Cellar Review Thread (2025)

This one is a baby, but worth noting from early 2024. Got this beauty from @bbtkd 4.66 overall. Full review over on NBW

 

Cross posted, word for word, from the Belgian appreciation thread.

it’s just soooo good.

Ouse Gueze Á ľancienne - Tilquin

There just simply aren’t enough of these beautiful beers available in the US. Our local blendery seems to have closed, which is sad. This however is excellent, bottled 2016/17 and at the top of its game. Ton of fermented fruits, apple, lime, grape, all play well against the oak and watercress. Funky tartness allows some sweetness to poke through. Medium body, abv is more no than 6.4% suggests, effervescent without being a nuisance.

It’s so good solo, so I am alternating four sips to one with a smoked, crumbly blue cheese. The pairing is good, but I like the beer and the cheese better solo. The cheese cream tames the acidity, while the mild smoke is a pleasant counterpoint to the funk.

 

I have a couple from Avery Brewing. The first, I don't know the vintage. The 2nd is from October 27th, 2017.

Coconut Porter. I was very impressed with the flavor profile here. I know it's mid to late 2010's, but the flavors are muted, but still strong.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/275489/
3.97/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a 22oz bottle. No date on the bottle, but I know it's an older vintage from the mid 2010's.

There was a huge hiss and smoke upon opening the bottle. This beer does pour pitch black into the glass, with no chance of light shining through. There's a good deal of carbonation in this beer and it produces a 2 finger tan colored head. This head looks quite soft and creamy with tiny bubbles. The head retention is quite good, and there's some beautiful sticky lacing on the glass.
The aroma is a pleasing mix of the bourbon barrels, chocolate notes, and coconut. If any aromas have fallen off, I do not notice them.
The flavor starts out with a hit of bourbon flavors. They mellow out and a bit of dark chocolate shows up on my taste buds. The beer does finish with a nice hit of coconut flavor. These flavors doe work well together, though do seem muted, but I can guess it's because of the age on the bottle.
The body is so damn smooth. It has a very creamy feeling to it. There's a slight burn up front when the barrel flavors hit, but very slight. Nice thickness.
I would say that the flavor has fallen off slightly, but I have no frame of reference here. No matter what, this is a delicious beer even though it has age on it. So glad I bought it.


Tweak - October 27th 2017 vintage.

The flavors are there, but seem a bit weaker than I remember having this beer fresh. It is still delicious as hell, and no green pepper flavor.

 

Day’s End - Allagash

Not a Barleywine, but with three+ years of age, it sure drinks like an English Barleywine. AND, the age has radically improved the beer. The aroma and flavors are much more pronounced and rich. Sadly there are no more in the wings.oh, and that Raclette cheese was wisely chosen.

• https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4/622060/?ba=SLeffler27#review

 

Cigar City At the Letters, Vintage: 2023. Reviewed: May 2025.



A: Its a very dark brown, stout like in color, super murky even though it’s been resting for a long while. Fizzy bubbles, no head. Looks infected.

S: Aromas are candied sugar, some bourbon barrel notes, dark fruits like fig. Mild tartness.

T: It’s infected.

Drain pour.


I generally try to not be an “every brewery is worse when they expand and/or get bought out” kinda guy but goddamn CCB has just progressively nose dived over the years. Opted out of El Cat a couple seasons ago (this infected monstrosity is from my least year of it) because there was just no consistency and most beers were below average (also the overt lies about “guaranteed BA Huna each season” which was just patently false for several seasons in a row), and this is a prime example why.

It’s actually kinda sad considering how great CCB was back in the day. Honestly, easily the best thing about them now is the food at the brewpub, most of the beer isn’t even worth the calories anymore.

 

Sorry to use a stock photo but I haven't yet gotten to remedying the situation of no ability to post pics. Plan Bee Amour from 2014, which is different than beer in photo and it's also in a 22 oz. size, but the color and look of the beer is spot on. Glad to be able to drink this beer after many weeks of ulcer trouble. Live review

Amazing to find a beer 11 years old that has changed as little as has this one! The nose is just as vibrant and with the same flavors I remember, Plan Bee's trademark mixed ferm soft sour dough with edges of tasty funk, with hints of stronger acetic notes that don't interfere, and delectable laid back strawberry. It's amazingly drinkable, with a perfect balance of all the aroma notes, and doesn't become overly sweet as it warms. Plenty of carb. just as it was when released, just right amount of viscosity and linger, with the finish being a softly fruity tart well short of puckering but enough to entice the next sip. An amazing beer, simple and refreshing, when it was released, an amazing beer now. On my second glass. Yummmm! is final comment.

