07-12 BCBS

What do you like most about 08, that 09 didn't have and '10 did?

 

It was the best-suited to my taste. Not hot at all, very balanced, and smooth. That's not to say 2009 and 2010 were bad by any means! It is really splitting hairs at that point. The only one I didn't care for was 2007 because it was really oxidized.

 

Shouldn't it be ranked as follows: '06 > '07 > '08 > '09 > '10 > '11 > '12 because everyone knows that aging makes a beer better?

I do like threads like this to see everyone's opinions. Me and a buddy did a mini-blind last year with '08 vs. '11, and '11 blew '08 away easily, but, again, don't know how the '08 was treated before I traded for it.

 

I think in the case of bcs, time mellows the booziness. It also allows certain flavors to fade over time, like coffee, hops, and in your face bourbon. I personally like molasses in my stouts, and the longer I wait, the more there is! Regardless, one thing is exceedingly clear: BCS is delicious always.

 

We just did a blind 08-12 last night, and I rated them from best to worst:

2010
2012
2008
2011
2009

3 of the 4 rated 2010 best, and 2009 was a distant last.

2010 I thought was the most complex - a perfect balance of sweetness, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and a coffee kick that was not present in the others.

The 2009 was a bomber that I bought off the shelf in 2009, so I know it was cellared properly, but it was thin and definitely had a slight tang, as others have reported above.

I assumed I would like 2008 the best based on previous experience, but the super low carbonation left it tasting a little one-dimensional.

All in all, I'm really happy that 2012 turned out to be my second favorite because that's the vintage I have the most of! Sad to only have 1 2010 left, and I'm actually a little happy I didn't like the 2009 because it's the only one I don't have any more of.

Just for kicks, we also opened a Black Note afterwards. Granted, my palate was pretty fried by then, but for me, there's no comparison between the two. I'll take BCBS every time.

 

Our group did a blind 06-12 + Rare a couple weeks ago as part of a "all GI big beers" tasting, and we pretty much had the following order (best as I recall; I was somewhat trashed):

• 10
• 09
• 11
• 08
• 12
• 07
• 06

Rare was its own separate beast, very different from everything else. It had a lot more vanilla and some coconut, so take that as you will.
06 and 07 were really bad, imo. Very astringent, with a lot of the malt gone. Everything was faded, almost dirty, leaving just the alcohol taste. 11 and 12 still had a lot of up-front booze taste and could do with that mixing into the beer taste a bit more. Then again, 11 and 12 both increased the ABV over other years, so there's that.
Also, coffee 10 was better than expected. A bit of stale coffee taste, but it help up remarkably well.

 

Thanks for the report. We did 2005 – (at the time) current once. With rare, vanilla, coffee, nightstalker (Base), and the GI oatmeal stout. The other BCS variants weren't out at the time. Favorite was for sure rare. Most people liked 08 at the time IIRC.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikedashg/5955240565/

 

Sadly, no. I was just talking to them a few days back about it though. And..... I just recieved a 12 count box of 6 oz snifters in the mail today. I'd say it's time to pony up!