Cellar Reviews (2022)

I read this thread all the time before I made the plunge and created an account, I hope to contribute more. I cross posted this from the NBW #102. I so regularly find myself in this position, I can't speak to what this is like fresh, but in any event, really taste bev and I will make a point to compare it against the 2016 alongside. Maybe this weekend even.

Hi NBWers and happy holiday weekend to the US folks. I have something fun, I went, a week or two ago, to one of those stuck in time package stores. I generally go there for old beer. Sounds like an odd statement but now and then something goes on closeout or there's just old stock that they had never put out to pasture but now is there.

Anyway, as I was exiting, having bought a bunch of Andechs doppelbocks and maybe sam smith's imperial stout ( I don't remember specifically) - I spotted a little "red bull" cooler. You know the kind. So I saw it said "2 for $1". Moment I opened, I saw some green flash IPA haha. Which made me chuckle, it was actually from 2015 or something. Anyway, I spotted these two, and grabbed em up for a buck. Even better, the ages are different, this one is bottled 23/06/18 and the other alongside is 25/06/16.

So here we have Corsendonk Pater, a dubbel. Bottled 23/06/18



It's been like 10 minutes and the head is still hanging around. It's bottled conditioned so that explains why. Nose is plum, dates and fig. There's some rounded malt character, like roasted malt and pilsner. It's a lighter beer so it's actually quite easy drinking, nothing going to the head, really a nice beer for a day when you're maybe heading out in the evening but want something light.

Taste is largely of malt and what you'd call Belgian estery yeast. Some hints of perhaps clove, really reminiscent of what Ommegang's house yeast tastes like. Finish is dry, it's the complete opposite of the decadent super sweet malt bomb that was Primator's Doppelbock (which I had last week). Very pleasant drinking beer.

4.05/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Hope to join with a few more of the long weekend. Oh perhaps I'll cross post over to the cellar thread.

 

Cross posted to wbaydn; last beer in the cellar, officially at cellar zero now and I’m not giving it a second thought!

this is a 2012 Cantillon Gueuze Bio, super refreshing and crisp, clean, only moderately sour, a little pepper and grass, just a little funky, subtle and super drinkable. I’ve basically retired from drinking “sours” because I’ve soured (lol) on the lemon juice warhead acid bombs. This is so far from that model, just balanced and lovely and very food friendly. 750ml easily down the hatch and no reflux to speak of.

 

Curious which cheeses you paired with it, and how they worked together?

 

2019 B-Bomb

I've had a few vintages and all were magnificent. Soft cocoa that belongs in a stout is prominent, the other elements are winter warmer/Barleywine. Caramel pudding, raisins, faint leather, and plenty of mature booze. There are a lot of layers at work here that work together harmoniously. I don't have enough data to say that they age well, but they certainly hold up over time.

 

I had three cheeses, valley shepherd’s “smoky shepherd” which was a lightly smoked semi-hard sheep’s cheese with a dark and deliciously edible rind, red witch, a raw cow’s milk cheese that’s kind of a funky, oniony and nutty take on a farmhouse cheddar maybe (actually an Appenzeller) and a soft washed rind cheese that got funkier the softer and warmer it got whose name is escaping me but was like a gooey French take on a taleggio. Usually the latter would run away with it for me but the smoky shepherd was just phenomenal and adding in the salty, smoky notes with the sour, funky musky Cantillon flavors was just amazing.

All three cheeses paired fantastically with the lambic which is unsurprisingly, the beer was
Bright and moderately acidic with lively carbonation so a perfect companion to any salty, fatty food, just cutting nicely through while complimenting with nuances of its own.

 

Great description. Thanks.

 

2020 Oscar Blues - Ten Fidy

pours jet black with a dark tan head. eventually fades down to nothing. aroma is actually fairly mind for a big imperial stout - but there is dark chocolate and some dark fruit going on. taste is a bit sharper and bolder but similar flavors - dark cocoa, black cherry, some cola. a bit sweet in the finish. full bodied.

 

Decided to pull Olde Gnarleywine. This one's a 2017.



Looks pretty awesome, deep dirty amber almost rusty in color. Nose is plum, fig, caramalt, maybe some oxidized hops, a hint of cocooa, orange peel. Some booze too, likely a headiness that catches you when you inhale a second too long.

