Cellar Reviews (2024)

I shared my nightcap over on the Imperial Stout thread, but as it’s from 2021 I guess it can go here as well:

Drinking down my cellar, thinking I should drink the adjunct laden beer first. But I have to interspace these with un-laden stouts.
As far as adjunct stouts go, this one is quite good, just sweeter than I prefer at this time.
Cheers!

 

It’s Nov 2nd, so officially late enough in the year to start putting up Chirstmas decorations. Call me crazy but we got a lot of stuff and it’s not going to put up itself. Plus and admittedly more importantly, it’s a great excuse to start drinking winter beers.

So starting the evening with this vintage Samiclaus. I think this is 2022, as I remember there was no fresh Samiclaus in my area in 2023, and I have a bunch of bottles that have 2021 on them.

It’s drinking really good. Huge caramel, toffee, dark fruits, some Christmas spices. Absolutely love this beer. One that historically I prefer fresh over aged but this is great today.

 

Following up the Samichlaus with a 2022 St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. Most quads tends to peak for me around 2 years. This one is drinking great. Lots of spice still, sweet characters are mild compared to that Samichlaus I just had which probably threw off my palate a bit. A tasty holiday gem that I am sure to drink a bunch of this season.

 

Before I dive into today, I just want to make a correction to post #300 from 10/23/24. For some reason, I thought they were releasing Deth by Currants in October, but it is actually a new release I enjoyed a lot (Deth by Bramble). I did enjoy my selection for this morning on September 18th, but it was nine days shy of my one year minimum to review here. This had a bit of trouble selling out, so Revolution offered a "Cherries on Top" sale for four packs of Deth by Cherries, their On & On Part 3 Collaboration with Half Acre and Very Special Old Rye.

Revolution Deth by Cherries (2023)



OG review was at Revolution 12/4 IIRC 2018:

Comparison of fresh draft of the 2018 batch to the one year canned batched opened this morning. Appearance from Go!, all other aspects after letting this warm for 15 + minutes.:

• Appearance: Pitch black base, light thin tan lacing. 4.25
• Aroma: Nice bourbon cherry blend, works well together. Enticing. 4.25
• Taste: Bourbon cherry blend, light bakers chocolate base backing. Really enjoying, let this warm. 4.5
• Mouthfeel: Nominal carbonation, near full creamy body. Strong, throughout, really nice balance for a fruit stout, cherry bourbon finish. 4.5
• Overall: Liking this one even more than the fresh draft. Could be batch variation, could be an improvement with aging. 4.5

Have my final 2020 Deth By Cherries I want to pull out later this week for a comparison. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the cellar review.

 

Final Deth by Cherry selection as noted on Monday.

Revolution Deth by Cherry (2020)



Can Date: November 11, 2020. Refrigerated since purchase, likely from their 2021 sale. 12.5% ABV vs. 14.3% 2023.

Dove in 20 minutes after pouring to allow proper temperature.

Comparison 2020 Today vs. (2023) Monday:

• Appearance: Consistent, refer to two pictures. 4.25 vs. (4.25)
• Aroma: Cherry dominant after 10 minutes; light barrel emerges after 20, far less vs. 2023 3.75 vs. (4.25)
• Taste: Just a cherry gooey offering, really similar to cough syrup. No barrel beyond feeling the ABV, no light bakers chocolate base backing. Meh. 2.5 vs. (4.5)
• Mouthfeel: No carbonation, thin to medium body, sweetness adding perceived depth. Feels strong without the benefit of bourbon barrel flavor. Like a melted slurpee or cough medicine finish. 2.5 vs. (4.5)
• Overall: By memory, this is the most disappointing cellared Revoultion beer I recall. Not their fault, this beer was not meant to cellar for close to five year. Drink your beer first before new purchases. 2.75 vs. (4.5)

Not shocked, but expected at least some balance and barrel. Oh well, glad this is the last one at this point in my stock.

