Cellar Reviews (2024)

That's so excellent that it all came together like that, especially the amount of chocolate that surprised you! It's sad when we open a bottle that is much worse than when it was released. But when our cellar hopes are fully realized, and we find magic has occurred it's fucking wonderful.

Also nice when a Space Your Face gets parked next to a Jerry on a BA thread. Is that one a Mikio (always have meant to ask)?

 

For sure, love the GD representation!

So that’s a tie dye from a guy who goes by the name of Morning Dew Tie Dyes. I feel bad I don’t remember the guys name, been seeing and talking to him at various fests for about a decade and a half.

Anyways, dude is pure genius with tie dye, easily the most complex, intricate works I’ve ever seen by anyone using that art modality. The one in my photo is from one of his tapestries, I have one similar to that but that photo is not of mine. You should check him out if you’re into that kinda thing!

 

Nice/ I used to do work for Martin of Not Fade Away Tie Dyes, great person, excellent work. And Mikio was in my ex wife's circle of artist friends, strange dude, and I'll leave it there. Not sure you're aware of either of them, but with that quality of dye as your avatar I figure perhaps you are. Def. will check out Morning Dew Dyes,

My next beer is coming up, and you've got me hoping for a miracle like the one you report. Cheers!

 

Loving the Grateful Dead convo, nice tie in to my weekly show now on at 10 PM locally (WDCB). Have a bunch of 2019 BCBS variants in the basement cellar including six Cafe de Olla stouts, so glad you @zac16125 are enjoying them beyond their "best by" shelf life. Will pull some either before this thread ends or at the start of the 2025 thread.

It's getting colder here, so will be trying to knock out a couple a week soon. Looking forward to your next pull as always @cavedave

I need a miracle everyday!

 

Yeah man. I be needing those miracles too!, @zac16125 got me in the mood for a stout. Had my eye on a couple, I was thinking Parabola, but to me that is a "snow on the ground" rather than a "chill in the air": kind of stout. Hmmm what a delicious problem to have.

Bound to cover just a little more ground

 

Been a minute since I’ve been here, you are all having fun it appears.
@ChicagoJ - you have a weekly show? How cool is that. Will have to check it out.
@cavedave and company- I did my very first tie dye at an event last month that my local pub held. Had no clue what I was doing but it sure was interesting!
As far as the reason for my visit here tonight-

Testing Larry’s “Unlimited” shelf life promise.
This one is from 2015 and it lost very nearly all of its carbonation and what bitter that is usually found on the edges. But beyond that, it was really good.
Cheers all!

 

Just want to clarify, I listen to the Grateful Dead hour, have for decades across multiple stations. I don't host it, David Gans does who many of you are likely familiar with.

https://gdhour.com/

Nice your 2015 Expedition Stout has held up well beyond losing carbonation.

Cheers!

 

Ah, the light dawns. Here I was thinking I was hanging out with a movie star.

Okay, maybe not movie star, but someone who had their own syndicated television show, still pretty cool.

Even without any of those things you are still fun and interesting to hang out with and I’d happily do that anytime.

Cheers!

 

Another cellar pull and at the moment no idea how old it is.

Still amazing. No doubt at all that this is a RIS. Excellent

 

https://bellsbeer.com/history/

So, maybe around 11 years old? A little less if the 30 year anniversary is for the Bell's name only, and doesn't include beers produced as Kalamazoo Brewing.

 

Just went through the Bell's stuff in the Cellar and I have some 35th Anniversary Expedition from them, which was bottled in 2020. So 30th would have been 2015. 9 years old. Should have kept it until next year and I could have had 2015, 2020 and 2025 in one weekend. Maybe that's why I still had it, don't remember. Need to write this stuff down!

 

Thanks. Enjoyed hanging with you a few days this Summer across two states, hope to do it again next year.