Tastes great, I really do get a lot of dutch processed cocoa upfront. Just big booming chocolatey bitterness. Then it coats the palate in velvety brown sugar, sweet malt character and hits this like medium finish of cocoa and sweet, syrupy maple. Temp is probably right around 50 odd degrees, so it's not ice cold. Yeah, maybe some very subtle citrus, but this one's carried by a ton of cocoa up front.

Olde Gnarleywine is great and an awesome intro to barleywines cos of the price point and relative English-ness of it. Not sure if they still brew it, but lovely beer. I have a couple stowed away in a cabinet somewhere and I have a reliable time machine packie with a few more which I suppose I should go grab. Cheers!

 

2020 Lagunitas Willettized

the bottle pours with pretty good head. nice aroma of dark chocolate and bourbon, still a bit boozy. a bit of vanilla and oak. similar flavors in the taste, fairly dry and a touch roasty. full bodied, moderate carbonation.

 

Your thoughts seem similar to mine on this one. You didn't mention coffee, did you find much in this one? When fresh? I like this beer a lot, especially for the price, but I never got much coffee from it.

 

Not really in this aged bottle. Looking back at my fresh review, I had mentioned espresso in the aroma.

 

2011 Oak Aged Yeti

Did not hiss when I popped it open, poured with a bit of head but went away within 10 seconds.

Bitter bite on it, low carb, zero booze. Bit of barrel on it but not much.

Definitely past it’s prime but that’s ok, still good.

 

First urge to crack open a BA beer since Summer broke, so going with it. This offering is 25 months old, aged more so due to over-purchasing than thoughtful cellaring.

Revolution Brewing Supermassive Cafe Deth (2020)



Can Notes: Canned 6/17/20 8:28:43, refrigerated since purchase. 14.8% ABV, Proudly Crafted With Dark Mater Coffee.

Confront an inescapable singularity of pure fresh-roasted Dark Matter coffee with an Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged 18 months in bourbon barrels. Store cold, and drink as soon as possible.

Appearance is the same as fresh. Beautiful dark roast coffee bursts from the can upon opening and sustained throughout. Nice harsh and pleasant coffee continues to my palate, this beer has held on very well after two years. No off notes, no peppers, just supermassive coffee, a somewhat sweet stout base or perhaps that is part and parcel of the bourbon emerging as this warms, about 15 minutes in at this stage. Thick goopy mouthfeel, the thickest I can recall among Revolution BA releases. A teeny, tiny amount of carbonation lingering.

Overall, very pleased with how this held up. Unlike most beers I place in an actual dark unground basement cellar, I refrigerated these cans immediately, which may not allow the beer flavors to morph, but instead help the beer hold up as long as possible to enjoy whether two weeks or two years.

This beer is tasting great my friends, crack one open and enjoy with confidence!

 

Russian River Temptation.
Just missed the 10 year mark thanks to a cold that left me tasteless, so decided to wait until I could actually enjoy it.

low carbonation, tons of white peach and nectarine juice up front, little funk on the back. Still very enjoyable just bubble-less. I have another I may open next year, or just sit on it another 10 years, haven’t decided yet.

 

State Brewing (no longer in business)
Project Nicaragua 2019 - Imperial Stout with Nicaraguan coffee, vanilla and Graham Cracker.

this thing is anything but sweet!!! Absolutely fantastic.
Bitter roasted front, tons of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs, light vanilla presence. When it’s cold the graham cracker lingers in your mouth for 3 minutes after each swig, it’s really quite enjoyable.

this is what waxed Imp Stouts need to taste like again.

Great beer. 4.5 stars.

 

Sorry

 

Matt Hair of the Dog 2013.




I've had 2019 and 2022, loved them both but for different reasons. This is closer to the 2019, it has similar sweetness and lighter smoke than the 2022. I get lots of honey sweetness, lightly tart apple, and cooked pears with hints of chocolate and cherry blossoms. There is leather, molasses, and smokey oak at exhale. This was dead flat, no carbonation. Still stellar 9 years, damn this is an amazing beer. Glad I have few more of various vintages to explore over the years.

 

I had a 2016 BCBS this weekend. Drank like a champ. Mellow with char, dark fruits, bourbon, chocolate. It was really good.

I have a couple of more but wont be sitting on them much longer.