Cellar Reviews (2024)

No photo loaded but I'm guessing this is the 2017 Great Lakes Blackout Stout you posted in WBAYDN?

 

Haha do you want us to guess what beer that is from the clues of who sent it, what year it was released, and your tasting notes? My guess is Weyerbacher 13.

 

Equilibrium There And Back Again Peach 2017 Release
June beer. Live review

Second glass, and I must say, like the fictional hobbit who wrote the imaginary book for which this beer is named, age has both mellowed and kept all the important features of the younger version.

Less carb. than when released. Nose, though is just as full of fresh and overripe peach , sourdoughy tart, lemon limey funk with some earthy character, and grapefruit hop aroma that still is vibrant and clean after 7 years in cellar.

Funny to use a phrase called out in another forum here, but taste follows nose excellently. The peach notes definitely have lost some of their zip, and the bitter and citrus aspects as well are faded and softer, but the sweet too has lessened which has left a marvelous, lightly funky masterpiece that is a joy to sip.

Plenty enough carb. to support a clean and medium bodied mouthfeel, with an equally clean and delicious linger that begs for next sip.

This one is testament to why we age beer. It was a masterpiece fresh, and it is a different but equally amazing beer now.

 

I don't have a specific review of the 2017 batch for this offering to compare, so just a few general observations of how this is fairing near 2 years beyond the listed best by date.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale (2017)



Bottle Notes: Bottled 10/10/2017 @10:24 AM. 14.4% ABV, develops in the bottle for up to 5 years. Oak, charcoal, hints of tobacco and vanilla with signature barrel character. This was properly cellared since purchased, then refrigerated about 1-2 years ago until today.

Appearance: A few seconds of head, light carbonation sustained as I'm letting reach appropriate temperature.

Aroma: Getting a nice oak barrel, red wine malty sweet aroma about 10 minutes from the refrigeration pull. Raisins and dates as well. Very nice.

Taste: Hit by the sweetness, this has become very malty and boozy at first. Not much complexity as the aroma yields. Settles into a drinkable offering beyond the 20 minute mark.

Mouthfeel: Creamy body, carbonation negligible by the time I dive in. Drinks very strong, boozy, sweet and malty, sweet malt finish.

Overall: Once it warms, it's a bit better, but lacks the crisp complexity a fresh version yields. A booze malt bomb for the most part at this stage. Will finish, but would have preferred to enjoy this a few years ago for a better experience.

 

I have 2019 thru 2023 of the basic Stout in the basement. I need to drink the older ones. I had a extra bottle of 2022 that I drank a while back. I wasn't impressed by it.

 

I liked their barleywine pre pasteurization more than after the jump. Like Spiteful's Belligerent Bob and Revolution's Straight Jacket best in terms of our locals.

For me, their OG Stout holds up well over time. Still like them best in the 0-2 year range.

Would like to see how your bottles turn out when it comes time for you to enjoy!

 

I posted this in WBAYDN, and it should also be here. I've never had this beer fresh, so I don't know how it was back in the day.

Cafe Verdad - Paradox Beer Co. - Divide, CO - Wild Ale - 8%

Well, I am way over the average with this one. I get NO green pepper from the coffee at all. This is a very wild and funky beer, and I have a feeling the funk saved the coffee. It is amazing.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29972/211995/
4.26/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
2015 release:
A bit of smoke upon opening the bottle. This beer is dark pouring beer. It looked like cola while pouring, but in the glass it is pitch black. There's a 1 finger tan head that had decent retention, but no lacing on the glass.
The nose is very wild and funky. There's a grassy earthy aroma to this beer. Very floral here. I get the faintest hint of the coffee. What I'm getting doesn't have a green pepper character, which is surprising.
Taste - The beer is a very wild and funky beer. I am getting a ton of tartness here, like a tart cherry. There is a good funk here. The coffee is actually coffee at this late date, and not green pepper. The coffee hits in waves, but then dissipates only to come back again. There was a faint chocolate hit with the coffee. Tons of funk.
The coffee almost has a sweetness to it, but this is cut big time by the tartness and funk. There's actually a bubbly feel to this beer in spite of the age.
Jeez. This beer just shocks and amazes me. They really know their stuff, and it is recommended to the extreme.

