Cellar Reviews (2023)

Cross post from Cellaruary 2023 thread.

Central Waters Eighteen (2016)




Pulled from the refrigerator (placed it there last Cellaruary I believe), I waited until the beer was about room temperature. The 22 oz bottle opens with a satisfying hiss and pours nicely enough with a decent head for a seven year old stout. From an aroma perspective, it's fairly muted at this point. Some dark chocolate, a bit of anise, some vanilla, a touch of oak and the tendrils of oxidation seemingly no longer being satisfied with a bit role. The taste follows suit for the most part. Here mostly chocolate comes through with accents of vanilla. The barrel characteristics are there in the background but quite muted at this point. The days of flavorful glory are only a memory at this point. Oxidation is not as forward as it is on the aroma, fortunately. Mouthfeel and body are fine - medium on both. Carbonation is good as well. Overall, it remains a decent to good BA stout but without question its best days are in the past imo.

 

2021 So Happens It's Tuesday from the Bruery.

Very little change from my fresh review. Booze is mellowed slightly as have some of the dark fruit flavors. There's a bit more prominent coffee, but also that slightly sour coffee taste that can show up.

Still a nice big beer. Probably will try to get to these within the year in the future

 

S.H.I.T w/ coffee was last made in 2018..? @unlikelyspiderperson

 

It's not the coffee variant. Just regular

 

Another cross post from the Cellaruary 2023 thread.

Avery Brewing Company Uncle Jacob's Stout (2015)



Bottled Feb 13 2015

I purchased two of these beers back in 2015. One I had fresh in March of that year. The second bottle I've held on to since then. I had placed this last bottle in the refrigerator last year during Cellaruary.

Looking back at my review notes from 2015, I enjoyed the beer but the characteristic that sticks out was the presence of a harsh and overwhelming booziness. It is a 16.9% beer so this is not likely unexpected when drinking the beer fresh.

Fast forward eight years later and that harshness is completely gone. Some brief notes.

a: black as night. decent sized khaki colored head which recedes fairly quickly to a thin line around the edge of the glass. black sediment is noticeably present in the bottle and left behind.
s: dark chocolate, anise, black licorice . noticeable oxidation.
t: loads of dark chocolate. black licorice. did I say dark chocolate?
m: carbonation (medium) has held up well. creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, Uncle Jacob's Stout is still drinking like a champ imo, albeit in a much more mellow manner. If you are lucky to have one in your cellar, crack it open I say. I hope I have the fortune of seeing Avery BA beers again on a local shelf in the near future.

 

Southampton Abbot 12
2014 vintage (12/23/14 stamped on back label)

Dark brown, inviting hue.

Aroma thick with raisin, prune, date, and light allspice

Flavor is delicious with earthy tones and a lot of fruitiness with raisin, date, prune, black cherry, and purple grape with light notes of dark roast coffee, dark chocolate, allspice, and brown sugar in the finish and aftertaste. Pleasant warming alcohol. Light dark fruit esters. Low-medium bitterness. Wonderful balance with fruity sweetness without being cloying.

Mouthfeel is top-level with medium body and low-medium carbonation - unbelievably light for the ABV.

Overall Southampton Abbot 12 (2014 vintage) is amazingly balanced and light for the style and ABV with abundant dark fruit flavors and a light spice note that really hooks you in.

 

Yeah I usually do that

 

2012 BADL
Pours jet black w think wispy lace
Initial aroma of roasted nuts w some slight stale bourbon
Nice viscosity in the mouthfeel
Sweet initial chocolate notes on taste w a bourbon oxidized finish.
Nice coating of the palate in the finish.

overall, certainly past its prime but still reasonably drinkable.

 

November of 2021

Pours a thick and nearly black with no head and no lacing.

The smell is sweet chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. Almost no char or roasted malts like the base beer. Almost berry-like in it's sweetness.

The taste follows with an explosion of sweet chocolate and bourbon. The roasted malts and leathery char come through on the finish.

The mouthfeel is minimal carbonation and very smooth and thick. It still has that lingering bitter finish of the base beer.

