Cellar Reviews (2023)

Ok, so I'm late to the party by a month. Happy New Year everyone! Popped open this 2013 Nebraska Fathead Barleywine on this frigid winter night. Cellar temp of 53*. Garnet/burgundy color with a nice small effervescent head. Malty, dark fruit aroma. Flavors of brown sugar, honey, caramel, dark fruit and whiskey. Vanilla is non-existent due to age. Smooth finish with very little alcohol heat, Seems to have held up pretty well, though I've never tried it fresh.

 

Cross posted from the Cellaruary thread:

My very last bottle of Double Bastard, a 2010 bottle. In my cellar since fresh.

Pours with a decent head, but that fades after a bit, clear garnet color. big aroma of molasses, burnt sugar, minty herbal hops, a touch of paper. similar taste, that bit of negative oxidation creeps into the finish. pretty low carbonation, slick feel.

I really only held onto this one for this long for nostalgia. RIP Double Bastard, hope it makes it into Stone's rotation again some day.

 

Another cross post from the Cellaruary thread

Bell's Expedition Stout, batch #10105. The Bell's website seems to no longer have the batch lookup function, but I know from previously that it was brewed in 2010, so 12+ years old. Pours jet black, with some initial head that quickly fades. Dark chocolate, black cherry, seasoned leather, a little umami. Dry earthy finish. Full bodied, slick feel, minimal carbonation.

 

Founder's Nemesis black barleywine bottled 23 months ago.



This is tasting really good right now. The piney hops have faded but are still there, this has better balance now. I also get more chocolate and a really nice burned raisin note. Last bottle...cellaruary 2025 maybe?

 

Love this thread. 2016 version that's smooth and deep with lots of char, chocolate, and some leather.

 

That's my favorite KBS. Great to know that it's still good a few years old, so now maybe I'll stock up a little since my store has a decent supply currently. Cheers!

 

BOO THIS MAN!

JK, but bummer you don’t be joining us on the regular!

 

I’ve heard it’s going to be “remastered” as a sessionable hazy.

 

2012 bottle of North Coast Old Stock Ale, along with a fresh 2022 bottle for comparison. The fresh bottle is hoppier and has some earthy balancing bitterness. The 10 year old bottle is heavier on the peach and plum fruitiness in the aroma.

 

Cross post from Cellarurary 2023 thread.



I’ve been working on this, my oldest bottle, for the last 90 minutes. Oak-aged (not BBA) Vanilla WWS 2017 Vintage. (My second pour was straight in for a better head)

I usually wouldn’t buy anything this large, thank god it’s not a bomber, but I was gifted 3 of these from a friend who visited the brewery with his new bride back in ‘17. Thanks Kevin! Strangely….and sadly, this last bottle outlasted the marriage .

I dug up my chicken scratch notes from the first bottle I poured in 2018.



I am impressed with how well this has held up.
Cheers!

4.39/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.
Bottled 6/15/17

Blacking out the glass with root beer brown showing around the edges, capped with a thin tan head that was gone in a flash. It leaves a leggy brown slick on the glass when tilted.

The nose lacks the vanilla that I noted in fresher bottles but the malty dark fruit and molasses aromas are strong and inviting. Alcohol aroma and flavor are rather reasonable but it is warming. Sweet and malty up front with some hop and roast bitterness closing it out. Still getting some light vanilla flavor with dark fruit/sugar but the oak character has disappeared. Full bodied and creamy with low carbonation, lower than I had noted.

It seems to me that the sweetness, bitterness and heat have all mellowed while the overall impression has survived. As the bottle states, this "Ages Well". Enjoyable and surprisingly easy to sip. Well done!

 

Nice review.

 

2016 bottle of DFH Olde School- dated 11/15/16

Pours a clear dark chestnut brown, cream colored head that fades. Very rich aroma as it warms. Raisin, brown sugar, fig, spiced rum, pipe tobacco. Taste is not quite as complex, still a bit boozy. Starts a little sweet but drier finish. Lower carbonation, feel is a little sticky.

 

Much appreciated!

Which one did you like better?

I have aged those before with good results, but never close to 10 years. You have inspired me to start cellaring some of those again.

 

Very nice. H&V is IMO probably the most impressive stout I've ever had. Being that De Molen is from the Netherlands I wanted to ask why you prefaced the review that Belgian beers are you go to? Not trying to be pedantic, but rather asking if you're comparing it as similiar to Belgian beers? And further if so, what Belgian stouts you'd compare it to and perhaps recommend. Thanks.

 

Ha, I wrote that as really a preface for the RR and copy/pasted in the wrong spot when I was editing my post... to clarify... RIS stouts (particularly European) for some reason are very similar (to Belgians - for all those same reasons) and still to this day seem to hold up better than 'most' American brewed/packaged RIS. I'm open as to why that is, but I've never been able to figure it out. I assume it's the perfect balance of malt, ABV, packaging, and storage.

 

Hair of the Dog - Bourbon Fred from the Stone 2019 vintage

Pours a clear, very dark amber color, thin head that fades. Aroma is boozy - oaky whiskey, spiced apple, a little vanilla. Similar flavors in the taste. It's warming, it shows it's 12% abv. Mouthfeel is a little syrupy, gentle carbonation.

 

Sorry just saw this. I would say the 2022. I think my favorite of past aged bottles has been more the 2-3 year range.

 

2020 BCBS



Won’t do a full review as I’ve reviewed BCBS around the 2-3 mark numerous times on here over the pst couple of years. But needlessly to say this is drinking phenomenal with layers upon layers of rich chocolate, dark fruits, caramel, an aggressive yet smooth roastiness, and divine barrel notes.

Vintage BCBS is probably my number 1 most consumed beer and this is exactly why. A nearly unparalleled combo of quality, consistency, obtainability, and improvements with age.

 

I just cracked open a 2020 Bourbon County Kentucky Fog. It is drinking very nicely. The tea has faded a bit but is still evident. The base beer as always is fantastic.

I got to figure out how to post photos but my review is here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1146/512834/?ba=Redrover#lists