Cellar Reviews (2024)

Four in a row? Dang it all, I can’t be the only person tapping into old stock in the cellar!

like this one from 2019 and a brewery that isn’t brewing anymore.

Which is a real shame because they could brew good beer!

 

Canned VSOJ from the October 2018 release. This is still world-class but different than I remember, both from 2018 and from cans popped over time. I would say this peaked at some point during the pandemic. Maybe my palate is being fooled by the greater perceived sweetness in DB VSOJ, but my impression is that oxidation is starting to rob this batch of some of its complexity. I used to get a lot of dates and fig, but I have to really reach for some of those fruitier notes now. I've got more of this but will probably stop saving them for infinite ageing experiments at this point; for comparison, I don't think it's holding up as well as a MoAS or Behemoth of similar age.

 

Really wish this brewery was still operating and they'd continued this lambic inspired program. This thing is drinking exquisitely!

Tahoe Mountain Brewery - Evolution of the Barrel

A blend of one, two, and three year barrel aged golden sours. It's not dated but I bought this bottle in 2019 or 2020, I think they only packaged this one and it was in 17/18, but I'm not sure. This thing drinks on a par with the better Belgian lambics from the likes of Drie Fonteinen and Cantillon.

The color is a brilliant golden that works well with the aroma to convey the feeling of a sunny late summer afternoon in the midst of a grain field. Beautiful beer.

In addition to the soft wheat notes there's also a lovely subtle ripe apple aroma and a nice note that reminds me of a freshly opened mineral water.

Taste leads with that apple/pear vibe along with clean barley malt and a nicely balanced lactic acidity on the back end.

This is my last bottle of this, who knows how many still exist in the world. I had to consciously slow myself down because the first few mouthfuls went down so easy. Now I'm savoring the last 6 oz or so of this divine example of the art of spontaneous brewing

 

2013 Firestone Sucaba - 22 oz. bomber (remember those?). Pours a dark brown/mahogany color with a khaki color head. Aroma of bourbon, oak, dark fruit, some caramel and brown sugar. Taste is very complex. Dried fruit, bourbon, maple syrup, toffee, caramel with very little booziness. Smooth medium finish, with little carbonation. I'm drinking this at 55*F to try to acquire most of the flavors. Incredible beer. I'm surprised as to how well it has held up over the years. Wow!

 

Nobody does wheatwine better than GI.

 

Got this as an extra from the very generous @maximum12 thank you! 2015 Central Waters BA barleywine, a longtime favorite of mine that is no longer distributed here.



Pretty much flat at almost 9 years out, but the body is still silky smooth. There is more char to the caramel than I recall and a fairly intense molasses note that is new as well. The booze is plentiful and intense, love it. While this might be on the decline it is still extremely enjoyable. Glad to have tried this.

 

Posted this to the Imperial Stout thread but it needed to go here too:

2018 release. The last time before they went year round with it. Picked up a case because I had no idea how much it would change when it happened. Down to my last 6 pack. Good stuff still.
Cheers!

 

I know I'm a bit late responding here, but can I ask what your thoughts on this are? Is it just the Westmalle you find not ageable? I personally find that dubbels and quads typically age really well, while Saisons ("singles") and tripels are better fresh (my own opinion.)

 

It is never late to ask an interesting question.

No, I only find Westmalle Dubbel 'unageable'; or to put it mildly, I more like an aged Westmalle Tripel over a Dubbel.

I tend to disagree with you. It is a misunderstanding about beer aging that only dark beers age nicely. Also blond beers can age really well, yet differently.
Axioma: dark beers (dubbels, quads [whatever the latter be]) age towards port/madeira wine, blond beers (saison, tripel) age towards sherry wine (excluding, but not completely, geuze).

Of course, the bitterness disappears when aging, including fruity and vegetable esters, and herbs and spices, and even maltiness. What comes in their place is more difficult to describe. Many people are inclined to say that all/most aromas and tastes just fade away. I disagree on that point. It is true that some aromas and tastes disappear while others are reinforced and enhanced.

The Westmalle Tripel in my cellar is dating back from 2006. It is divine: it has a banana sweetness, a sherry medium aroma and taste with a very slight saltiness. Pepper has disappeared almost completely.
Other superbly aged blond beers in my cellar: Piraat (2007), Bush/Scaldis Prestige (2008), Straffe Winter (2008), Bush Triple de Blonde (2009), Cuvée d'Erpigny (2010), Tuverbol (2012), Struiselensis (2013), Cuvée de Ranke (2015), Lo-Reninge Bitter Blond à Lambiek (2016), Schieven Enthusiasm (2019) and some geuze.

 

Seems I didn't like that one either back in 2008. I have found most wheatwine either too hot or too sweet. GI and Jackie O's make good ones, I'd recommend trying them if you can.