Overall, this is very different up front from the base but finishes very similar. A truly outstanding beer.

 

Not a lot of activity here given it's February. This pours flat but has some carbonation left. The smell showcases bourbon. The taste is very sweet with chocolate and vanilla. I'm not really sure what I think about it. I'm thinking it's past it's prime. I have one 2015 and one 2014 left. They'll hang out for at least another year.

 

Hoping the February Cellaruary thread can bring more BAs here in the future. I typically limit my cellar reviews to beers where I already have an existing review of the same vintage. I'm in luck today.

Krebs Brewing / Prairie Artisan Evil Twin Collaboration Even More Bible Belt



Original Review of Same Batch (12/31/21):
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-76.664080/

Bottle Notes: Purchased for $5 in September 2019 during Fischman Bottle Shop's closing sale. Bottle code possibly 45th day of 2019 (04519 13:38), cellared since purchase until I refrigerated starting 12/23/21. 13% ABV 13%. Brewed and Bottled by Krebs Brewing Company (aka Prairie Artisan Brewing), Krebs, Oklahoma, collaboration with Evil Twin Brewing. Even More Imperial Stout Aged on Coffee, Vanilla, Chilies, and Cacao Nibs.

Similarities and Changes between 12/31/21 & 2/27/23

• No change in appearance (picture and prior review notes).
• Even more green pepper on the nose, taking over the lead from chocolate malt. Significant oxidation noted. Hope the taste will be spared.
• After letting warm for 15 minutes, thankfully the taste held up. Last time similar (green pepper smelled but not tasted). This time I do get green pepper backing the chocolate malt. followed by chilies, cocoa and chocolate fudge, and dark roast coffee, amazingly still here nearly four years later. No vanilla, no loss on my end.
• I'd call this light to medium body (called in wafer thin originally). Digging the blend despite noted aging, drinks pretty strong, perhaps slightly lighter than the 13% but I'm approaching the 1/3 point. Nice chocolate holds up on the finish.
• Overall, this was probably best when I bought it, but it held up well. I have shifted from my exploratory pastry stout phase, but still enjoy pulling these from my cellar every so often when they hold up well.

This beer has held up far better than expected, though I will hopefully get to my final bottle this Spring to avoid future disappointment.

Cheers!

 

4.41/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Best by 2014 (month has worn away), so, bottled in 2011. A kind gift from my sister-in-law. Poured from a 330mL bottle into my Westvleteren chalice. 10.2% ABV. Served at 55F.

Chestnut/burnt umber liquid with copper/caramel highlights and a small beige cap receding quickly to a lasting collar. Adequate retention; fine lacing; delicate yet viscous legs.

Lovely rich malty/estery aromatics suggest plum, fig, date, toffee, and an old European cobbler's shop. Weighty yet perfectly integrated and inviting. No perceptible oxidation.

Flavor follows the nose but is joined by a low earthy bitterness and some suggestions of brandy and eucalyptus. Long, linear, medium-dry finish. Rounded and rich with some complex stewed fruit elements.

Modest carbonation, but holding up well given the age. Slightly thin and quite warming.

More than the sum of its parts, and still a top tier example of the style, though I look forward to updating this review one day with a fresh bottle.

 

Parabola (2019) - Firestone Walker

cross posted from the Imperial Stout thread.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/41815/?ba=SLeffler27#review

Served at ambient temperature, consuming at significantly higher temperature, and the glass is warming too. All the beautiful char and malt as expected. There is definitely a fair amount of peat, and very faint smoke. Oak is gone, as is the cherry and cognac. Alcohol has mellowed, yet it is clearly a major player. The pumpernickel is awesome, with a touch of anise (maybe caraway).

If we had a fire-pit, I would have stayed outside with the snow falling. Just a strait-up excellent Stout. Well deserving of it’s accolades.

 

Pours a thick black with no head or lacing. The smell is bourbon and hints of chocolate. The taste follows with the addition of sweet caramel and a hint of char. Still very thick. Great beer.

 

4.03/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2017 vintage. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Bistre body, wheat cap. Fine, soapy lacing; faint legs; decent retention.

