February 2017 Cellar Reviews

Stone IRS - 2013 so maybe close to 4 years old.
Really good. I see why this is so highly rated and regarded for aging. Very, very smooth. No bite whatsoever. Chocolate forward flavor with the roasted malts.
Will difinitely be aging more of these.

 

My brother, Sister and I did a mini vert of 2015, '16 and '17 Founders Imperial Stout on Saturday night. Was definitely impressed with the 2015 bottle, very chocolatey and malty. 2016 was also very good, as most of the bitterness had fallen off and made it very enjoyable. The 2017 was pretty bitter and roasty as normal, which I do like, but the 2015 was amazing. Glad that we did it, all three of us agreed that the 2015 was the best. I am looking forward to seeing how this does in years to come.

 

Sierra Nevada Rain Check bottled 03/04/2015 bought a 4-pack at the North Carolina brewery in June of 2015. I drank three while they were fresh and held onto one to see how it would be after a couple years. I wasn't a big fan fresh but I'm not much on spiced beers. After almost 2 years the spice hasn't diminished too much. I'm getting more roast and chocolate and less cinnamon but I still wouldn't buy it again.

 

has anyone ever gotten bacon-y notes with ten fidy? drinking one now dated Dec 2015 and just had a hint of piquant, smoke-y meat. once I realized what I tasted, I smelled it, and now I can hardly un-smell it

 

Not from Ted Fidy but the autolysis-factor was too much for me to handle on a ~15 month old bottle of Founders Imperial Stout I picked up at a local spot (never again buying aged inventory off a shelf - who knows what the storage conditions were). Lots of umami/rust/meat flavor that did not sit well. Overpowering and, well, gross; to each their own but that's not enjoyable to me. Took over a year for me to get over the hump and try a fresh bottle.

 

ah autolysis, of course. it didn't really bother me, per-se, but I certainly did not expect it, especially since I have gone through near two packs from Dec '15 already. the taste was far more subtle than the smell. I enjoyed it, overall. but I had a 2+ y.o bottle of La Terrible that had some serious soy, and it wasn't great.

 

wish I was smart enough to take a photo of the bottles and beers when I actually crack them...

Two nights ago I split a 2014 Jacks Abby Vanilla BA Framinghammer with a buddy. I found it to look more or less the same. Dark dark deep black. Small whiteish tan head, few bubbles if at all. Smelled really chocolate malt. Some mellow/sweet vanilla. But got little to no bourbon nor barrel off the nose. Just heat. Same fell true for taste- mellow vanially smoothness, not sweet. Chocolate malt. A bit of wood, but no bourbon. Just the heat from the higher ABV. Really great body. Thick and viscous. Some carb still though which was very nice to clean the oily gunk of soot off the tongue.

Tonight I cracked the fair step sister with the maiden brown hair- 2014 Jacks Abby Cocoa-nut BA Framinghammer. Seemly somewhat darker than the Vanilla, it holds a stronger head for some reason. It smells far more poignant- perhaps the lack of vanilla, but somewhat sweeter. It should be noted that this beer was left regular, whilst the aforementioned was waxed top. The taste on this is great. It was my favorite variant originally, and remains such. The bourbon is there. There barrel very faint. But the heat is very subdued, despite same ABV as above. The chocolate malt taste is somewhat reduced comparatively, but still perceptible. Feels thinner, but still full-bodied, and has bit of a fade of body on the back end. Overall, quite best of the variants for me personally two years ago, and again today.

#metaAF