Cellar Reviews (2024)

NewDama Brun-a - LoverBeer, Italy

Cross-posted with the Belgian appreciation thread.

I love the Flanders Oud Bruin style for many reasons, including the pronunciation, but mostly for the nuances of earthy-fruit flavors mingling with vinegar tartness. This one has all that, yet falls short of great. The oak is a nice accent in both aroma and flavor, there is some toffee and even some chocolate, so it has the complexity. As for pairing with an intense Brie, well, that amplifies the astringency, which is unfortunate.

Not sure if the bottle age (2012) or the cellaring conditions (recently purchased from a quality bottle shop in East Aurora, NY (South of Buffalo) made a difference, so that is worth noting.

Still an enjoyable beer on a cold and snowy afternoon.

 

Another beer I can’t compare to fresh because I’ve never had it before: FW XXI. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.34/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a mahogany brown with a thin khaki head.

Aroma is sweet and sticky—molasses, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla. Dark stone fruits and booze.

Taste is similarly complex. Brown sugar, figs, dates, vanilla, toffee. A nice boozy heat on the back end. It’s not all sweetness though—there’s a counterbalance of bitterness that helps keep things on track.

Mouthfeel is chewy and full bodied.

Overall a tasty supper of a dessert beer and a worthy addition to the FW anniversary series.

 

A Night to End All Dawns by Kane, 2021 (Black Wax/ Regular BA version)

Refrigerated past 2-3 years.

Aroma of dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate, oak, molasses, hint of raisin/ barleywine like booziness at the end.

Thinner than some stouts nowadays but that's their style and it makes it easier for a one and done tonight.

I wouldn't age it more if you have it. It's slightly smoother up front than my first time having it but backend perhaps a tad more booze (maybe slight fade of dark chocolate? Hard to say it was nearly 2 years ago since I had any 2021). Anyway great stuff unless you want adjuncts or thicker stuff like a medianoche, that you can practically chew (which I get, but is a lot to solo even in a 500mL). Going to enjoy this slowly for sure nonetheless!

 

From 2022

Coffee stout from Oddsides, Not sure if a fresh one would be better, but this is a pretty basic coffee stout. So malty goodness and coffee with little else to report.
The feel is about like coffee, no viscosity.
I think the fresh ones are out now so I will try one of those and review that.
Cheers!

 

Last 2014 Parabola in the beer fridge, has probably been refrigerated continuously since I bought it. It holds up exceedingly well—chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak all on display. Complexity is intact, flavors haven’t been muddied or muted (to my palate anyway) over the last decade. Cheers!

 

If you have any more in the cellar, contrast one with a current bottle. I've always loved Parabola, especially aged, but doing a semi-vertical a few years back was eye-opening.

 

I have one each from 2021 through 2023—I don’t intend to age any more beer once I’ve consumed what is currently in my beer fridge. I figure I need another 2 or 3 months to polish that off

 

or eye closing after a few pours

 

Here we have a 2020 Rusty Nail from Fremont Brewing. Pours a thick, oily black with a nice almost reddish brown head. Taste is roasty and chocolatey with a huge helping of cinnamon heat. This one has aged extraordinarily well. Only wish I had more in the beer fridge, but sadly this is the last bottle. Cheers!

 

More info in the Imperial Stout thread, but somehow, from a top shelf in a heated bottle shop, this is still very good.
Cheers!

 

Per @maximum12’s advice, I’m trying a fresher bottle of Parabola (not doing a side by side because I think I’m pretty familiar with what aged Parabola tastes like, and I’ll also need to drive later today). It is a bit livelier on the palate with more alcohol heat. Probably a bit more smoky char from the barrel too. I don’t necessarily regret aging some of my bottles but this is top notch. Cheers!

 

2011 Firestone Parabola - Pours a deep black color with a small tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma of chocolate, oak and a touch of vanilla. Taste is somewhat subdued. Hints of chocolate, some oak, some oxidation, very little booziness. This was cellar-aged, not refrigerated so maybe just past it's prime? My oldest one so curious how the newer vintages held up.

 

2011 Mother Of All Storms

Pic shows a ring of bubbles but there was a one finger tan head a moment before, and the ring was completely gone a moment after the pic

Aroma is a wonderful, balanced mix of caramel, dates, raisins, alcohol spice, malty sweet, leather, and herbal bitter hop notes.

Taste is a fatihful rendition of the nose, minus the leather, which shows up in the finish along with some cola notes. Superb blend of flavors that is absolutely delicious.

Mouthfeel is nicely viscous, with a clean linger and lighter feel than you'd expect, with much lower carb. than when released. This leads to an amazingly clean linger of alcohol spice, herbal hop bitter, and deep malty goodness. No hints of age problems one would expect 13 years later.

