Aging Hunahpu's

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/november-cellar-reviews.48598/#post-644768

You're going to get a lot of "drink it fresh!" responses, but I actually prefer it with about 18 months on it. The chiles conspire to hide some of the beauty of the beer, & when they finally die back a bit, this Hunahpu's turns from really good to Angels Singing.

 

LIES! Go FRESH or go home. Hunahpu is not for the faint of heart (or those who suffer from Gastroesophageal reflux disease)

OP, I drank a 2010 last year and it still had a bit of spice/heat. It was super rich and still delicious just wasn't as unique tasting compared to a fresh bottle. It's really comes down to personal taste.

 

I drank a 2011 BA Abraxas from Perennial (similar style) last month, and it was killer. In fact, I liked it better than the fresh BA Abraxas that I had this year, and the two friends who shared the bottle with me agreed. I have 2011-2013 of the non-BA version that I'm going to hang on to for a 3-4 year vertical next year.

 

I think Hunahpu's would be fine but I've heard members say that their 2010s are drinking "horribly" and they taste "terrible." I'm not really sure about those kind of responses, but I will say that I've had Hunahpu's twice, 2011 and 2012 vintages. The 2011 I had decently fresh, and the 2012 was over 6 months old. The 2011 was lightyears better than the 2012. Just my personal experience.

 

Hunaphu ages poorly and tastes best fresh, my opinion. At one year old it's okay, but a shell of itself. At two years it tastes legitimately horrible.

 

Most everyone says drink fresh, but as you can see there are a few vocal minorities on the subject.

 

Our tasting group had a 2010 a while back, on the same night as a fresh Abraxas.

The Hunaphu tasted dusty. The chili peppers were just about gone, and it had a lot of that old hops taste. It was a bit chocolately, but nothing impressive. The normal Abraxas, though, was everything I wanted from a chili beer.

I have a fresh Hunaphu right now. Hoping to open it soon.

 

Don't be afraid to age it a bit. In February, I had a 2012 at 11 months old and a 2011 at 1 year, 11 months old and most if not all of us preferred the 2011.

 

Had a 2010 last year and still loved it. Yes, the chilies and cinnamon were muted but I still really enjoyed the beer. It falls off from what it tastes like fresh but it still remains a delicious beer.

 

I have had a (actually two as the beers were available at each session ) vertical of it at Mikkeller Celebration last week: 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintage side by side.
The three vintages were very different. 2011 was quite mellow and the warmth from the chilli outstanded the length of the beer on the palate and was very well integrated. 2012 was the warmer with a kick from the chili from the beginning, it was probably the strongest taste of all three vintages. The 2013 vintage was between both previous in term of warmth but seemed not so well integrated, with various spicies (cinammon, coriander, etc.) and various tastes going through but not in the right order. I would keep it at least 1 or 2 years for cellaring before drinking it.
I came to the same conclusions on both verticals so my impressions did not come from the particular bottles, however I guess the different batches were different from the beginning.
So, if you love the warmth in Hunahpu's, go for the 2012. My personal preference went for the 2011 (it was in my top 5 from the festival along with things like Mikkeller X 2006 or Vanilla Bean Dark Lord), with just the perfect balance on the palate. The 2013 is far too young to be drunk at the moment (but might be very good in 1-2 years). Sadly I did not have the 2010 version.
Enjoy your vertical!