11/12/2018 Odd Side Rye Hipster Brunch. This is tasting great. Big maple, bacon, and coffee balanced with rich milk/dark chocolate malts. Silky smooth. Light roast and tannic barrel dryness. No cloying. A bit of dark fruits/molasses from age. Touch of leather/tobacco. Lingering warmth of 11%. The 2017 vintage I had recently held up better than this 2018. Cheers
Same. Purchased at Mr Ks 3 days ago off the shelf next to about 4848284738 vintages of BCBS , Bombers of Stone Enjoy By 7/4/1987 and Underground Mountain Brown bombers from Pre Prohibition. I paid 15 for mine Still tasting fucking outstanding somehow 5/5
11/20/2017 Dark Horse Plead the Fifth. Super rich dark chocolate, coffee, roasted nuts, molasses, light fudge, charcoal, wood, pepper, pine. Still a good amount of pine/woody RIS bitterness. One of the best in the style. Mild warmth of 11%. I wish I could still get this brewery. One of my favorite Russian Imperial stouts. Almost drank all of my cellar down now. Less than 3 cases left. Cheers
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2022) My last of these 2022 12 oz'ers. And given GI's move to 10.5 oz bottles for BCBS this past year, it might be the last time we see a 12 oz bottle from GI for their BCBS (or variants). <dabs eye with tissue> Label is designated as 'HH' for Heaven Hill barrels. aroma - slightly restrained notes of chocolate, vanilla and charred wood taste - where this beer shines for me. Follows on from the aroma mostly but having the warmest, mellow state of these flavors. I want to bathe in these flavors and then drink the bath water. mouthfeel - no difference here. Maybe a touch softer body. While I do prefer my BA stouts on the 'fresher' side, this is the time to have this beer imo. A perfect level of chocolate, vanilla and charred wood. I'm glad this is my last bottle because it doesn't get any better for me.
In honor of the NBW #300 we have The Bruery 12 Drummers Drumming. Bottled on 10/09/2019. I had to use a flashlight to see the engraving. Clear very dark ruby/brown color. 1-2 finger foamy tan head reduces to nothing quickly as expected of 12%. Aromas of huge raisin, prune, date, fig, caramel, toffee, dark candi sugar; light molasses, tobacco, leather, bourbon, oak, vanilla, roast, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Taste follows with huge raisin, prune, date, fig, caramel, toffee, dark candi sugar, tobacco, leather, herbal, grass, peppercorn, cedar, light oak/pine, yeast earthiness, light cocoa/roast. Light-medium herbal bitterness and yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; balanced creamy/lightly slick malts, with lingering sticky hop and oak tannin dryness. Mild increasing warmth and a bit of booze in the gut at 12%. Great mouthfeel of a quad, not too sweet, no cloying after the finish. Great classic feeling quad, with a bit of a tannic wine like feel from the 20% old ale blend. 4.18/5 Cheers
Mr Ks always has random shit. He keeps grabbing from his stash, so you never know which 20 year old beer will be on the shelf next...
If you have anymore hanging around, pls send them on before throwing them away I always really like this beer, though wondered if it had verged beyond the limits of IPAs
Bell's Black Note 2017 vintage. 10/05/2017 bottling. Big milk/dark chocolate, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, light leather/tobacco/charcoal/coconut. Light hop/char bitterness and bourbon tannin spiciness on the finish. Light lingering warmth and booze of 11.2% after the finish. World class silkiness in mouthfeel. Perfectly balanced barrel complexities, minimal oxidation. A beauty. 4.6/5 Cheers
This was a good idea by @Resistance88 . Thanks for implementing. Will this thread be deposited at year end into the Cellar Beer folder with the previous iterations? I plan on returning to this thread this or next week after focusing on Cellaruary in February, and enjoying all my under one year old BA beers in March and April before they became cellar beers. I never had one this old, but great to see it held up for two decades. Still have at least one bottle to share here soon (only a half decade old). Cheers!
Oddside Hipster Brunch Stout. 11/13/2017 bottling. Still tasting smokey and bacony, rich dark chocolate, nutty coffee, maple, dark bread, bourbon, toasted oak, and some lingering molasses/licorice from age. Very smooth/silky body. Lingering warmth and booze of 11% and barrel. Cheers
Geuze Boon Vat 110 Brewed in April 2014, bottled December 2016, drunk April 2026 Batch 74504 Aroma of finished wood with wax coating. Light brown coloured body, a whisp of white. Goes down surprisingly easy, some carbonation and mild acidic residue on the lips in aftertaste. Lovely dark fruit, spice, and lots of foeder taste character. If you proceed to the Sediment at the bottle's bottom it makes the tasting range more intense. rated 4/5
Ranger Creek Texas Bourbon Barrel Series Imperial Coffee Ale. Canned 8/31/2022. Flavors of nutty medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, biscuit, herbal, grass; light pepper, vanilla, coconut, cocoa, and yeast earth. Lingering warmth and booze of barrel and 11.6% into the gut. Very impressive, minimal complaints. Plenty of coffee still present and plenty of strong barrel integration. Probably the same base beer as the imperial brown from the BBA series. I liked this a little bit more. 3.97/5 Cheers
2013 Gueuze from Cantillon. Purchased 13 years ago and stored properly since. Poured at fridge temp, but let it sit in the glass for 10 minutes before trying. Pours a nice opaque orange with an inch of white head. The nose is full of lemon, horse blanket, leather, bitter oak, and a hint of baby diaper. The taste is definitely different from a fresh one. Very mild sourness and a funkiness that is a bit restrained. My reference to a baby diaper on the nose is actually more prominent on the taste. Honestly, this isn't even remotely as good as a fresh Gueuze. It has lost its punch. Almost a sulfur/rotten egg note. It's fine, but not super enjoyable.
Surly Parker’s Heritage 15-Year Heavy Char Bourbon Barrel-Aged Darkness Russian Imperial Stout, 12% ABV. The bourbon was aged 15yrs, not the beer, I rated this 4.67 in 2023. At 2.5yrs this has held up well.
