08.08.08 Original vs Encore

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of trying ORIGINAL 08.08.08, cellared since then, side-by-side with a new ENCORE 08.08.08. Both were poured into white wine glasses.

I could not believe how little the beer had changed over the last 7 years.

The biggest difference between the two beers was color. The ORIGINAL was much darker than the ENCORE version. As expected, it picked up a slight bit of dark fruit over the last 7 years, as well as losing some carbonation.

Overall, the differences were surprisingly subtle. Without the side-by-side comparison, I think I might have had trouble telling these two beers apart.

I think this should stand as a testament to Stone's ability to brew to the same exacting specifications despite the years between the two batches.