Cellar Reviews (2024)

Cross post pic from barleywine thread. I hope I have the patience to age some from the most recent batch.

 

Having another old doggie, 2012 this time purchased recently for $4 Hair of the Dog.



This is drinking nicely right now. Sweet caramel dominates with mellow apricot, honey, and faint figs in support. There is a little leafy bitterness at the end. Ample carbonation even after all this time. Yummy.

 

This was from @LehighAce06 part of my Superbowl squares winnings. I think he sent me half his cellar...



Head retention & lacing are AWOL

S: Tons of dark fruit, plenty of booze in the nose, Sherry notes

T: Follows the nose, barrel dryness, Baker's & some Dark Chocolate. Still plenty of barrel kick, salted dried plums

MF: Silky smooth & nice & warming

A beautiful ride. I wouldn't sit on this much longer but still kicking ass!

 

Enjoying one of the very last Our Special Ales to come out of the old Anchor Potrero Hill brewing facility before it closed last year. Poured it into my OSA 2010 commemorative pint glass for good measure.

With about a year and a half on this the edges have smoothed down and a wintergreen medicinal/menthol eucalyptus note has taken the center stage. These always cellar so nicely.

Go Spurs Go!

 

Old Enbalmer '13 - Widmer Brother's Brewing - Portland, OR - American Barleywine - 10.2%

This beer is past its prime for sure.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8/151340/
3.7/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From a 22oz bottle, consumed on 12/26/2024

There was a slight hiss upon opening the bottle. This beer is a brown colored beer in the glass. What surprised me is the head. The head is 1 1/2 finger and tan in color. I am happy with the head retention, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass. Not seeing any floaties in the glass.
The aroma is quite strong in this beer. I do get lots of caramel and toffee notes. I get a good hit of dark fruit in here. There's a hint of a funky aroma, but not unpleasant.
Taste - The flavor starts off mild. I get a hint of cardboard which isn't the best. I get dark fruit, caramel, toffee, and some orange on the back. Not really getting any hops in here, but not surprised. There's some bitterness in the beer.
The body is full. There's some bubbliness. The feeling from the bitterness lingers.
I am glad I bought it, but this beer is past its prime for sure.

 

Only 6 years old, but still pretty good

the taste, not the feel, is just a bit watery.
Cheers.

 

Good evening, all! @ChicagoJ brought me here after I mentioned that my Christmas lineup this year was exclusively cellar beers. This is one of the standouts so far: Air Whale Hell, an imperial stout from Anchorage Brewing. The brewer's description reads "Fermented and aged in Missouri oak, finished on Klatch Coffee, Tahitian vanilla beans and Thai Bananas." I don't remember where or when I got this. (At 15% ABV, I'm pretty sure I didn't get it in Iowa. Strange ABV laws, etc.) First one from this brewery and it is a dandy. All the flavors are there, in spades. From my half-assed review:

 

12-12-12 Stone Vertical Epic - The final chapter, 12 yrs. after it's release. Pours a black color with a light beige/caramel head. Aroma is predominantly clove and raisins. Taste is smooth and consists mainly of nutmeg, allspice and clove. Finish is a little thin with moderate carbonation. Overall, a fantastic spiced ale that has stood the test of time.
a

 

people used to wait in line for that beer series

 

Revisiting Brew 6000, my last bottle.



I can't say that I'm able to discern any changes in two and a half years, my original review still rings true. Unsurprisingly this is still great. Honey dripping over figs and raisins alongside a stiff measure of high caliber bourbon. There is some molasses and toffee in there as well as a lovely vanilla note. Like I said originally, joy in a bottle.

 

2014 Double DBA ( on left)
i usually talk shit about aging anything NOT §ucaba from FW but this is a gem

It smells like cardboard, but taste was some top tier peanut brittle, brown sugar, toffee and almost burnt caramel .
Amazing!

 

Thanks for sharing your cellar review @dcotom . Glad that held up for you. Sorry about your most recent Thomas Hardy's Ale experience @Beersnake .

Likely my final 2024 Cellar Review. Goose Island changed their "develops in the bottle" guidance for many of their variants from over 5 years to over 2 years IIRC in 2018 or 2019. The last time I had one was a few months after the expiration date posted November 21, 2019. I have stored all of my 2019 in a dark cool underground basement until pulling for the refrigerator last week.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Cafe de Olla Stout (2019)



Link to my 2021 Cellar Review. Bottom line, there was a significant drop off from my 5.0 taste rating between fresh and two years. I suggested folks drink the rest over the next few months, but I just never got around to it as I prioritized other beers.

Today, the aroma has turned into a pepper lead, and much of the taste complexity even two years out has degraded into a pepper lead, with other preferred flavors backing. I don't think it is fair to go beyond that considering the brewery recommended the best by through August 11, 2021, but just wanted to document for my own notes, and will not present my remaining bottles in future years.

I trust the brewery to provide their best recommendations including length of bottling. I have a more than a dozen beyond GI;s recommended best by dates, and will prioritize those as cellar clearing shifts into high focus Winter / Spring 2024-2025.

I really enjoyed reading each and every post and review this year, and hope you can join us in 2025!

Cheers and Happy New Year!

@Beer_Economicus

 

The guys that know me well would really get a laugh from this particular comment