It took time to set up, but having everything in Excel with bottle dates helps manage for me across my two locations (refrigerator and basement cellar). Gained about a case of beer net after the Wisconsin trades and shopping, but down to 276 total beers (most cellar appropriate) yesterday and hope to clear at least 50 more before year end (have a few Deep Woods pick ups remaining).

Thought I’d get to a cellar beer this week, but three days of wings pair better with ales, so back next week with the cooler temps.

 

Still a fighter, Plenty of barrel & woody hops. Cocoa & Vanilla as well, plus rum & coke

Nose had banana taffy at first then more vanilla & chocolate

Very drinkable, still plenty of legs on this, carbonation is mellowing a little

 

So something different from my normal stout nightcap:

Four years old and still very good. Geeze, look at that head. Making me think that the Underground Mountain Brown is still good.

 

Cracked open a 2015 Bell's Expo. Not really much additional to say about this beer with regard to aging. It's the undisputed Cellar Champ imo. Well, certainly from an Imperial Stout perspective (again imo).

The key on this beer is finding the point in time when it best suits one's preferences. Do you like it more hoppy and roasty? Will enjoy it sooner than later. I'm really digging this vintage with it's smooth dark chocolate and subdued roastiness. So much so the rest of the sixer is in my fridge. Now is the time (for me anyway). Cheers to Larry.

 

Stone 2011 IRS

Hello Cellar Friends (am giving that a test run even though it sounds creepy)

Okay, two things, one, this is a live review, and two, I already know, 2/3 of the way through this glass, that it is gonna be a long first part and a "TL;dr" part for those not so inclined as to bother with what surely will be an indulgence, but one that hopefully can be enjoyed vicariously as well as intellectually.

For the so inclined I start with the question of what it is that is so delightfully delicious in the aroma of a perfect stout that makes it an effort to pull ones nose from rim of glass?.That is the case with this thirteen year old beauty. It's almost as though there is a mild drug of some kind that activates a certain pleasure nerve in the enjoyment section of the brain. Each gentle sniff evokes waves of this pleasure, as the front sections of mind find dominant notes of espresso beans and other coffee flavors, dark chocolate, and soft charry sweet dominate the aroma but are joined by bitter cola nut, darkest caramel, and light molasses notes, other dark and charry malt notes. Holy shit, this is beyond amazing. How good was this fresh? Double that.

Ah, but can the taste also exhibit none of the ravages of age, but rather a maturity of purpose and full execution of beauty as the aroma has done? I take another sip, now most way down in this first glass. No, this sip confirms what already is known. Time has done nothing negative to this, only graced it with a sofness and blended excellence that puts it into its own realm. I feel qualified now that cellar beers are all I consume to note that time isn't always this kind, and in fact most common are little change (held up) change for the worse, or ruin. But it is this beloved alchemy of cellaring that certain beers undergo which keeps us with beer in our cellars. Here all the flavors of the aroma are presented in perfect balance, and with a purity of flavor that makes for a linger that is clean and alluring.

Glad to say the cap held enough carb. to keep this baby plenty lively, and the mouthfeel has grown a bit silky from the audaciousness it had when fresh, but the perfect amount of thickness to match the flavor profile remains as it was, with a linger that is the stuff of legends. It seems impossible for char this prominent to never build nor grow acrid. In fact, it seems hard to believe char could be made sweet yet still be sharp and assertive in the way needed in an elixir like this. But here we are, the perfect aroma, the perfect taste, the perfect mouthfeel, and a linger that is beyond seductive. Overall, all that I love in beer is revealed and satisfied. I pinch myself to say this, but this bottle is up there with the best stouts I ever have consumed. How did this happen? What is the (chemical? biological?) process that can turn greatness to perfection like this?

TL;dr- Thirteen years has made this a masterpiece. A wonderful aroma of espresso and other coffee notes, cola nut, darkest caramel, and light molasses notes, other dark and charry malt notes. Sweet but assertive and quite delicious. Taste is a blended and balanced mix of the nose, delicious, with an end of sip that is sweet but charry. Mouth is perky enough with the remaining carb., perf. thickness and linger, no signs of age deterioration. Superb, a masterpiece. Overall, can't believe I have had two magic bottles in a row. .

