August 2014 Cellar Thread

Popped a 2013 Cisco Cranberry Woods this past weekend. Was very disappointed, overwhelmingly funky, almost like an aged cheese. Basically no fruit to be found. I've loved all the other Cisco wilds. Not sure if it was a bad phase or past it's prime but I had to drain pour.

 

Allagash Curieux, bottled may 25 2012.

Smooth and mellow, still tastes a little like bourbon, but I feel like this one is better fresh.

 

Had a 2 year old Burton Baton last week and it was a malt bomb (as expected). I'm thinking 12-18 months is the best time for this beer if you plan on aging.

 

cracked open a 3 year old Ovila Quad last nite. Damn tasty beer. Silky smooth and mellow. This beer ages very well.

 

Had a Berkshire Brewing Co Saint of Circumstance yesterday - sour mash "IPA" aged in whiskey barrels.
Very good - had a nice sour going on (I think I saw a mini-pellicle in the neck of the bottle when I pulled it out of my cellar.)

 

Cracked open a Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, bottled Apr 2013, this evening. The extreme chocolate notes have fallen off, leaving some of the subtleties that you'd get from dark chocolate: some bitterness, earthiness, and a nice dark cherry note. As it warms, you get a good bit of the alcohol on the nose, but it doesn't come through in the taste. Any heat from the cayenne that was in the bottle fresh is completely gone, but you can still get a tiny bit of the fruit's flesh. I was hoping for a little more oak in the flavor, but it hides well in what's left of the chocolate.

Overall, a good beer, but I will probably go for a shorter cellaring period next time, maybe one at 4 months, 8 months, and a year. Maybe my other bottle will showcase more oak and less chocolate when I next open it.

For reference, the beer was kept at mostly room temperature (dark closet/pantry), then a fridge for a couple of months.

 

First timer here! Lets give this the ole college try. Recently did a '10-'13 tasting

2010 Surly Darkness

Poured into a FFF Teku, motor oil black , retained a small head,
Smelled of dark chocolate fudge and tobbaco.
Smooth mouthfeel, not as thick as younger vintages
Taste pretty much as same as the smell, the fruityness, and sweetness has died down quite a bit compared to the '11 - 13

Overall - Still a fantastic beer, less cloying and a drank a bit easier (if you've had dark lord and darkness, you know you are at the risk of diabetes) The group thought that this bottle was a bit past its prime, however, still a phenomenal beer.

p.s we did multiple side by sides and each vintage vs each-other and what not, the final outcome was - 11,12,10,13

 

2011 Lift Bridge Commander Barleywine

I'm probably the only guy cellaring this, but it was far & away the best of the annual releases, which were later on flat, too spicy, & generally just not as beautiful. Down to my last bottle & they've been fantastic. So here we go.

The pour looks like a liquified clay tennis court. The carbonation has drifted towards extinction. Nose hasn't changed much, it's sweet, spicy, sweet. I like.

Holy crap. This is fantastic, still. The bourbon & the sweet malt play together perfectly, & the cardamon that people thought was so aggressive has faded to a general, almost rye-like background spiciness. I could drink this until the stairs rose up to meet my forehead on the way to bed. Wish I had more bottles.

 

cracked open a 2012 BCBS. Holy fuck, this in one of the best beers i have ever had. It was boozy with a creamy finish. The boozy aspect was easy going. Not harsh at all. This one aged perfectly.

 

You're not alone! I've got 11 and 12 in the cellar. Glad to know the 11 wasn't a waste of cellar space.

 

2012 Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate is drinking really well right now. Super smooth, chocolatey, and very peasant. Stole the night at a tasting that included Abyss, Baller Stout, Ten Fidy, among others.

 

'13 Abyss cracked today. Tasted very acrid. Infected somehow? Hmm. Stored in a 50° beer fridge for the past year. Was NOT impressed.

 

2003 Three Philosophers 750ml
Had about a 2.5 pour of this one. Fairly oxidized, no cherry, but still a pleasure to drink. Certainly not better than a fresh bottle but always interesting to see what effect longer term aging has on a beer.

 

Popped a 2010 Brooklyn Black Ops 2 days ago. Proper storage in dark cool place the whole time.

Total drain pour. Was super thin and while not completely oxidized, it was just plain un-drinkable. Now I gotta dig up the few BB Choc Stouts I might still have that I've been sitting on. *Fingers Crossed

 

Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary Ken&Fritz :

Very easy to drink, and all that you could expect out of an aged imperial/double stout. Medium think mouthfeel, not much of an aroma. Still plenty of roasty flavors and some plum.

While this does not taste very oxidized, I would not wait too much longer on any other bottles of this one...

 

Too late to edit my previous post, but now tha t it is warming up I am starting to get a little bit or cardboard. Drink 'em if you got 'em

 

Koeningshoeven quad. At least a 2010, but could be an original.

First of all, wow.

This beer is like candy. 12 %? No way. A friend says brown sugar taste, but other than that, you get some mild belgian yeast. This is why you age beer...

 

Has a 2012 BA BORIS last night. Went out and bought a fresh regular BORIS as well. The 2012 was unbelievably hot, had a pretty big alcohol burn and tasted like bourbon was added afterwards instead of being aged. It was pretty disappointing but then again I'm apparently one of the few who wasn't blown away by the Van Wonk version either. Regular BORIS is always awesome so the BA versions are surprisingly disappointing.

 

Mikkeller Black Islay Edition, bottled 25/2/10
Not one of my all time favorites like I remember, very sweet, peat has faded a fair bit, starting to oxidize, the 17.5%alc is very well hidden, scary concealed actually.
Still good but not great, I doubt this will improve at this point.