Cheers, y'all.

 

Man that is so sad about CCB. I have loved their beers for many years and always traded hard for Huna to feature at my group's stout tastings. Lucky NY was one of first northern states to get from them. Still remember hitting Rattle N Hum before a PAF show the Monday after their cask event, hoping some cask offerings still were available (they weren't) and the server asking if I liked stout and said they just got this stout on tap I never heard of from a brewery I never heard of called Cigar City. Me like stout hahahaha? I mention this because of the thousands of beers I've tried Hunahpu that night blew me away more totally than any other beer ever did or has since. I almost told my friend Paul to go to the show alone and I'll keep his seat for after the show and just drink Hunahpu's all night.

What a sad thing they've devolved to the point you say they've done.

 

Trillium - Sour Cherry Soak (2019)

Bottle dated 17/Jan/19 pours hazy amber red pinkish orange with a creamy white foam head. Smells slightly funky, fruity and floral with notes of barnyard horseblanket, oak barrel, hay, straw, cinnamon-esque baking spice, fresh fragrant sour cherries, red fruit, rosé wine, bready crackery wheat malt, and dusty earthy floral grassy herbal hops.

Tastes like fresh red sour cherries, tart stone fruit, some baking spice, subtle barnyard farmhouse notes, hay, straw, oak barrel, bready crackery wheaty malts, and dusty earthy floral grassy herbal hops. Feels medium bodied, creamy smooth with moderate carbonation and fairly high acidity.

Overall a really nice sour wheat ale aged in oak with sour cherries that held up well over the years. Cheers!

 

Trillium - Blackberry Soak (2018)

Blackberry was the first original Soak release from Trillium in 750ml bottles back in 2015 before the rerelease and shift to smaller bottles eventually.

330ml bottle dated 21/June/18 pours hazy cloudy dark burgundy purple red with a creamy frothy off-white foam head. Smells like ripe tart blackberries, black fruit, some farmhouse barnyard funk, oak barrel, hay, straw, wheat malt, some spice, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops.

Tastes like ripe tart juicy fresh blackberries, sour dark fruit, blackcurrants, slightly tannic red wine notes, subtle farmhouse funk, oak barrel, toasty hay, straw, bready crackery wheaty malts, mild peppercorn spice, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium bodied, juicy with smooth moderate carbonation and moderate high acidity. Overall a really nice oak aged sour wheat ale with blackberries. Cheers all!

 

Trillium - Blueberry Soak (2019)

330ml bottle dated 10/Jan/19 pours hazy cloudy dark ruby red with a creamy off-white foam head. Smells floral fragrant fruity and funky with fresh tart blueberries, blue fruit, subtle rose flower, lemon acidity, cinnamon-esque baking spice, mild peppercorn, barnyard horseblanket funk, slight vinegar, oak barrel, toasty hay, straw, bready wheaty crackery malt, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops.

Tastes really acidic with sour fresh blueberries, tart blue fruit, subtle rose flower, lemon, peppery baking spice, some barnyard farmhouse funk, slight vinegar, oak barrel, toasty hay, straw, bready wheaty crackery malts, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium bodied, juicy with smooth moderate carbonation and moderate high acidity. Overall a nice oak aged fruited sour wheat ale with blueberries. Cheers!

 

Trillium - Blueberry Super Duper Soak (2019)

330ml bottle dated 20-Feb-19 pours cloudy opaque dark maroon purple red with a dense creamy off-white pinkish foam head. Smells like fresh tart blueberries, mixed berry smoothie, some creamy yogurty notes, mild lactic funk, lemon acidity, slight vinegar, oak barrel, toasty hay, straw, caramelized bready wheaty graham crackery malts, peppery baking spice, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops.

Tastes fairly sour and full flavored with super fruity fresh blueberries, thick tart mixed berry smoothie, some lemon acidity, slightly acetic oak barrel, toasty hay, straw, caramelized wheaty bready graham crackery malts, peppery baking spice, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium plus bodied, thick and creamy with smooth moderate carbonation and moderate to high acidity. Overall a really great heavily fruited sour wheat ale aged in oak with blueberries. That’s the end of my cellared Trillium stash until I revisit some duplicates probably next year. Cheers everyone!

 

By way of @Beersnake
Drank 2/3 and will slam the rest before work in the AM

 

How was it? Was time kind? Changes noted?