Backwoods Bastard aging

I just had a 2012 BB at Julians in Providence and it was incredible. The bourbon was mellow, but very prominent. The dark fruits and malts were very prominent and were just awesome with the vanilla and oak flavors. I actually just bought a 4 pack and I'm setting a few aside to age.

 

Three of us had a blind tasting of the 2012 and 2013 and we all thought the 2012 was better. Bourbon was still prominent and the sweetness was more of a dried fruit sweetness.

 

I drank some 2011 fresh, at one year, and then finished some off the other day. I remember when I drank it last year it made me go, "Oooh.. ooo yeah" and then sink into my couch cushion. The stuff I had recently had very strong pit fruit/skins type of nose, but the taste felt a bit muddled. Id say BB is best with 1 year on it.

 

I love it fresh. Total vanilla / coconut overload.


That said, I also love it with a year on it.

 

I actually just tried a BB with a year on it, and was pretty damn disappointed. I prefer it fresh, in my opinion, it's a little too mellow to age.

 

I gotta say drink it fresh. I haven't tried to age it, and I don't think I ever will on purpose. It's perfect as it is. Any that I come across will age briefly in my fridge, then more briefly in my belly.

 

To each their own but I prefer this one on the fresher side. I try and drink within 1-1.5 years. I like tasting the bourbon opposed to letting it completely integrate.

 

Just did a blind taster 2012 versus 2013 with my shapely wife. The 2012 was cellared in the dark @ 57F. I have a case stashed because it is so good.

We both preferred the fresh, which surprised me. My gut feeling is that it improves for 6 -9 months but I stopped saying "wow" on 2012 at that point

 

Had the 2012 last night; we prefer it fresh.

 

Don't age it. People seem to get confused - sure, it is still a good beer after sitting around for a while. But it is so much better fresh that aging it is a complete waste of time, space, and beer.

 

I'm in the camp that prefers this one fresh. I've aged some before and it does nothing for me. I like fresh not faded bourbon flavors.

 

100% agreed

 

I just got a, supposedly 2011, (I say supposedly b/c it was an extra and seems to have to no brewery date on the bottle but says 2011 written with a sharpie on the label) bottle of BB with a thick black wax seal. Was it sealed this way from the brewery or probably done at home?

 

Done at home, Backwoods is not waxed at the brewery. If you remove the wax there should be a bottle date on the neck.

 

We did the same with '11, '12, & '13. Three of four (me included) definitely preferred the fresh. The one who didn't preferred the '11, and he doesn't particularly like bourbon. The bourbon flavor will fade quickly, and that's the reason I buy this beer. Otherwise, regular Bastard is a great Scotch ale.

 

Sucks aged. Over a year and it's past it's prime for me. I LOVE Backwoods, I buy a case of it every single year.

But fresh is best. The vanilla and coconut notes with the bourbon are what MAKE the beer. Aged, it turns into a sweet mess.

 

Prefer it fresh.

 

I also prefer it on the fresher side. I tried it side-by-side with 1 year old and it was clear to me that fresh was the winner. I'm starting to get picky about aging beers, though.

 

6-7 months is the max for me. Tried to age it up to a year and a half and it never got better. How much do you want the barrel to mellow on a barrel aged scotch ale?