 

I've been wanting to do this side-by-side since I had each of these beers during Cellaruary, and I wasn't sure I could tell them apart. These are both from 2018. The mouthfeel on both is nearly identical - thick, oily, lingering. Both are extremely bitter. The Bigfoot is little more burnt caramel and dark fruits. The Lagunitas has strong citrus peel and a very distinct spice that I can't place. Interesting science.

 

An atypical one today, was feeling a DFH 120 but didn’t have any at the right temp so I figured I’ll give this one a try. I’ve had pretty good success with aging HopSlam in the past. This one was canned Oct 2022, so fairly close to two years.

Aroma is still very hoppy, although not to the degree as fresh. Taste is holding up shockingly well. I mean it doesn’t taste like fresh hopslam, but I’ve 100% had fresh IPAs/DIPAs from other breweries that were less hop forward than this. In the past when I’ve had aged HopSlam it’s developed into a nice American Barleywine with more malty characters but this time it’s actually still very IPA like.

Overall really good. I actually have a number of HopSlams of various vintages and formats, will continue to dabble, as it’s always a fun experiment.

 

2014 Bigfoot, my last one. I do have a few older bottles around.



I had a 2015 recently that was disappointing. In fact, I just found notes from a 10-year vertical I did over an extended period a few years ago and the 2015 was ugly then too.

This 2014 is fantastic, it pours bright and crystal clear unlike the muddy '15. Plenty of citrus pith and caramel, I'm not getting any honey like I did with the 2017 the other day. Distinct from the 2017, not better or worse magnificent in its own way.

I have a conundrum now. I put bottles of Bigfoot aside from the years my kids were born to share with them later, 2013 and of course 2015 dang it. He was born the last day of 2015 so he was born much closer to the time of the 2016 bottling. I have 2 bottles left and I think I'll swap them out. That leaves me with four 2015s to work through though.

 

Opened a 2024 right after finishing this and I strongly prefer the aged version. The 2014 is lighter, more balanced, and has a subtly delectable sweetness. While I am liking the heavy bitterness of the fresh bottle patience with Bigfoot can pay huge dividends.

 

2022 DFH 120 Min. Love this beer, at every age. I’ve gone as far as calling this beer a masterpiece and I stand by that.

Drinking great around 2 years, still packs that bitter hop punch but the alcohol heat is muting, and some of the really nice malty American Barleywine type notes are starting to shine.



Cheers, friends!

 

Just realized this post had a video poker machine in it. 13 year old vintage IS’s and video poker. I would legitimately never leave.

 

It’s a poor pay table, so I didn’t play. They do comp select craft beers for players who do play! (Aces and Ales on Tenaya near Mountain View in Vegas). A must stop for me each trip.

 

2020 Aventinus Eisbock

A: Pours a very dark brown, it’s clear when held to light but looks opaque in the glass due to the dark shade. Large slightly off white head with very good retention. 4.75

S: Huge aroma, lots of dark fruits, clove, baking spices. More spice prominent than I would have guessed. 4.25

T: Taste is bakers chocolate, Belgium quad like spice, an entire bouquet of dark fruits, and some bitterness on the back end. 4.25

M/D: Medium bodied, heavy carbonation, excellent drinkability. 4.5

O: Overall, very good. I’m not sure if it’s better than when it’s fresh, but that’s not necessarily a dig as I love it fresh. It’s developed quite a bit of Quad like characters, bitterness on the back end is a bit distraction. 4.25


The furthest out Id hd one of these and no more in the cellar so that will be the case for a long time it seems!





Cheers old beer nerds!

 

Apparently I bought this several years ago and kept it for just the right night. Tonight was it. Held up amazingly well.
More words in NBS if you’re interested. Cheers!

 

Rushing Duck Dog's Bollocks Barley Wine Batch 2 (2014?) July beer live review

Pours with plenty carb., glad to see. Full aroma that is all about caramel, oak, vanilla, sweet breadiness, lighter amounts of bourbon and even some herbal hops still in there. Ten years? Hard to believe..

Taste is that same wonderful balance of barrel, caramel, toffee, bourbon, honey bread, as when released, but no vanilla in the taste, and the hops only show up very lightly at end of sip. It has softened more than blended, all the flavors are well defined.

Showed some nice carb, but def. lost some zip since release. Mouthfeel is that same smooth, just-thick-enough perfection it was, and the finish, if anything, is even tastier with diminished hop bite, letting the caramel and bready malt linger and shine.

Another victory for the cellar! Cheers, y'all!

 

No idea where the pic went, deleted by mistake?