Cellar Reviews (2022)

Excellent choice. IMO this one fits as well. Maybe for the second half...

 

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

375 ml corked bottle, bottled 17/01/2017, so just over 5 years old. Best by date of 2037. In y cellar since I brought it home from Belgium in 2018.

pours a brilliant dark gold color, bright white head. aroma and the taste are a great balance of tart, mild funk, oak, touch of stone fruit. bit of acidity, but there is a touch of sweetness in the finish to balance it. thin to medium bodied, crisp carbonation.

 

This is still a lot of fun. Popped this morning - tons of whiskey still (rye spice even - nice!) as well as a decent amount of coffee, vanilla (assuming from the whiskey) and caramel. Hints of char, smoke, even alcohol heat still.



I’m happy I’ve got three more of these, this is a lot of fun, and cheap! Any word on Lag brewing this again?

 

Apparently they've been delaying the realize a ton, been pushed back a few times unfortunately

 

2019 Massive! Bourbon barrel aged. I had a fresh 2020 that I loved so I'm excited for this. Still the caramel bomb I remember, but I think there is more raisin and dark fruit now. Less pine as well. The carbonation is a bit light, batch variation? I can't say this is any better or worse than I recall the fresh bottle being. Just different. Overall I think this could go another few years at least. I'd love to get a sizable stash of this magnificent beast some day for extended experimentation.

 

Working my way through my final five imperial stout bombers. This one is easier than the remaining ones as it is not barrel aged. This beer doesn't get a lot of love comparted to BA Benthic, but I've always enjoyed it. This is my last bottle from the November 2017 pickup, alerted while waiting for CBS bottles at Whole Foods to this release later in the day.

Half Acre Big Hugs



Bottle Notes: 10% ABV, bottled and purchased in the Fall of 2017, properly cellared until 2/13/22, refrigerated thereafter until pulling this morning.

Yesterday - OG Review: 4.45 Overall - From same batch

& Today: Still looks very good, creamy rich head, soapy lacing. Didn't not coffee in my OG review, still getting nice vanilla, stronger on the nose, more balanced (appreciated) in the taste. Enjoying the roast base, some hops bitterness remains. Very light and easy drinking, no carbonation. Thin body, seemed to have aged based on my original review notes. Drinking way under the listed ABV, at least at this juncture (1/4 through). Overall, wouldn't intentionally cellar this (or any coffee beer, just didn't get to it), but it is a very light and easy imperial stout, good for the morning or perhaps an after dinner dessert beer. I'd rate the beer at this stage 4.25, 3.75, 3.75, 3.5 & 3.75 overall.

Have a Parabola from the same year planned for later this week.

Cheers!

 

Look at all that foam! Carbonation is also great.

I get some caramel malt, burnt sugar, oxidation that leans towards the astringent side in the smell. Not a good sign.

That astringent oxidation, sadly, dominates the taste leaving whatever is good behind. Close to 11 years old, not in my possession that long, it may have encountered not so ideal conditions. Too bad. I hope my bottle of 2012 didn't suffer the same fate.

 

Yes. It even looks like it leans away. ;-)

 

Returning with a 2017 Firestone Walker Parabola.



OG Review Linked Here:

4.16/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Today's Cellar Version:

Bottle Notes: 12 oz bottled 1/16/17, properly cellared upon purchase until 2/20/22, refrigerated thereafter until this morning. 14.5% vs, the 13% listed in the BA Database.

Appearance: One monumental difference are the significant floaters of sediment which I wasn't expecting. I will likely leave at least the final 2 oz for the drain. 4.25 not accounting for the sediment.

Aroma: Strong, smooth bourbon leads, light roast malt and chocolate. Really enticing. 4.25

Taste: Roast malt, chocolate fudge lead, smooth bourbon follows. Toffee and caramel chilling in the back. Full flavor, sweet but hops and roast malt help keep it in check. Really tasting good. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy, fuller body than the fresh version, unexpected. Felt a little of the sediment initially, and it bothers me so I'm going to cut this pour short, unfortunately, because the rest of it has held up well. Potent from the onset. 4.5 not considering sediment.

Overall: This is the first aged Firestone Walker among several I've had with sediment, so not sure if this was impacted by the store storage or other factors. I've kept it in the same manner as my other properly cellared beers. That said, it has definitely kept up well in the other attributes, nice creamy full flavored stout, aroma has even improved over time. Another fine FW cellar pour, I won't count the sediment against it. 4.5

Will return next week after the Tripel weekend tasting.

