December Cellar Reviews

2009 GD Oak Aged Yeti - Bottled on date Dec 3 2009. 22 oz bomber. Stored at 60-65F.
This is a really nice IS with a very strong oak character, even at this age. The malt character is still signature GD Yeti: slightly sweet dark malt aroma, light yeast esters, with chocolate >> coffee, and a lot of fruity dark malt flavors. The oak component is pretty strong and lends a tangy, tannic quality which increases through the beer and peaks through the finish. It's a good beer but the oak is not the best addition to this beer for me. The Espresso version pretty fresh is still the best iteration in my opinion.

 

2011 Firestone Walker Abacus (2011)

For all the talk I here about FW's barrel aged offerings not aging well, this BA barleyine is drinking pretty nicely at almost two years old. Some of the booze and oak has rounded off, and there's a bit of a coconut flavor there that I don't recall gettig from a fresh bottle.

 

yeah, we just opened an Abacus alongside a Leon and MoAS 12 this past weekend and none of us could see why some people say Abacus doesn't age well. it was by far the best of the 3 (Leon was disappointing).
the alcohol heat has mellowed out a touch compared to fresh Abacus but it's still one of the best BA Barleywines out there.

 

Well I know some of Firestone Walker's earlier anniversary blends haven't held up well to extended aging (I haven't had 10 or 11, but the bottles of 12 and 13 I opened earlier this year were a bit past their prime). I was talking to a FW rep last week who acknowledged as much. He did say though that the more recent releases were built to stand up to some aging.

 

It's BA GroupThink. Once a brewery/beers get a rep for not standing up to time in the cellar, it's echoed around the thought-chamber by hundreds of people who may or may not have tasted 2 ounces & already judged it past its prime before it ever passed their lips.

Abacus ages wonderfully. So does Parabola. So do the Anniversary beers. Others may feel differently, & they're more than welcome to trade their old stuff to me!

 

Some stuff I've had this month:

Westy 8 2006 - decent but perhaps a couple years past its prime.
Westy 8 1979 - long gone but cool to try.
Black Ops 2009 - drink now...def not getting any better.
Bell's Batch 9000 - drinking great...still has some time left to age.
SN Bigfoot 2005 - meh...a few years gone.
Nemesis 2010 - bleh...this wasn't any good.
La Folie 2008 - amazing...they don't make 'em like they use to!
Fou' Foune 2005 - so so good...some apricot left but mostly lip-puckering goodness.
Old Rabbit's Foot - pretty good...I'd say drink now.
Bellevue Selection Lambic 1999 - mind-numblingly sour...good but not world-class.

 

What year ORF?

 

Drank a few beers with friends last night. Some notes:

Figgy Pudding 2010, 2011, and 2012: the 2011 is definitely funky (brett-type infection). It's not bad, actually, but the nose is pretty lousy and the beer is quite thin and dry. The 2012 is good, the body's a little thinner than I like and there's a slight tartness to it, though it didn't taste infected at all to me -- more like a fruity tartness, maybe from the figs? The 2010 is still killer, rich flavor, great body, tons of brandy flavor.
Lawson's Maple-barrel Fayston (first release, very late 2010?): Doing great. Incredible boozy nose on this -- almost like a bourbon county. Taste is rich, lots of maple, vanilla, coffee, with a really nice dry finish.
Newport Storm '05 (thanks Phil!): This is easily the most well-preserved NS annual release beer I've ever had. The cork actually came out with a little pop (though there was no noticeable carbonation in the palate). Caramel/toffee, a surprising amount of lingering raspberry flavor, and a fairly thick body.
Lost Abbey Angel's Share Grand Cru (thanks Joe!): Quite good -- really vinous but not at all infected. I got a graham cracker flavor out of it that no one else seemed to...

 

I had a 2009 Expedition Stout and a 2009 Bourbon County Stout this week. Both were really nice once they warmed up. The Expedition had a lot of nice dark chocolates coming through on it. The BCBS seemed a bit oxidized, and my bottle confirmed that 2009 BCBS is my least favorite vintage; compared with the 2008 I had a couple of weeks ago, the 2009 is pale in comparison.

 

Yeah, I agree with your comment on the 9000. I got one of them gems left!

 

I aso drank a Grand Cru yesterday. I kept my comments about it short:

Beautiful interaction caramel maltiness and grapes with a nice woody character and a light nuttiness. This bowled me over again.

 

2010, I believe.

 

What batch number was this? low 60s, right? Thanks.

 

62

 

Just pulled a 2011 Freemont BA Abominable from the cellar. Whoa is this beer good. It was really good fresh and it's actually gotten better. Fresh I thought it had the most barrel character of any beer not named King Henry. With a year on it, the barrel was blended wonderfully (and I love barrel). It's still a huge bourbon beer. It also seems a little fuller than I remember.

Really, really good beer fresh and stunning at 1 year.

 

2007 Yeti. Tasting a little thin but solid mouthfeel with almost a dark fruit characteristic that I've never had with this beer before.

 

A few from the last week:

-Avery The Czar (2003): This was a store-cellared oddball I picked up a few years ago. My expectations were low - was figuring it'd be pretty well oxidized and/or flat. Did it, for science (well, for me to help understand beer development). It was surprisingly well carbed after 9 years. No off flavors or smells - that was the good news. The bad news, was that it didn't magically turn into some life altering elixir. It wasn't terrible at all, but it wasn't particularly tasty either. Very thin, slightly soapy.

-Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2006): More science + thining down cellar. Again, good carb, not oxidized, much more complex flavor profile than the Czar, generally thin body. Six years has not turned this beer to shit, but it's no longer on the gradual downward curve of the flavor bell curve; it has started hitting the steeper slope.

-Parabola batch 2 (2011): I'm one of the 'drink FW beers ASAP!!1!!' camp, and this beer has done nothing but validate my beliefs. I truly believe that out of the barrel/into the bottle, FW beers are pretty much at their peak and oughta be enjoyed not long after. This was my Christmas eve beer, and while it was tasty on all fronts (small/taste/MF), I think it's definitely declining.

 

2011 Rochefort 8 got much nicer, less boozy and more well-rounded
2011 Rochefort 10 got boozier... could this be a bad wave?

 

Just tried a 2011 FBS vs. a 2012 FBS. Coffee faded almost entirely, chocolate emerged with heavy malts. Aged it was really rich and creamy, perhaps more so than originally. Worth trying, but I still slightly prefer it fresh.