August Cellar Reviews

Today alone:

2009 Deschutes Mirror Mirror (draft): Very nice. Fuck the bottle and the infection issues. Not on draft, no worries. Velvety and silky smooth with a nice subtle booze bite. The finish is still a bit sweet with heat, I would say this could go for another 2-3 years....

2004 Rogue Old Crusty: Oxidized, grainy, still a bit of booze. A lot of the piney hop edge has drastically curbed but very present. Near undrinkable. Purchased at Bottleworks and stored at primetime conditions.

2010 Boulder Killer Penguin: No oxidation here. This vintage is going stronger and cleaner than previous years(esp 2008). The carbonation was great and the appearance was beautiful. Lots of floaters here. Plenty of piney and citrus hop notes and bread coated with caramel. Doing good.

2009 Moylans Old Blarney: Peak performance here. A nice grainy undertone with remnants of past its prime piney hops. Some old citrus hop notes. A bit of breadiness to it. No oxidation but thinning for sure. No major diacetyl or off flavors. Drink em now.

 

Nothing too exciting:

Deschutes Black Butte XXIV - aged really nicely over a year, this one is ready to go.

1 year old Alesmith Speedway Stout - this one improved significantly, and it was good already. It reminded us of a barrel aged coffee stout. With the price, I think this beer is one of the best cellar values.

 

Drank a 2011 Parabola last night. Absolutely flawless and perfect in every way. Amazing beer.

 

Cigar City Big Sound (bourbon barrel) was awesome this weekend. Not hot but just sweet, yummy goodness. I had it side by side with Lost Abbey Angels Share. I was expecting to like the Angels Share a lot more but it wasn't even close. Big Sound was the best of the weekend (which also included CCB Imperial Sweet Stout aged in Cognac barrels).

 

2010 Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout

This beer is perfect with two years on it; that seems to be the sweet spot. With three years, it's just beginning to head over the hill, going from perfect to simply excellent. The roast has gained an edge of ash, & the barrel is beginning to tire a touch. Still better than 94% of barrel-aged stouts out there, but I'll keep it to two years on the beer from here on out.

 

jelly.

I hug the nuts of hotd hard

 

2011 Arctic Devil. The master disapproves. Drinkable but clearly oxidized, a shadow of its former self. It was properly cellared too. I don't know if it's bottle variation because it was my last one and it's probably been a year since I had this vintage, but I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

 

please save me one, please!

 

older BCBS > newer

too chocolaty now, needs more booze!

 

Had a 2012 BCBS last night that was amazing, definitely settled down a bit, but still hot. I'm fairly new to the craft beer scene and cellaring, this was the first beer I ever cellared when I picked up two four packs last fall. I have 4 bottles left, looking forward to this year's release to do a side by side comparison sometime.

https://vine.co/v/heHVuvnmu1H

 

I rearranged the cellar about a month ago & found some shelf stouts that I wasn't sure should have been cellared in the first place. So, moved them to my IPA fridge & have them in rotation to drink soon. Had the first over the weekend.

Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout- 22 oz, drank over two nights sealed w/ a locking Champagne cap.

Bottled 4-2-12

Smelled like rich baker's chocolate. Very deep. This showed plenty of roasted character & had a creamy texture. A bit boozy, but easy to sip & enjoy. The finish lingered, any hops are obviously faded. A pleasant surprise that it held up so well.

 

Couple more:

Three year old Cascade Kriek - Still a delight. Definitely the cherry has faded some, so it's changed, but not for the worse. It was overall just as strong a beer as always.

Two year old Bruery Melange No. 3 - Honestly this one seems just about the same as fresh, maybe a bit sweeter. It's still a phenomenon, just not a cellar transformation.

 

SA Old Ben Ale 2010

End of the month. I need to get an August review done before this month has passed me by.
First off congrats to Michael Robinson who brewed a beer good enough to be brewed by a major player. Other than going professional, a homebrewers dream, I would think.
Still holds a nice aroma. Sweet malty, a little sugary, faint perfume of alcohol. Only the faintest hints of any hops.
Plenty of bubbles still that eventually leaves a fine thin layer of tan bubbles.
Just getting a touch of aging, that, unfortunately leans more towards carboard than sherry like notes. Warm. More hops here. Still thick and kinda' chewy.
Overall, still a good drinking old ale, however, it may age out before too long.
"See" you all next month with another addition from the cellar.

 

Stone Old Guardian 2011
Blech. There've been a few years of this beer that have been good, and I'm a sucker for the brewery, but I'm about done with this beer. This sample is heavily oxidized (lots of wet paper) while still managing to be mind-bendingly harsh and bitter. It's basically oxidation then bitter. Oxidation, bitter. At least over time the bitterness becomes more predominate? A drinkable chore when fresh, this just isn't good anymore.

Stone Belgo Old Guardian 2011
Makes the regular version taste like sweet nectar from the gods. Drain poured.

 

Enjoying what I guess is a 2010 Oerbier right now. It's just amazing how this beer changes with some oxidation. The fusels that are present when it's younger somehow meld into barrel type vanilla and tannic flavors. Love this beer.