December 2017 Cellar Reviews

Deschutes Brewery- Jubel 2015
Drinking superbly right now. Smell is of oak, vanilla, & dark fruit. Tastes follows the smell but the dark fruit dominates. Mouthfeel is nice, just thick enough to coat the tongue. Another Deschutes brew that is holding up nicely.

Merry Christmas!

 

2014 Samichlaus Schwarzes

Dark brown in color, tan head that fades fast. Mild roast and toffee aroma. Similar taste, not as sweet as the standard Samichlaus version at this age. Medium bodied. Overall, this version seems to smooth out quicker in the cellar than the standard version.

 

2002 JW Lees Harvest Ale. 275 ml bottle.

I had this vintage at 10 years and it was excellent, wanted to wait for 15 yeas for this bottle. Pours a very dark brown, thin cream colored head, decent carbonation still. Aroma is rich toffee and raisins. Similar taste, just amazing malt flavor. But not too sweet. Sticky mouthfeel, medium bodied. Overall this is one of my all time favorite beers to age and this bottle did not disappoint. Great way to end Christmas.

 

^^^ straight, liquid raisins from my experience.... in the absolute best way possible

 

Did you prefer it at 10 or 15 years?

 

Hard to tell since it was 5 years apart, but based on my notes probably better at 10 years

 

It's the holidays, time to dig deep again.

2007 DFH World Wide Stout

Pours like use motor oil, pitch black. Dark tan head that fades. Aroma is sharp, bitter espresso and bitter unsweetened cocoa. A touch of port wine. Taste is a bit smokey, fairly acidic, like bitter coffee. Some oxidized fruity flavor. Slick and oily mouthfeel. Sadly at 10 years this is past it's prime.

 

2007 Avery Samael's Ale.

Batch #3, OG 1.139, 14.9% ABV on the label. That would put the FG at roughly 1.025

Pours a dark brown, with a few chunks of sediment. I left about a 1/4 inch of sediment in the bottle. When held up to the light, some garnet colored highlights. Aroma of rich caramel, raisins, and brown sugar. Similar flavors. Mildly sweet. Slick mouthfeel.

This beer was really boozy and hot when fresh, but 10 years in the cellar have tamed it.

 

On Christmas Day I opened a 2014 Fuller's Vintage Ale. Whereas last year, when I did the same and it gushed everywhere, another year of cellaring saw it lose the effervescence. Upon opening, the head rose to about 2cm shy of the top of the bottle. Flavour was good, more sugary and subdued than the same vintage last year. Will probably keep the other bottle I have cellared for a few more years and see what develops.

 

2015 Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, raspberry lambic.

Pours bright amber with a deep blood-maroon red, 2 finger white head that falls to leave islands of lacing. Smells of Brie-cheesy raspberries, floral malt and creamy. Taste is loud and tart- raspberry is dominant, nice tart/sour jelly-like quality; lemon citrus and acidity add nice pucker to the juicy tones. Mouthfeel is slick and light, prickly carbonation is lively, very clean yet carries a jammy character that is welcome to linger. Overall a nice balanced sour- acid and tart front, funky cheese and fruit jam sing a loud backup, no harsh tones or alcohol heat, this is lacto evolution/aging at its best.

 

Mo Betta Bretta- bottled 5/23/12
Lost Abbey and New Belgium collab


Pours bright straw blonde, ample white head that slowly falls leaving thick lacing. Smells of apple cider and Chardonnay, nondescript fruity/floral hops. Tastes of sulphur and the same nondescript hop floral/fruit. Body is very dry, almost like drinking air, carbonation is there but fleeting.

This was a cellar gamble that I don’t think paid off in my opinion.

 

2009 Duck Rabbit Barleywine

Clear dark amber color, thin head fades right away. Aroma is toffee, fruity plum and black cherry. Taste is similar, but not overly sweet. A bit oxidized. Syrupy feel, not much carbonation. Overall it's better than it was fresh ( it was too boozy), but probably past it's prime.

 

Cracked this one Christmas Eve. After 1 year . Oh My ! Not Boozy. Shared it with my brother. His first reaction was “smooth” and “You kept this for 1 year?” (LOL!) the blend was still there and on a cold North jersey night, the perfect special brew to open and share on Christmas.

 

Is this a friends stash or a purchase?