How has Sucaba become a shelf turd?

You are seriously taunting us here in TX who only saw a bottle or two each.

 

Doesn't age well.

 

This

 

Doesn't age well? WTF You need to learn how to properly cellar your beer. It ages beautifully. I would attribute any of it being on a shelf more to price point and the expanded availability of other big beers. You Texas people may need to make a roadtrip because we are drowning with good beer.

 

Bottom row is from a trip to Phoenix in April. My fiancee loves Oberon.

 

And those of us in Houston who saw none at all.

 

I'll be around in about 2.5 weeks. Which stores have the cheapest Sucaba? I heard Tops has it for $19.99, which is pretty damn high. Anyone around $13-15?

 

If you aren't going to be here for 2.5 weeks the cheaper places will be out of it. They would include Papago, Gilbert Conveinent Mart and Total Wine/Bevmo, they all have it in the $15 range. The more expensive places such as Tops, SunDevil, and AJ's may have it still when you get here.

 

I would take advantage of it while you can. We were swimming in Abyss 2 years ago and last year wasn't even worth chasing due to the limited availabilty. Unless FSW drastically increases production you may not see as much next year due to increased demand and distribution in other markets. Get it while its there.

 

It was $16.99 at Tops.

 

Whole Foods Tempe would be a good place to look for bottles. Things seem to sit on shelf there forever.

 

We'll see when I drink the three batches side-by-side soon, but I prefer it fresher.

 

All the stores just got a few cases about week ago, so they haven't on the shelfs for that long. I have about four bottles so I might get one more bottle!!

 

I see it almost everywhere in RI/MA

 

Sucaba is a shelf turd in my cellar, lol.

 

I caught a bottle in Austin just hanging out on a shelf at Specs. I consider that a right-place-right-time moment because it's the only time I ever saw it for sale outside of the day it was dropped. I certainly never saw it languishing on the shelf here in DFW.

As far as the aging comment, I suspect that comment goes more towards poor expectations of how American barleywines age. Like IPAs, they don't keep the big hop character forever.

 

Well Sucaba is more of an English barelywine and is almost devoid of Hops flavor. I think melliot's comment was not a guess base don other barleywines..im pretty sure he's had a few of them. but he can speak for himself.
With that said i have had lots of this now (it was a favorite beer of mine for a while)
I think 13>11>12 when i last had all three not that long ago.
I do think it falls off a bit: certainly the caramel and vanilla flavors dissipate.

But i never understood the shelf turd comment that the OP made. i was only able to get a few bottles of '13 (and i got alot of each the previous years). Personally i think it s great beer but now i think i like it better fresh.

If OP wants to trade some of his stash I'm always looking....

 

Good grief! Was planning to go to bed... but now reading this thread, think I'll open a Sucaba and e-mail my boss that I'll be a bit late to work tomorrow! Thanks folks for "encouraging" me to open a bottle to see how it's aging! No, seriously, thanks! :-)