 

Thanks @cavedave - I really appreciate your reviews, this sounds amazing!

 

Good early afternoon beer, football, and (at least some) Grateful Dead nerds! 2020 Bourbon County Kentucky Fog on this lovely Sunday. Pour is opaque black with one fingers width of head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is tons of black tee, some bergamot, a bit of cardboard. Not a ton going on in the nose but it’s pleasant. Taste, however, is exceptional. Chocolate, roastiness, bergamot, whisky barrel notes. There’s lot of dark fruits, and a barley wine esque candied sugar seeetness to balance (doesn’t taste like honey but that’s probably what’s giving it the sweet characters). Mouthfeel is full bodied with a well masked ABV. It’s more balanced with age and is subsequently more drinkable. Overall, an excellent beer that I think has improved with time, both from the fresh and from the 2 year mark. Only have one more left which I will probably take out a couple more years to see how it further develops.




4.25/4/4.75/4.5/4.5
(Original/fresh review: 4.25/4/4.5/4/4.5;
Review at 2 years age: 4/4/4.5/4/4.5)

 

Twenty-Three - Avery Brewing - Wild Ale - 7.9%

@Alefflicted told me he opened up his bottle last night and said he made it half way through his bottle before his stomach said no more. I would say time hasn't been good to this beer. It is wild and funky, but not sure in a good way. No stomach issues yet, but I would say this beer has not held up over 8 years.

 

Really enjoyed your review and glad your October selection turned out great @cavedave ! Enjoyed reading the various other reviews as well since I last posted.

I have a four pack to pick up for my season ticket of this selection, which I first enjoyed on draft on November 19, 2018. My entire 2022 four pack has not been touched until now. These fruit "Deth By XXX" can be a wild card for me in terms of sweetness / excess for my palate. Hoping this two year aged version is a similar experience with my 2018 first go. I'm down to five cases left of 2022 and prior year cellar beer, hope to make a big dent through at least 2-3 cases this Fall / Winter.

Deth by Currants (2022)



Canned September 23, 2022 @6:29:38 - Pulled 25 months after canning. Refrigerated at the brewery, refrigerated at home until now. Waited about 10 minutes before beginning my review to allow warming to proper temperature.

Comparison to my 2018 draft version at the Brewpub:

• Appearance: My generous dark tan head lasted a few minutes, draft impacted by draft and pouring. Rating this a 4.75 today vs. 4.25 2018.
• Aroma: Currants front and center with quick 10 minute check in. Let this sit another 10 to get to proper temperature. This is when a smooth bourbon emerges, currants retaining the lead. No chocolate as enjoyed fresh. Keeping aroma the same 4.25.
• Taste: First sips yields a slight alcohol burn, which lessons as I either grow acclimated. Getting a broader depth than the aroma, nice currants and bourbon blend here though very sweet including perceived maple syrup. No chocolate or anything else from the base. 4.0 today vs. 4.75 fresh in 2018.
• Mouthfeel: Perhaps palate changed but feeling this is very sweet today, and has been a coin flip too sweet vs. OK with the Deth by series. Getting a very strong alcohol feel not broached in my OG 2018 review. Fizzy carbonation persistent throughout vs. the creamy silky smooth experience via draft. Sweet currant finish. 4.0 today vs. 4.5 2018 draft.
• Overall: These are two different releases, today's attempt is of a two year old version vs. the 2018 fresh draft pour, so these are very different beers at this stage. All that said, I enjoyed the fresh version based on my 2018 notes more than this two year old version. I need to created a 2024 baseline to see how 1-2 years impacts. Final Verdict: 4.25 2022 today vs. 4.5 2018 fresh.

Cues Foreigner