Cellar Reviews (2023)

Nice reviews, but I’d like to hear more about the heady grilled cheese in photo 1…..

 

ISO……

…..that bottle opener

 

Happy New Year and New Cellar Review Thread my fellow old beer lovers! Kicking off 2022 with a 2020 BCB Prop.

Pours opaque black with just under a fingers width of dark tan head that dissipates very quickly and leaves no lacing. Aroma is cherry up front, followed by a huge nutty prominent pistachio character. There’s a notable sweet sugar cookie or biscotti like character, a bit of anise. Base beer characters are mild with just a bit of roastiness, some fusel whiskey notes from the barrel. Nice aroma but a bit muted and faded. Taste on the other hand is an explosion of flavor. Cherries and chocolate immediately hit your palate and are lovely, balanced perfectly by a smooth roastiness and rich medium roast black coffee on the finish. I also get an oaky vanilla, pretty prominent nutty characters although I can’t say pistachio per se. There’s some alcohol on the backend whcih actully balances those other characters nicely. Stellar flavor profile. Mouthfeel is silly smooth with an appropriate carbonation and a very good drinkability. Overall, this has undoubtedly gotten better with time. It had a prominent bitterness fresh, that was almost astringent. That character has completely mellowed and allowed the other flavors to come out in a lovely way. Fantastic beer.

4.25/4.25/4.75/4.75/4.5
(Original/fresh review which was actually over 1 year old: 4/4.75/4.25/4.25/4.5)

 

Hey now. It’s that time of the year so might as well double dip these cellar beers in honor of the new year. 2020 Aventinus Eisbock. Not a full review as I’m getting into these NFL games for fantasy championship week. But paired with a nice variety of aged meats and cheese which fancy people call “charcuterie”.

Abbreviated review: loads of dark fruits, decent amount of spice persists, some floral notes and bitterness. (Too) easy drinking for the ABV. A nice beer that hasn’t developed all that much but i suspect will age well for a long long time.

 

2019 Gulden Draak from the cellar.

Pours a clear dark reddish brown in color, thick khaki colored head of tiny bubbles. Excellent head retention, stays to the bottom of the glass. Pleasant aroma of toasted bread, caramel, light brown sugar, a little spice. Similar flavors in the taste, slightly sweet but short finish. Mouthfeel is very nice - medium bodied but smooth and creamy.

 

Happy New Year gang! I'm starting this year off with a very special cellar gem, a 1993 Courage Imperial Russian Stout!



This is the oldest beer I've had by quite a few years, and the only one I've had so far that is older than myself. I picked this up in late 2021 at OEC. They said they've had a few of these bottles laying around since 2004. I picked up one for @zid as part of an in-person trade a year ago today (great dude!). Have you opened yours yet bud? I figured opening this one when the beer turned 30 would be the best time to drink it.

There was absolutely no hiss when I opened the bottle, no carbonation to be found here, just a dark reddish brown beer with no life to it. Upon the first whiff, I was taken aback. As I noted in my review, if someone told me this was only about 15 years old I'd believe them. Lots of different dark fruit notes dominated with a roasty chocolate and coffee vibe and only a bit of soy sauce from the oxidation. The taste made it much clearer that this thing is 30 years old, but it was still very good. Up front the sherry really lead things off, with cherry and sugary caramel to back it up. The back end was more in line with the aroma, but the soy sauce definitely shined through more. It is surprisingly thin and watery, but it doesn't hurt the drinkability.

Man, I'm glad to have tried this one. It's a piece of history really, and much better than I expected it to be. Cheers to 2023!

3.96/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

EDIT: Can't seem to get the picture to post, as Imgur took away the link format needed to post on BA Any ideas anyone?

 

Ugh, just missed my window to edit my original message but was able to do it through Flickr

 

My 21st expression from one of my favorite brewers in Belgium - another delightful head-scratcher.

3.93/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found an old Shelton imported bottle at my local and couldn't stop myself. Lot 19, best before end 2015, so keep that in mind! Poured from a caged-and-corked 750mL bottle into my Rodenbach flute.

Initially clear tangelo body with a champagne fist up top. Delicate soapy lacing; very good retention.