Roasty, fruity, and faintly floral aroma. Prunes, grapes, sherry, cotton candy. Ester-forward and rich.

Tobacco, port, cocoa, bourbon, mint, orange rind, and earth on the palate. Complex, bittersweet, roast-forward, with a whisper of smoke/wood in the finish. Vaguely nutty. Moderately dry overall. Low hop presence. Recurring vinous note with a hint of oxidation and pu-erh tea.

Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, low tannins, alcohol present but restrained.

An interesting blend, though I suspect I'm enjoying the contribution of some of the base beers more than others. Similar in some ways to Firestone's anniversary ales, though with distinctive Old ale notes as well.

 

Bottled Fall of 2018. This is great for a style I don’t drink too often. Taste of sour cherries cuts with the still ever present honey and a Belgian yeast that isn’t too spicy and has a bit of more straight up cherry and almost bubble gum. This has aged wonderfully. Still nicely carbed and very smooth for 11%. Better than I expected.

 

2018 CBS. Outstanding beer fresh and aged. Great, thick chocolate fudge with a hint of coffee and a smaller hint of bourbon. Very sweet, great flavors, and shines in the mouthfeel.

 

Goose Island Bourbon Country Brand Coffee Stout (2014)



An aggressive pour presented a limited khaki head which quickly receded to the above picture before I could exhale a breath (much less take a picture). An aroma of milk chocolate accented with coffee but with some accents of noticeable oxidation in the background, particularly when taking a strong enough whiff. Flavor follows for the most part with a nice blend of chocolatey goodness mixed with coffee. Mouthfeel is on point with the characteristic creaminess I can vividly recall from having this beer in the past. Still so good in this aspect.

This has held up quite well in its 8+ years. It's certainly past its prime and I would unquestionably preferred to have had this beer years earlier. Having said this, it still evokes some of the qualities which remind me of how outstanding this beer was back in its day.

 

This is a personal favorite with some age on it. I drank this same vintage around the holidays this past December. Sitting down to do a full review tonight of another example for the close out of Cellaruary.

Firestone Walker's Sucaba - 2018



Looks - Pours a dark burgundy-brown with a muddy transparency. Head is two fingers at peak, but bubbles away moderately quick.

Aroma - It's stacked full of raisins, fig, dark fruits, and caramel. Beyond these is toasty, bready, caramely malts. Hops are present, but faint - hitting notes of grassy and spicy. Mild oxidation, flattening out hops and exposing more malts.

Flavor Profile - It builds on the same sugary notes of the aroma - raisins, fig, dark fruits, and caramel, but sneaks molasses and toffee into the mix. Toasty, bready and caramely malts layer against and around grassy, spicy, and mildly herbal hops. Flavor profile starts with sugary notes, moves on to malts, and then mostly lingers on malts, with hops providing a little flirtatious distraction at around the final third. There is some sign of oxidation, which becomes more apparent in the final third when the hops are spread so thin.

Mouth Feel - Consistency is medium-thick with a subtle silty texture. Effervescence is soft.

Overall - Full of 'old school' barleywine notes, this thing hits loads of quality, barleywine centric notes without being fuddled up with extra flavors. It's smooth drinking.

 

4.12/5 rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Traded for this ages ago, probably from ShogoKawada, thanks whoever it was! 2008 vintage. Enjoyed on 3/3/23. Poured from a 750mL waxed and capped bottled into a snifter. Served lightly chilled.

Impenetrable seal brown liquid with a lasting dun collar. Fine lacing; thick viscous legs. Surprisingly good retention.

Molasses, chocolate covered cherries, medium-roast coffee, maple candy, and complex malt in the nose.

Stale coffee, milk chocolate, weak tobacco, and brown sugar on the palate. Low bitterness, faint grapefruit, but the hops have faded. Flavors are good but a bit flat, though there are few other signs of oxidation. Medium finish with malt balls, loam, and plum pudding.

Medium-full bodied, creamy, with decent carbonation. ABV is well integrated.

After 15 years this is surely past its prime, but remains a brooding, stately gentleman of an ale.