if I ever see it again?

Enjoy

 

No spices as far as I know. Hard to say if it would be worth it for you. Depends on if you like 7% ABV dark ales with some fruitiness (w/o heading into Belgian levels) and a little hop character (w/o heading into IPA levels). I will say that such beers aren't exactly a dime a dozen. I know you are very focused on price, but I don't recall how much it was.

 

I’ve been drinking (admittedly probably too many) of these for going on 2 decades now, and although I love them I still can’t tell you the actual accurate differences between old ales and barleywines.

 

That sounds like a nice beer. Most ST beers are around $11-12 a six. Seems like a beer I might grab.

Thanks

Enjoy

 

Enjoying a bottle of 2022 North Coast Old Stock Ale. I have a few much older vintage bottles in the cellar as well.

 

I my thinking, the barleywines use more hops than the typical old ale, and the American barleywines use more of them than the English versions.

 

Yup! I love me a good kerfuffle.

Juuuuuuuuuust a tad.

 

Can't wait to get my hands/lips on some Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half again.

 

Having this for the first time in about a dozen years—my last bottle. So rich and complex, absolutely delicious.

 

If my recollection serves me correctly, the difference isn't necessary in the recipe, but the fact that an old ale is laid down for a period of time before consuming. Hence the name.

 

And in the bygone days of Jolly Olde England the beers would be aged in oak vessels:

“Before the Industrial Revolution, the typical beer drinker in England likely had an affinity for a sort of “old” beer – beer that had been cellared in oak tuns for a year or more, taking on an astringent character from tannins in the wood and being exposed to resident bacteria like lactobacillus. Add normal oxidation to the mix and the occasional rogue strain of brettanomyces and you’ve got anything but a clean beer. The result would have been tart – even funky – and replete with complex flavors that may have taken a while to acquire a taste for.”

https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/what-old-ale

Cheerio!

 

I question the accuracy of their statement. British brewers didn't typically line their wooden vessels (particularly before WWI), but they used wood that wouldn't add undesirable oak flavors.

 

Yes, the oak from Northern Europe produced less tannins in comparison to French or American oak but the tannin contribution would not be zero. And I would argue that the oak contributions for these old ales would not necessarily be "undesirable" since customers would indeed order these beers.

Cheers!