Lovely mature yeast aroma, fruity, floral, with gentle phenols/esters.

Faintly sweet palate entry with hints of chicory and burdock. Hard to identify savory/herbal elements are subsumed by a dusty grain note leading into a faintly peppery bone dry finish. Piquant around the edges with hints of walnut/elderberry. Interesting residual funk, like a distant memory of Brett, a long fallow farm, forgotten books.

A bit thin, almost sharp, but well carbonated, the ABV quite concealed.

Impossible to rate to style as the brewer's intent seems purely to confound. Surprisingly mild and free of oxidation.

 

Not yet... but it'll happen sometime this year. Hopefully soon.

 

Thank you @kemoarps for kicking off 2023 and for all the wonderful reviews over the first week.

I am hoping to enjoy 18-30 older 12 oz refrigerated cans, mostly by Revolution before the warmer weather arrives. I was hoping to make a dent in my cellar this Winter, but between scheduled trips and an abundance of drink fresh beers, I have only dug a deeper hole.

That's OK, as this beer holds up refrigerated and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences here. I don't thoughtfully cellar these beers, just buy to much and shifting to drinking one beer a day and buying a shitload of beers in 2019-2020, I've been slowly working my way through the cellar.

First stop, my favorite annual release, because unlike the others, there is only one brewery I have access to with annual Rye Ale aged in Rye Barrels. The one and only

Revolution Ryeway to Heaven



Can Notes: Filled 12/6/21 @13:51:02, refrigerated until opening.

OG Review of December 2017 Can reviewed in August 2019:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/189995/?ba=ChicagoJ#review

Today's experience of 13 month old can:

Looks great, getting the rye barrel, oak and light raisins but no plumb now 15 minutes in after preparing a bagel and typing the preamble to this post. Getting an equal strength of aroma and taste, the rye whiskey quite excellent, smooth, perfect spice level. Just an outstanding rye ale with perfect barrel treatment.

While today's version would fall far short from the 5.0 OG aroma score, the taste might be bumped from 4.5 to 4.75, perhaps a 5.0 as I'm at a loss for what I would change. The Feel remains a 5.0, just incredible full body, depth of creaminess, perfect touch of carbonation that adds a perfect touch. Smooth perfect balance of rye barrel and strength, allowing the base to shine as well, fruity, oak barrel wonderful.

I love the taste of rye in beer, bread and beyond. Even if you are not as big a fan, I implore you to try one of these via trade, out of state distribution or a trip to Chicago. There are only a few years I am evangelical about, and this is one of them. Hear me now, and believe me later.

Whether refrigerated cellared or fresh, this is the beer I implore YOU to try at some point in your craft beer journey. Not bashful to call this Kernkraft 400 500 quality.

 

Joining the party with a Bell's Expedition Stout from September of 2021.

Nose is all bakers chocolate and some of the dark leathery notes. Taste leads with an ashy tobacco and sharp leather note, this leads into a prune/dark fruit vibe that finishes out with a nice bitter chocolate zing.

Feel is flawless, as is Bell's standard with stouts.

What a wonderful beer. I'm hoping that the folks at Kirin/Lion won't destroy this beloved brewery. But if nothing else, thanks a whole damn lot Larry and John for all the great stouts over the years. This is a true American classic that can hang with any RIS ever made. Both fresh and aged.

 

Photos man, photos!

 

NFL Saturday Funday. Kicking off the playoffs with a 2018 BCB Vanilla. Vanilla variants have been some of my absolutely favorite BCB variants (and overall beers for that matter). Have had the OG Vanilla with a bunch of years on it, but this is I think my first time with a cellared version of the 2018. Let’s see how it’s holding up.

A: Pours opaque black with only a sliver of dark mocha head that dissipates very quickly, leaves a few patches of lacing. 4.25

S: Vanilla is still def prominent on the aroma and is the first character I get. It’s then followed by big leathery notes (which is somewhat atypical for me with BCBSs). I also get toasted marshmallow, charred wood, a nice subdued roastiness, and some nice smooth oaky barrel notes. 4.75

T: Taste follows with vanilla, big roastiness, some nutty and oak barrel notes, charred wood, some earthy herbaceous characters. 4.25

M/D: Mouthfeel is smooth, carb is lower than usual which detracts a bit, ABV impressively restrained. 4.25

O: This is still a very good beer but has definitely faded substantially at 4 plus years. 4.25







Cheers, friends!

