December Cellar Reviews

2011 MoaS.

MoaS is a beer that really hits its sweet spot at 2 years in the bottle, at least for my tastes.

Opened a 2011 on saturday and its almost where I really love that beer! Its got the toffee, butterscotch, carmel think going on with a moderate amount of dark fruits. It has mellowed out quite a bit and is no longer rough around the edges! I would say another 3 to 6 months and the 2011 vintage of MoaS will be near perfection!

 

opened an '08 Imperial Stout Trooper last night ... flat, acidic w/ notes of vinegar. drank 2 of 12 oz's and dumped it.

 

Opened up a 2009 Stone IRS last night and it drank fantastic. The dark chocolate flavors really came to the forefront. A slight alcohol dryness at the back end but as it warmed and my buds got acclimated it subsided. It didn't end up being very complex but it was REALLY good. I'll be curious to taste how the barrel aged stuff I have stored away i.e. Parabola and Abyss stack up.

 

09 Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter - surprisingly similar to fresh, alcohol is still present but mellowing and pleasant. A bit more dark fruit came through and the malts tasted full and robust. Still not a smooth dream, but holding up fine, don't see it falling apart soon.

09 Harpoon Leviathan Quad - still very hot and alcoholic, hasn't mellowed or changed much. Phenols come through, things still seem in balance, a bit yeasty and sweet. Malt and dark fruit esters seem similar to fresh. Has plenty of life left, but don't know that it's improving much

07 Anchor x-mas - Interesting, enjoyable, much changed. The malts seemed to have thinned and oxidized a bit; there's loads of prune, port, but not much supporting malt in the middle. Notes of roasted grains, somewhat acidic coffee, and licorice root. Slight acidity, no infection. Enjoyable, but probably has past peak and will tip more and more towards port and ummami notes.

 

Novembet 2010 Goose Island Pere Jacques was quite fine tonight. Lightly oxidized but not overly so. Raisins and caramel, maybe some dates. I was watching tv and not taking notes, so not too specific.

I'm thinking the sweet spot for the "new" (post 2008) Pere Jacques recipe is probably 2.5 years.

 

07 Stone Double Bastard - Deliciously malty, full spectrum from caramels and sweet dough and hints of darker malts. Alcohol was deceivingly mellowed and dangerous, but alcohol along with bitterness were still plenty to balance the beer overall. Not over sweet, cloying. Very enjoyable and I will confidently hold other bottles for another 2-4 years.

"Early 00s" Affligem Noel, old label - Cork had dried and the beer was a bit too old, body thinned somewhat and mostly hurt by limp carbonation. Jammy plum dominated, a bit of a chocolate presence, no hops, no bitterness, sweet and off balance but fine and drinkable. Past prime by a good couple years.

 

In honor of the upcoming Central Waters 16th Anniversary Party, broke out one of my favorite cellar beers, Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, for a night of mayhem. All the bottles were poured blind (by my terribly cute 11 year old daughter), so we didn't know which was which until afterwards. The results:

2009 - Sad face. Oxidized, barrel gone, all malt. Not bad, but just not what it is. Glad I only have two bottles left. C+
2010 - Masterpiece. This is fucking great. No idea why it's so superior to the '09, but close to perfect. A/A+
2011 - Yeah. Sweeeet. This isn't the peak but it's a damn good bourbon barleywine. A-
2012 - Harsh. This is what I think of as fresh CW BBBW. A bit stinging & unbalanced, but in a good way. A-
2013 - Balanced. This was better, less ass-whupping than past years fresh. Will be interesting to see how it ages. A-

Interesting experiment, because they were all unique. Surprised the '09 was so blah & I'm looking forward to the other two bottles after the release of the '14. Love this beer. WIll be drinking it all night in a few weeks!

 

Great Divide Oaked Yeti 22 oz bomber dated 11/14/2011.

While the mouthfeel on this beer is still really fantiastic... It has turned into a black licorice bomb. I am not a huge fan of black licorice stouts. I say drink Oaked Yeti fresh thats the way I prefer it.

 

Popped one of my last 2008 BCBS. It is starting to fade...it was a beautiful beer this time last year.

I also had a Bramble - the fruit was still holding up quite well and hasn't changed too much.

Lastly, I had a 2011 Bourbon County Coffee - the coffee in the nose is still there; on the tongue it was a little weird, but the coffee didn't fall off as much as anticipated. Drink this one fresh, though (I forgot about it in the cellar).

 

2010 Victory Dark Intrigue on Christmas Day. Bourbon is completely gone, over-carbonated with completely muddled and messy flavors. Drainpoured. This did not hold up well at all, IMO.

2011 Sly Fox Christmas Ale on Christmas Day. Gusher, as always. I open a 2-year vintage for the big meal on Christmas each year, and every year it is a gusher. When fresh, these don't have much of a problem at all. Spices were surprisingly intact but didn't pop like they did young. The same I've come to expect year after year. Enjoyable.

 

Drank a 2010 Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (aka "Weasel Poop") . . . a stale, bitter mess. Didn't hold up well at all. Broke my heard. Had such good memories of that beer when fresh. Managed to finish the bottle (split with a buddy), but *considered* pouring it down the drain. Then drank a 2011 Stone IRS. That is just a solid all around beer, but i think better when fresher.