1. Stop lurking! Stay logged in to search, review beers, post in our forums, see less ads, and more.

    — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate

Choosing Beer for a Special Occasion

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by archero, May 16, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. archero

    archero Savant (1,094) Aug 24, 2010 Texas

    I am looking forward to the birth of my firstborn son this August, and I was thinking it would be nice to mark the occasion with an excellent beer. I have all of the following in my possession. They all seem like worthy candidates, but I am interested in hearing your choices and your reasoning. For instance, if you think I should age (or keep aging) something on this list, how long do you recommend? For whatever it's worth, it would be my first time drinking any of the beers on the list.

    Harviestoun - Ola Dubh Special Reserve 16 (aged ~ 2.5 years)
    Deschutes - The Abyss (aged ~ 1 year)
    Saint Arnold - Divine Reserve 14
    Unibroue - Grande Réserve 17 (aged ~ 2 years)
    North Coast - Old Stock Ale (aged ~ 1 year).
    Praire - Bomb!
    Founders - KBS

    Oh, and for anyone whose suggestion is "drink them all," keep in mind that I would like to REMEMBER my son's birthday!
     
    #1 archero, May 16, 2014
  2. H0p_Head

    H0p_Head Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2013 Florida

    Those all seem like appropriate choices for an occasion of such magnitude. I just posted my first beer review on BA tonight and it was Bomb! Great stuff.

    Unless you have multiples of any of these I would drink them fresh. Although, if there is a majority opinion that a certain beer is better with age, then I'd hold off on it for awhile. For example, I've heard that Abyss gets much better with age. I have a 2012 bottle that I still haven't opened yet for that reason. But I might be drinking it in the near future...
     
    #2 H0p_Head, May 16, 2014
  3. cultclassic89

    cultclassic89 Initiate (0) Oct 19, 2013 Texas

    The Abyss! Fantastic at one year, nearly two will be amazing.
     
    #3 cultclassic89, May 16, 2014
  4. jdb288

    jdb288 Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2013 New Jersey

    I'd vote for the Abyss as well. One of the better stouts I drank last year. Cheers!
     
    #4 jdb288, May 16, 2014
  5. BobBarker

    BobBarker Initiate (0) Apr 23, 2014 Louisiana

    Divine reserve 14 is good but don't make that a birth of your first born beer. I would pick the kbs which is amazing fresh or the abyss.
     
    #5 BobBarker, May 16, 2014
  6. Heretic42

    Heretic42 Initiate (0) Aug 31, 2011 Texas

    Abyss needs more than a year; you can drink it for his first birthday. I'd go with the Unibroue, Ola Dubh or KBS.

    I would not age the DR14 or Bomb terribly long either.
     
    #6 Heretic42, May 17, 2014
  7. starkmarvelo

    starkmarvelo Initiate (0) Jan 20, 2010 Texas

    I would go with a KBS or the Abyss. I agree Abyss need a bit more time, but it's still a fantastic beer. If you want to age a bottle longer, you can always grab another bottle next year. KBS is also a good beer, but it just seems to be hyped up a bit. As for me, I usually drink bourbon barrel aged stuff for my son's birthdays, and fruited sours for my daughters.
     
    #7 starkmarvelo, May 17, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.