 

3.68/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

2017 vintage - poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Clear fulvous liquid with a fizzy whisper of foam that is quickly silenced. Nearly still, no lacing, though the tears leave a viscous even sheen along the sides.

Maple sugar, with a wave of stewed fruit and faint tobacco in the nose. Focused and potent yet fugitive/fleeting.

Unctuous, chewy, spirit-heavy, woody palate entry - burnt sugar, fudge, and peppercorn unfurl into the lumbering dry finish. Vanilla and maple are present, but there is a medicinal savory edge to everything with leather, dandelion greens, and brandy notes. Very distinctive and unusual.

Medium bodied, warming, a bit sticky.

Singular, befuddling, and lingering.

 

Greetings all. I wonder if I am the only person here who drinks ONLY from the cellar? It's a race the cellar and I have going to see who kicks first. Since I only am able to drink one beer a month, I still have a bit more than 7 years' supply. This one cellar beer a month has become a ritual of sorts, and hasn't always yielded good results I've shared. Glad to say this beer, enjoyed last night, was very different. Especially as I had worse results last year with the same beer cellared right next to this one for the last ten years, and even more especially as there was a mold ring around the very top of this bottle. Glad to say there was soft pssst when I opened the cap so I was only a bit worried by the mold when I saw it. Still...

2013 BCBS Despite the sound of carb. and a thin tan ring of small bubbled foam, there is no life to the beer, and it appears still. The aroma is very strong, dominated by chocolate notes I am able to ID indiv., there's cocoa and dark chocolate, and cacao, and milk chocolate too, along with lighter notes of molasses and caramel, hints of spicy bitter and soft alcohol.

Amazing that the nose is so full of easy to ID flavors and the taste completely has become a wonderful blend of flavors that are easy to believe are the matured, combined, better forms of their younger selves. It is hard to do more with this taste than to describe its impact, which is a powerful blast of superb flavor that lingers and shines. Finally emerge from this joy soft alcohol spice, deep herbal bitter, light cola, and clean cacao to linger for the rest of the ride.

Not still, just a hint of carb. beyond thick, yet very drinkable, no hints of sherry or cardboard or soy, finishes clean and impossibly long.

Still can't figure out how this bottle could be this perfectly aged and others from same case not? Cheers, fellas, if you have one of these go fucking crack it!

 

@cavedave , thanks for your review and update. Glad you had another excellent beer day from your cellar.

Do you have a strategy in terms of what beer you select for the month based on perceived remaining longevity, or do you just grab what strikes your fancy on that particular day?

I tried to sort through beers I thought would hold up longer, and enjoy first those I thought needed to be enjoyed ASAP. I lost a few beers to the drain / oxidation along the way (1-2%), but most of my beer styles appropriate to age (stouts, quads, lambics) fortunately have held up over time. Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist was the only beer I’ve ever lost to infection (soy sauce) to date.

 

I did start with the ones I thought would hold up most poorly, but this is year four of this and what is here now almost completely are ones which are hard to decide an order based on time sensitivity. I realize there are gonna be more disappointments along the way, but if I can find a decent amount of beauties like this one, too, well...

I was just really in the mood for a big stout this month is only reason for the BCBS.

 

2010 Doggie Claws, stunning in every way.



It's beautiful to look at, pouring with perfect clarity and a massive rocky head. I get honey dripped peaches and apricots plus toffee and hints of marzipan. I had this vintage a year and a half ago and it was magnificent then too. Easily the best Doggie Claws I've had, both then and now. Still available on the HotD website, for anyone placing an order this vintage it is worth the couple of extra dollars.

First of 2023, cheers cellar dwellers!

 

I liked this beer, but didn't pick out my second of the four pack for over 2 1/2 years, so let's see how it's holding up.

