Gold wax assassin

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by not2quick, Nov 13, 2019.

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  1. not2quick

    not2quick Grand Pooh-Bah (3,600) Dec 1, 2015 Missouri
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anyone crack one of these recently? Seems to still carry a hefty price tag. Thinking about going after one and just want to see how it's holding up. I've always heard it was the "best" assassin. But now we're talking close to 6yrs old. My only experience was 16, and it was underwhelming imo.
     
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  2. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Seems almost impossible to be worth it unless you like bragging rights or had an ongoing study into aging stouts. I have never had the beer so I may be way off base but in general I find that a really impressive stout has 5 years in it. If you factor in barreling you're looking at 4ish before things start to plateau and best and degrade.
    I haven't pursued any coveted beers intensely before so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think you'd be better served devoting resources to getting fresher vintages of Assassin or similar beers. (it pains me to think of the amount of phenomenal beer that is just sort of caged well past it's prime for...reasons)
     
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  3. Beer_Economicus

    Beer_Economicus Pooh-Bah (2,698) Apr 8, 2017 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I think it depends on the beer and whether you have already tried the beer fresh and aged. BCBS fresh after bottling is not my jam. You put 2 years on it, and it had REALLY mellowed out enough for me to want to drink it all the time. By 4 years it is even more mellow, and the bourbon has faded into the beer a lot, removing any hard edges. It is now one with the beer, and no longer a fore-taste or after-taste, so to speak. When you get beyond 6-7 years, everything mellows our more, and IMO, while it is still divine, and i will gladly drink it over a 2 year, I think it is not as good as a few years earlier. When you get closer to that 10 year mark, in general, I think it is just a little past prime.

    All this said, OG Rare was the best beer I have ever had, and it was approaching 9 years. Was it better 5 years earlier? Maybe. But it was still divine.

    I don’t expect TG beers hold up as long, but I don’t really know either. Just a guess. Assassin is not really my bag, so an older one (even if different) would have to be EXTREMELY different for me to enjoy it and value seeking it out.

    By comparison, not many BA stouts have I tried that were really enhanced after 2-3 years. Instead they get the, “they have changed. To each their own if for the better, but unequivocally they have changed.”
     
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  4. not2quick

    not2quick Grand Pooh-Bah (3,600) Dec 1, 2015 Missouri
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Darwin, I have a similar experience with OG rare. Amazing how well it held up. The person I traded with was an original owner and took care of the bottles well.
     
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  5. UnholyDemon8

    UnholyDemon8 Devotee (373) Feb 28, 2017 Missouri
    Trader

    I drank one in November of 2018, was one of the best beers I have had. Up there with bbt2 and OG lifes distractions. Beat sr71b2 at our share. Going to open a gold and yellow wax this weekend (hopefully). Will report back. I would imagine storage would be a big factor on beers this old as well
     
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  6. eppie82

    eppie82 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,377) Apr 19, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Many of the reviews on 2014 Assassin seem to indicate that it’s starting to tail off. I had it in May 2018 and yes, it is one of the best barrel aged stouts I’ve had... but even then I felt like I was gambling on taste based on reviews at the time. I wouldn’t take that chance today. Like someone above mentioned, unless you want it for the ‘tick’, not much of a reason to look for it.

    By the way, 2016 Assassin and 2014 Assassin are almost nothing alike.
     
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