 

I have 2013 and 2014 bombers i need to get to,but having almost unlimited access to vintages at Firestone Propagator( they regularly have 2012-2018 on tap) keeps me from popping them at home.

 

Everyone be sure to post in the Cellaruary thread as well as here for this month!

 

Had problems getting pics loaded, so you won’t have to squint at my bad pics this time. Firestone Walker 15 Anniversary. Cross post with Cellaruary thread.


Not much good to say. Just a bit of carb., barely enough to avoid calling it still. Aroma was a strong mix of harsh malty sugar notes, strange, off-putting herbal bitter, cardboard, alcohol spice, light remnants of barrel, not much else. Sadly, taste was pretty much the same unfortunate cast of flavors, thick, and less than pleasant. It finished alcohol heat and bad caramel. These few words are more than this wreck deserves. It def. is what @Todd was talking about in the Cellaruary thread, the waste of great beer in our cellars.


Oh, yeah. The good? I caught an excellent buzz sipping this for two hours yesterday, and that is why this gets posted today. Cheers!

 

I didn't post my first Cellaruary beer here yesterday, because I just reviewed in December in the 2023 thread. I received a six pack of this offering from Rev comped, one of several six packs received last year via that method, which has brought increased my cellar.

Revolution Repo Man



Can Notes: 12 oz canned 1/10/23 at 11:07:28 AM at Revolution Brewery in Chicago. 6.4% ABV Rye Stout. Smooth drinking rye and roast.

Original review notes in italics - any changes if applicable noted in underlined standard font.

Appearance: $7 pint glass draft pour at Revolution Brewery on 1/1/20. Pitch black pour, tan off white light bubbly head and lacing. 4.0

No change fresh vs. cellared.

Aroma: Rye, malt and barley aroma, lightly sweet. 3.75

Less rye, still fresh and popping otherwise. 3.5

Taste: Strong rye taste, light barley malt backing, slightly sweet, nice. 4.25

More malty, more than slightly sweet, still digging this. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation lingers throughout, medium slightly creamy body, easy clean finish. 4.25

Faint carbonation, sweeter overall, everything else consistent.4.0

Overall: Solid pour, hits my rye craving. Will return for more! 4.25

Rye reduction and added sweetness primary change. Enjoying, would purchase this version as well, like the OG a bit more based on my rye preference. 4.0

 

Cross-post-ish from the Cellaruary thread.

Bell's Brewery - Expedition Stout (2015)




Had the bottle in the fridge for the last month or so after trying a bottle from this batch on a whim late last year. I enjoyed that bottle very much so stashed the rest of the sixer into the fridge.

I poured the beer while it was still quite cold so likely lost any chance for a thicker head. Will rectify this on a future bottle. I did, however, let the beer warm up in the glass to about room temperature.

Aroma is nice and heavy with chocolate, anise and roasted malts. It still has that classic Expo aroma but it's mellowed out quite a bit. I do catch a slight bit of oxidation on the tail end. But it is very minor and only noticeable to me when focusing on the aroma.

Loads of dark chocolate for flavor. Roasted malts as well. The hops which are typically more prominent when Expo is in its early years have faded to the background. No discernible bitterness. Really great flavor for its age.

Expo fresh is great, don't get me wrong. Some of the characteristics are understandably more sharper then, and I enjoy and appreciate them then as well, but I think this has hit a sweet spot for my preferences on this beer. Might a year or so earlier have been even better for me? No way of knowing now but no complaints from me. For a beer at its 9th birthday, it's drinking perfectly for me. Cheers to Larry Bell for this beer. It has stood the test of time (on a couple levels ).

 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2015
Treated poorly during aging and more a lack of wanting to open it to roll the dice than waiting for it to get good.

Poured with way more carbonation that I expected. Most disappeared after the head ate it up, but a hair or two left to keep it from being cask flat.

Chestnut in the purest definition of the color. The brown showing ruby red edges.

Smells fine. Like Bigfoot, but after he retired and hung out more in his den than the warm pine woods.

Taste is... Ok? I expect to get a massive headache from this one, but it is actually not bad. No off notes. Taste is authentic to a fresh version but with ALL the edges rounded and sanded down. Amazing how much age just levels it out to almost hide it is a barley wine. I'm curious how it would be if I aged it properly and not on the bottom of a shelf in my kitchen.

Retro styled for a glimpse to the way back.

 

Doh! I’ve been forgetting to cross post here!
Okay, quick synopsis of what I posted over there: Avery Brewing BA Vanilla Bean Stout is still good after at least 4 years in the cellar.
Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout is *not* good after more than 4 years.

I’ll try to remember to cross post here going forward, thanks for the reminder!

 

I strongly suspect that there are more than one person on this site that will be able to answer that question. I got into the Bigfoot cellaring game only recently, so it will be another few years before I have any verticals of 5 years or so.