Revolution Brewing Mixed Berry Ryeway



Can Notes: Canned 7/10/20, purchased and kept refrigerated this entire time.

OG Review Link: New Beer Sunday #815

Appearance & Aroma: Consistent with OG review.

Taste: Very heavy on the fruit, with a light bourbon back. This dropped off perceptively, the depth of the fruit is just a syrupy sweet concoction with faint bourbon noted and rye has left the building.

Mouthfeel: Pretty consistent beyond the change in perceived bourbon. Drinks very light and easy, but I suspect the alcohol is still in the beer.

Overall: This is one I wish I got to while fresh, the complexity and bourbon cherished fresh has turned into what I take one of those fruity Slurpee cocktails they sell in plastic shaped guitars people strap around them and drink all day would taste. Going to line up the remaining two cans to drink soon, as a reminder to work through my remaining cellar expeditiously.

 

Gotta thank @jmdrpi for letting me know this thread existed. I’ve drank down most of my cellar at this point so I don’t know how much contributing I’ll be doing but when I can, I will.
Anyway, late ‘19 bottle. Might have made it a bit too cold. It’s still thick as hell, but it’s all maple syrup at this point. No coffee, not shocking of course, but not much chocolate, which I do find a bit surprising. Barrel more prominent than I remember. Unsurprisingly, I had this too long, better fresh, but still quaffable. Cheers all.

 

Hello cellar dwellers! Okay, maybe not actually dwelling, but obviously very familiar with them.
We had our monthly SAN last night and what an evening it was.

The 3 on the left were from 2020 with only the Malted Milk Ball dropping off a tiny bit from our “fresh” review of it.
All were stellar with no issues getting any of them completely drained in short order. The Kamigoye (Come to God) was a collaboration between Transient and Magnanimous Brewing and its one of the finest pure BBA Stouts out there. Nothing that didn’t fit, everything that was supposed to be there was, just wonderful.
The Decoy (2021) was nearly as “pure” but had a dark fruit, figs or plum type in addition which I really enjoyed but it threw a couple of the other people off.
The biggest surprise was the “smallest” stout there- Anorak- not even imperial, let alone barrel aged, it was still in most of our top 3 for the evening.
Rey Gordo would have been amazing if consumed alone or with maybe an Old Rasputin as the IBU was just too high for the crowd it was in.
And the sole BBA porter was mostly chocolate and stout taste which hit one of our people just right. Little too sweet for me for much of it, but it was nice.

 

I don't typically age beers for the sake of changing their flavor... but I have hung on to some beers for the novelty and I have bought old beers. To compliment @Rug 's post in this thread on the 1993 Courage Imperial Russian Stout (and in case anyone here finds this interesting), here's a post I made in a different thread on a comparison tasting of the 1993 Courage with various vintages of Harvey's imperial stout in 10 year increments.

 

That side-by-side comparison was well done too!

 

This was bottled 07/03/18. Still has a decent head and lacing. Same deep char, leather flavor with a nutty finish. Not getting any barrel but never really did. This is very smooth right now. Enjoyable for sure.

 

There was a recent discussion in the Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread regarding the inclusion of this beer, brewed in 2021, in the recently sold BA Stout Boxes. I purchased this beer at the brewery last month on sale, and will review for science and discussion.

Revolution Dark Mode



Can Notes: 12 oz can filled 12/2/21, purchased in December 2022. 13.8% ABV (14.3% ABV in 2018). Imperial Milk Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Hopefully refrigerated this entire time at Revolution Brewery, refrigerated since bring home.

A blend of chocolate malt, traditional roasted barley, and debittered black malt lend this Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout its nebulous, void-like hue without harsh, distracting astringency to make your mouth sad. Golden oats enhance body while a dash of applewood smoked malt provides the gentlest expression of smoldering depth. Go dark now or store cold. (Emphasis Mine).

OG Review of draft version (called Barrel Aged Lynott's Stout until the 2021 release):

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/377391/?ba=ChicagoJ#review

Similarities (2018 draft version enjoyed fresh vs. 2021 enjoyed today):

• Appearance same.
• Thin / watery body compared to other DW offerings.
• Still very sweet, consistent with milk stouts.