 

Mountains Walking 2021 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from @muchloveforhops3
10.0% ABV; 4.09 overall

2021 Bottle pours an effervescent & chill-hazed chestnut/mahogany with a pinky of fast falling mocha colored head. Zero head retention & lacing, viscous

S: Dark chocolate and dark fruits, Bourbon & Figs, fades a bit once warmed up

T: Dark chocolate, Macadamia Nuts & candied Pecans, some figgyness & rich boozy barrel, dark cherry, a little leafy hop as well up front. Some coconut, molasses, boozy figs, some plum & cinnamon as this beer warms up, plenty of dark cherry, hints of tobacco & a little red wine too. Finishes with dark chocolate, dark cherry, barrel dryness, figs & sweet red wine

MF: Pretty chewy, low levels of carbonation, warming

Not surprising the carbonation might be a bit subdued due to age, which knocks down appearance & mouthfeel. Drinks great for the ABV, pretty tasty

 

2010 Victory Old Horizontal


Victory Old Horizontal was one of my favorite beers, and I thought I'd never have it again, but a local store (Heritage Liquor) had a few cellared bottles on the shelf.

Not expecting too much, but this old beer still gave a pleasant experience. The tootsie roll flavor was still there, but a little more muted from oxidation. Leather, a bit cardboardy.

Glad I got to taste it again, I'll have to check if the store still has any more left!

 

Not quite a cellar review, as I bought it recently. Bottled on date = 09.Oct.2019. Cross posted in the Imperial Stout thread. First and only experience with this one.

Blackbeard’s Bear Hug - Bell’s

I’m digg’n this one, even though it “bears” little resemblance to an Imperial Stout. Think Cuba Libre with coconut and cinnamon, neither of which are obnoxious. The alcohol and spiced rum are through the roof. It has a thin body and chunky sediment (which adds something to chew on). Oh, and the cheese pairing is a failure. It’s the Fromage des Jacques that I love, and have now set aside until after the beer.

It is interesting just how strong the rum and coconut are after five years on a shelf in Auburn, NY.

 

Wow, I’ve never seen a bottle of that. Wild!

 

@Whyteboar - We received the same drop of @SLeffler27 's Blackbeard's Bear Hug here in 2019. My bottle was fresh, but had a lot of floaters event. Still really enjoyed everything else about it, rating it a 4.5 fresh. Sadly, they gone for me, perhaps I'll be able to revisit some day.

Did a search and can't believe a did not present a single Ryeway to Heaven in this thread. Here is a chance to make things right with less than a month left in the year, and this particular batch which surpassed the one year threshold several weeks ago.

Revolution Ryeway to Heaven (2023)



I don't have a written review of this batch/release, but will record brief notes below to compare in 2025. The 2023 release was canned 10/24/2023.

• Appearance: Gorgeous bright ruby red and bronze clear pour, generous head and creamy fine bubble carbonation. 4.75
• Aroma: 10 Min Mark: Plums, raisins and rye. 15 Min Mark Rye flavors emerge, lightly spicy, bourbon smooth and mellow. 4.75
• Taste: Yes! Getting all the flavors above, blends well Love how you still get the rye base and quad like dark fruits distinct from the rye whiskey.
• Mouthfeel: 15.0%, goes along about half that, so pace and don't drive after. Gentle carbonation, creamy smooth body I love, with a hint of carbonation. Rye, rye whiskey and raisin finish. Not sweet or harsh, perfect harmony. 5.0
• Overall: This feels like the first time I enjoyed this beer, and there is no doubt it remains the BA release I would choose each year if limited to one. Held up really well, as usual 4.75

Stock up, refrigerate. Drink fresh or with a 1-2. It will be a great experience for those who love rye.

Hope you all have a great cellar pull soon.

 

Original owner of this gem. Don’t drink lambic nearly as often as I once did but figured a good Sunday Funday beer.

