Aging Sucaba

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by coquet, Feb 17, 2018.

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  1. bl00

    bl00 Savant (1,244) May 13, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Last night I opened up a 2017 Stickee Monkee. Sorry to say I didn't take detailed notes, but I think its past its prime for me. The nose was great- strong caramel with a bit of barrel. Taste reminded me more of a british barleywine, it was hoppier than I'd anticipate for a quad. Mouthfeel was still excellent and the soft carb held up. In the future I think I will stick to drinking it fresh and 1 year old.
     
    #21 bl00, May 17, 2019
  2. coquet

    coquet Zealot (662) Aug 31, 2014 Virginia
    Trader

    Phenomenal timing for this thread to re-emerge. I just did a side-by-side of 2018 and 2019 last weekend.

    The 2018 bottle presented flavors of toffee, vanilla, dark dried fruit, honey, burnt sugar, and leather. The beer was noticeably sweet, but not excessively so. I definitely got more complexity out of the 15-month-old bottle as compared to the fresh one.

    The 2019 version showed toffee, vanilla, cola, honey, and burnt sugar. It wasn't as sweet as the 2018 bottle, but it also seemed to have less depth and less complexity. Surprisingly, this fresh bottle came off smoother and less boozy than the aged one. The fresh one also struck me as being the faintest bit more viscous, but the difference was not immense.

    Even apart from the age difference, there was clear batch variation between these two. Both tasted great, but I preferred the 2018 vintage due to its greater complexity. This comparison confirmed that, at least to my tastes, Sucaba is a good candidate for a year of aging. Many more bottles in the ol' cellar, and I look forward to seeing what additional time will do with this brew.
     
    #22 coquet, May 17, 2019
    Number1Framer and bl00 like this.
  3. mikehblack

    mikehblack Zealot (602) Feb 10, 2010 California
    Trader

    Drank a 2012 (2nd batch) the other day. Pretty well faded and oxidized at this point. Still decently enjoyable but flavors were muddled. Should have cracked this several years ago. I'm sure my 2011 Abacus isn't doing so hot either. I think Fresh-3 years is the sweet spot for BA Firestone beers.
     
    #23 mikehblack, May 17, 2019
    bl00 likes this.
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