What an amazing beer, a favorite when new, a favorite when aged, full of all that makes barley wine such a great style. Cheers!

@2beerdogs

 

Glad you came across a beer that held up very well based on your review @cavedave!

I have two of these left, so if I finish the last one within this calendar, this will be my last Cellar Review of this batch.

Revolution Maple Deth (2020)



Can Notes: 12.8% ABV, 12 oz canned 10/14/20, refrigerated I believe this entire time.

OG Fresh Post of same batch 11/1/20 for comparison vs. my can today:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...re-you-drinking-now-2934.649487/#post-7073946

No change noted on the appearance. Almost sweet barley wine aroma, between the maple and base. The flavor has really held on to the maple over all this time, sticky and strong. After 20 minutes the barrel is starting to emerge, but no match for the maple dominance. Slightly fizzy carbonation gentle. Drinks at the ABV, pretty strong going. Would call the body medium and creamy vs. the thin notes from the link above.

My main takeaway is the surprise of the strength of the lasting power for the maple. Seems more prominent with the barrel receding which I did not expect. Not sure if I have a logical explanation beyond perhaps my palate continues to shift over the past four years and I'm even more sensitive to sweetness.

 

A somewhat random pick today from my beer fridge, but glad I opened it. An excellent beer, hard to imagine it being much better (I have one more bottle but I doubt I’ll sit on it much longer now that I know what’s inside). Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.53/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a deep rich black with a respectable half-finger mocha head.

Aroma is roasty and bitter with that nutty quality some stouts possess. Cocoa, espresso, dark chocolate, hints of vanilla and bourbon.

Taste is likewise rich and complex—smooth espresso flavors blend with semisweet chocolate, vanilla, bourbon. Everything is working here in perfect harmony. Is this one of the best imperial stouts I’ve ever had, or am I just in a good mood?

Mouthfeel is velvety smooth and slick—supremely drinkable. A nice boozy warmth on the finish.

Overall this beer is outstanding. Might be up there with coffee cinnamon B-Bomb as one of my all-time favorite Fremont beers.

 

Another 2018 KBS
This one, however, was a treat. Drank soft and smooth with chocolate and mellow coffee accenting the malty goodness of the bourbon and base stout. I can only hope that the rest drink so well.
Cheers!

 

Last call for me with this vintage. Only have one previous cellar review, a more adventurous take with two pours, one clean and the second with a mounds bar incorporated to attempt to replicate a then contemporaneous Primal Coconut Deth taproom release.

Revolution Deth's Tar (2020)



I believe this offering canned 10/7/20 just past noon was refrigerated this entire time. 14.8% ABV.

Previous Cellar Treatment Link: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/cellar-reviews-2021.653024/page-25#post-7374968

Looks about the same beyond the head being a darker tan. Smells somewhat oxidated at this stage, cardboard 80%, 20% a mix of stale bourbon and chocolate malt.

Taste however held on very well, now 15-20 minutes in the bourbon giving a strong, somewhat harsh punch and it tastes great. Bourbon strong noted in my 2021 review, but the rich chocolate however is faint at best. The version is for those who want to cut to the chase, with bourbon front and center and the beer a mere afterthought.

Body medium light, a touch or more lighter than fresh versions. Overall, I prefer a fresher version to get a more complex deeper experience, but I am enjoying this one none-the-less. Would peg this at about 0.5 less overall and 0.75 in taste lower than a fresher/fresh version.

That's all I have today, but with cold Chicago weather lingering into next week, may have a few more cellar reviews over the next few weekdays. Cheers!

 

Alaskan Smoked Porter

2012 vintage drank on 4/5/2024. Bottled on 10/15/2012. 11-1/2 years old.
I have had this beer before but it was one year old or less than that.

Look: Brown rather transparent body. Nice tall fluffy persistent head. Plenty of carbonation left in the bottle. Impressive for the bottle age.
Smell: Smoke maybe chocolate, sweet malt. smells good for it's age.
Taste: Chocolate, a little roast, a hint of sherry/cherry. Some campfire smoke. The smoke is nice and not as strong as I thought it was going to be. A micro hint of oxidation. Smooth beer. Finishes slightly dry.

Solid mouth feel for 6.5% ABV. Smooth, slightly creamy

This bottle held up very well. @Mdog
4.03/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Cross posted on the Imperial Stout thread, this one is from 2020 so it classifies. (I keep most of my beer in the cellar so I try to only post them here if they are more than a year old)
In any case- they print on the label that these can be cellared “indefinitely” and I do have a few that are getting long in the tooth. Not sure how old would be a good test, but I might find out.
Cheers!