Cap with minimal debris/sediment

Cork pristine for age and comes out with a nice pop

pours amber color w thick laced head.

aroma more funk than grape

taste is amazing Cantillon funkiness with no oxidization. Grapes are still readily present on the initial front palate. The finish is mushroom, dense dankness, and tartness.

love this beer

 

Bell's 35th Anniversary Expedition Stout


A little more than 4 years old, the 35th anniversary expedition did not show any signs of oxidation or being worn out in the bottle. I kept this in the fridge for 4 years, so pretty mild aging I suppose. I enjoyed this more now than when it was fresh, more chocolaty now versus more black licorice back then. Very nice mouthfeel and a great aging experience!

 

Good News on the 35th Anniversary @Mdog , as I still have three bottles, one in the refrigerator and two in the basement cellar.

Today I'm reprising my tasting of my final 2016 Prairie Christmas Bomb!. I bought two bottles at during a lockdown sale at Local Option in May, 2020. I pulled the first one later that year for the 2020 Holiday Tasting Thread on December 18, 2020. Will also compare to my original rating notes offline on 2/21/18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Prairie Christmas Bomb! (2016)



12/13/2024: Cellared 2016 12 oz Bottle $4.50 vs. 12/18/2020: Cellared 2016 12 oz Bottle $4.50

• Appearance Same flat pour, minimal 10-15 sec head before retreating to ring above pitch black base. (2024 4.00 vs. 2020 3.75).
• Aroma Giant pepper bomb in 2024 vs. the nice mix of cinnamon, chocolate, and peppers in 2020. Pepper aroma seems stronger than contemporary or 2020 cellared notes. Miss the complexity, hopefully some held on in the taste component. (2024 3.25 vs. 2020 4.25)
• Taste Taste better than anticipated based on the aroma. Chili pepper leads, though in OK measure, with cinnamon and hints of vanilla, maple syrup and slight coffee notes, more so than the AWOL notes in 2020. No great standout here, but glad nothing bad developed. (2024 3.75 vs. 2020 4.0)
• Mouthfeel Getting a neutral balance here, peppers offsetting the sweet flavors, and not the higher sweet level I noted in 2020. So mellowed. Easier drinking at first, but strength noted relatively soon in. Getting a creamier richer medium plus body, consistent with 2020 and better than the fresh draft. Faint carbonation remains, though it wasn't much stronger fresh. Saying this is the best component this year as well. (2024 4.25 vs.2020 4.5)
• Overall This remains a good to solid spiced imperial stout, but signficantly dropped over time primarily in the coffee area and complexity of flavors shining through. Glad it didn't degrade notedly beyond the pepper aroma. Enjoying, but would have enjoyed fresher / fresh a bit more, IMO. (2024 3.75 vs. .2020 4.25).

2/21/2018: Aces & Ales Tenaya: 8 oz contemporary draft, $10

• Appearance Pitch Black Pour, thin tan lacing. 4.25
• Aroma Chocolate and cinnamon. 4.0
• Taste Excellent mix of chili peppers, cinnamon & coffee. Excellent!!! 4.75
• Mouthfeel Very thin mouthfeel, very smooth drinking. 4.25
• Overall Excellent beer 4.5

 

Enjoying a 2018 Doggie Claws.



This is tasting great right now. Tons of honey soaked apricots, caramel with a bit of char to it, and some potpourri like citrus at the finish. A great cellar pull for sure, glad I have more tucked away!

 

Not quite as good as the bourbon barrel version, but man I wish I would have bought more of these. I think I saw a recent release back in the overpriced 500ml bottles. These 12ozers were $5 iirc.



There are a lot of layers of sticky sweet goodness at work here. A lovely honey soaked grape note dominates. At the edges are raisins, caramel, faint leather, and more. The warming exhale is a perfect ending. Great, great beer.

 

Love this vintage.

Saw a couple of packs out in San Diego earlier this year