Cheers!

 

They release every year
They've pushed the release 3 times this year so far. They're blaming covid making it hard to release it but they keep making all their other shit Nd even released new Hard Teas.

It's set to release in Fall now which i dont understand .

 

2019 Noon Whistle Rob Boss Did It, scotch ale aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels.

I didn't wait the offered 5 years.

Smooth and matches my memory of the 2017 release: "750ml bottle poured into a snifter shows a muddy brown body and briefly supports a slight cream colored head. Nearly no lacing.
Bourbon, oak, leather, tobacco, vanilla, plum, and molasses aromas intermingle without fighting.
Flavors match with a little booze heat on the end.
Mouthfeel is appropriately medium, leaning lighter, but creamy and oily.
Overall a great sipping beer, perfect for a fine Churchill."
I don't have a cigar today, but it would be nice. The booze is sooo smooth. Still a great barrel use and I'm sure the cork ensured no loss.
I'll try to keep the 2020 release until 2025, at least.

 

2018 Bourbon County Midnight Orange


Dark as night. Thin head gone in a flash with some coco legs on the edge of the glass. Thick mouth, with minimal carb. Carbonation is still present but only a slight zip on the backend. Fudge, sweet chocolate and the bourbon barrel are alive and well with traces of orange on the finish and hint of sugar. Very drinkable as it’s more flavorful than boozy.

 

I acquired this from a man who died, was gifted a portion of his cellar.
This ones for you dead man.

2015 Alesmith / Mikeller
Beer Geek Speedway
Imperial Oatmeal Stout inspired by Speedway and Beer Geek Brunch Weasel with kopi luwak coffee added.
This for sure past its prime. Smells and tastes like charred medium roast coffee left in a cup overnight in a cabin that had the fireplace burnin during winter.
Nothing against that at all i like my coffee stone cold, but there are notes of oxidation that bug me. No traces of that peppery shit at all though
10/10 cuz paying respek to the fallen. Would have loved to try this fresh!

 

After a few more sips...this shits more Peppery than Mark Ruffalos hair

 

2020 Founders KBS



Packaged date 3/6/2020. Hadn't intended on cellaring this this long because of all the negative comments about pepper tastes but this has aged very well. Very creamy chocolate taste with still a barrel presence as well as coffee. Incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Still have one left in my cellar fridge to experiment with. Slainté.

 

What a reference

 

My delivery from Hair of the Dog arrived a few weeks ago. The sediment should be settled, time to dig in! Knowing this might be last box (hope not though! Maybe they'll start taking orders again) made picking difficult. Sophie's Choice, sigh.

2015 Cherry Adam From the Wood.




I loved the 2018 I had last year, gave it a 4.53. Todays is a different animal altogether. The honey, chocolate, and vanilla are replaced by musty leather and mild umami. The tart cherry is still there. Enjoyable enough but falls far short of my previous experience.

 

Returning with the last new to me Prairie Artisan beer left in my possession.

Krebs Brewing Company Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Noir



Bottle Notes: Purchased for $5 at Fischman's Fall 2017 going out of business sale. Properly cellared until 2/20/22, refrigerated since until opening this morning.

12 ounces, 12% ABV, bottle date MB1 2017. Imperial Stout aged in Jamaican Rum Barrels. Brewed and bottled by Kreebs Brrewing Company, Kreebs, Oklahoma. Distributed by our friends at Shelton Brothers.

Appearance: Pitch black base, nominal fast recedeing dart tan head leave faint white tan ring around the edge. 4.0

Aroma: Roasted malt the strongest noted flavor, light rum backing. 3.5

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, but stronger. Nice roast malt, chocolate and fudge leads, rum light, works well with the base. I get molasses as well, though it's not an added adjunct. Five years oxidized this a bit, but still tastes very good and I'm enjoying. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Faint fizzy carbonation, creamy full body, syrupy. Sweet overall, but not cloying, strong like bull, much stronger than anticipated from the start. Slight sweet aftertaste. 4.25

Overall: This worked very well for me, as I am not a big fan of rum. The rum worked well in a supporting role, not sure how much the five years helped on that aspect. I wouldn't age this further, perhaps would have enjoyed it more in the 1-3 range, perhaps less depending on the rum. Overall, I am enjoying this, glad I opened today. 4.0

Will be in the New Beer Weekend / Sunday thread with two 2019 Central Waters cellar new to me beers which I am looking forward to trying.

Cheers!

 

Starting the day right.