Differences:

• Mild cardboard in the aroma.
• Getting chocolate fudge that I did not note in the OG review.

Final Verdict:

• One edit to my OG post would be this is a thinner stout, but would not call it extremely thin. The other notes are relevant. Would lower smell to 4.0, perhaps 3.75, taste to 4.25, overall to 4.00 if this was my only version.
• The slight drop off here is consistent with the typical drop off I find in a 1-2 year old BA stout.
• Beyond the time variable, can vs. draft is the other unknown in terms of impact.

 

So…I went to open a 2021 bottle of Mexican Cake to find that I didn’t have one anymore but I had a 2017 bottle of this instead. I was honestly shocked because I thought I drank all my Double Negatives.

Anywhoo, this poured wonderfully. Nicely carbed, still has an awesome chocolate smell. Wow. I thought 5 and a half years was too old, probably perfect. Still thick, still nicely carbonated. All chocolate, slight bit of alcohol char, and a nice taste of slight coffee bitterness. This aged phenomenally.

 

…… and now you’re hooked and will become a regular posting in this, the single best thread in all of BeerAdvocate?!?

 

I was really looking forward to another Cellaruary thread but I'll post here instead.

It's worth noting though with cellaring, proper care to keep the temperature range low (60'F or below), store in a dark place, and no large temperature swings are essential to getting world-class beer after a few years of aging. Any of the above can spoil beer which is probably why so many people have bad experiences with cellaring.

Brouwerij de Molen - Hel & Verdoemenis (2014)

Belgian beers are my go-to. I always start with Belgian beer to showcase the benefits and amazing character that comes from aging these beers. The grain bill, the yeast, the ABV, their packaging, I'm not sure I can pin-point exactly why but my guess is it's a combination of all of it. This beer did not disappoint. Classic russian imperial stout notes of medium-roast coffee or smooth espresso, slight bitterness like bittersweet chocolate (but not astringent) and light tannic properties from the bourbon barrel aging. Even a hint of vanillin and bourbon up front but fades quickly. Taste is really complex with layers of flavors each coming at a different point, small notes of dark fruit & tobacco at the end but not prominent. Very little oxidation which I was extremely impressed by. Definitely drink at the recommended temperature of 50'F/10'C.

4.3/5



De Struise - Rio Reserva Double Barrel Aged Bourbon + St Emilion Wine (2012)

This one knocked my socks of at how good it was. Like the H&V it had very little if any oxidation present that I could tell or if there were notes of sherry it was hidden by the double-barrel aging and richness of the body. Great notes of caramel & toffee with loads of brown sugar notes and vanillin, followed by dark fruits like raisins, figs, dates with a little black cherry and red grapes. Classic esters from the yeast with notes of clove and earthy wood on the nose. Very smooth, very rich, excellent all-around.

4.5/5

 

Just the reverse I'm afraid.

My desire has been to lessen my beer set for keeping. Drinking those stouts was a step in that direction. I've got 11 bottles of beer stashed away in the "not for drinking" category at the moment. That's probably a tiny number for those in this corner of the site. I'd like to get it down to 6 max. MAYBE I'll get there by the end of the year (but I'm not going to hold my breath).

 

Honestly, I think that makes you an inspiration for most of us.

I successfully stopped the totally random purchasing of excess beers about 9 months ago. I've made a couple of large transfers from the cellar (it's in my storage unit) in the last month. But man there's a bunch of beer in there that I really wonder why I ended up with so much.

Really it's just too much Narwhal. What the fuck was I thinking in 2019-20?

 

For those that didn't see it, there is now a "Cellaruary" thread in the main Beer Talk subforum

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...ant-to-be-consumed-not-collected-2023.671258/

 

Last bottle from a case I bought almost 10 years ago to celebrate a new chapter in life. It's been probably 8 years since I had the second to last bottle. Not sure why I hung on to this last one so long, kind of a souvenir from that era I suppose.

It's a foamer! I even got this one cold anticipating trouble. This has held up okay but it's not what it was in it's prime. Light barnyard and some hay, kind of muddled overall and pretty far from the zesty powerhouse it once was.