If get your hands on a single hard-to-get-beer, do you drink it or age it?

If it's already got some significant age on it, I will likely drink it. If it's super hard to get, or already seriously aged, I might wait for a suitable special occasion, but still...pretty much drinking it as soon as I can. That being said, I just got some North coast Old Stock 2013, and while I am drinking a few of them, most of them I'm hoping to forget about for a year or two at least.

 

I have the first three you listed in my cellar. I can also say that a 2010 Abyss, consumed in 2013, was the single best beer I've ever had. I drink the hops right away and am fine having dark stuff fresh, aged, and preferably both.

 

I purchased a 4 pack of 2015 Bigfoot and drank one cellared the rest. I rarely get top tier brews like that in my area (in the boonies in the woods) so if I find it I drink it, if I can manage to get a few I age some and if it's a bomber I share it.

 

Beer is not an investment, so drink it. They'll always make more of it.

 

Depends on the beer and the style. Usually I'll at least save it for a tasting or special occasion if possible.

 

IPAs and hop bombs are top of the list for me so usually aging isn't an option. With other beers that's why I try to get minimum 2...

 

If I've never had the beer before, I prefer to try it fresh. The only time I probably wouldn't is if the general consensus seems to be that it gets better with age.

 

If I could only get one I'd definitely drink it. What's the point of aging if you don't know how the aging changes it? Or maybe you don't even like it as is and you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. I have a buddy that does that. He has a couple decent bottles, but if you ask him what anything tastes like it's always: "Oh I'm not sure. I haven't tried it yet because I wanna try and hold onto it." My question is; for what? My cellar is Death Row, not a life sentence. Bottles may sit for a while, but their time will come. There's also nothing down there that I haven't had fresh. Beer is meant to be enjoyed, not looked it.

 

lol drink the XXVI but save The Abyss

 

just had a '11 Abyss a couple months ago and also agree it was the best beer I've had

 

Drink it, for sure. I want to taste it in its original form.

 

If it is really special, I will save it for a special occasion (age it). However, if it stares at me long enough, I'm gonna have to drink it!

 

It's easy enough. I was able to find 2 bottles this year without trying.

 

I always age them until I have a good reason to drink them. You know, like a nice weekend or something.

 

You always age Abyss for two years or more same with Black Butte.

 

Drink that shit. There is always another great beer.

 

Sometimes I will refer to the reviews on a specific brew--if a lot of reviews mention it being hot, I'll probably let it tame for a couple of months.

The Abyss isn't extraordinarily difficult to obtain, but it does have a higher price point.

 

The 2 that you had fresh before (WWS and Saturn) I would age to see how they would taste differently from your fresh tasting of them. New beers tried for your first time should be drank fresh.

I posted similar question a few months back and what I said was the recommendation. I stopped sitting on some never tried sours and big stouts (a Wicked Weed sour and several Big stouts) and went ahead and drank 'em. I decided to cellar a few St. Bernardus's, Orvals etc. that I've had before and can acquire easy just to see what they will taste like with a year+ on them.

 

Well said!

 

YOLO lol

 

I answered your poll before I read your post - I typically try to get two of whatever beer has a best after date...that way i can drink one now, and then again after the suggested date.

If there is no best-after date, I try to typically drink asap unless it's something really special, in which case i'll wait until the right time with a few good friends.

 

The extent of my "cellaring" is that for certain breweries who make similar anniversary beers, I like to age one for a year and then do a side-by-side comparison when the next anniversary comes around... a tiny vertical, I guess. Of course, for some breweries, I could do that more easily and cheaply at their taproom (e.g., Bruery), and for others, I end up missing out on securing a bottle the next year (Monkish Apophatic, I'm looking at you). But I only do that with anniversary beers, not with limited seasonals or other once-a-year releases.

That's largely due to space considerations. My cellar, in a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica, is a couple of boxes in my closet. I'm moving to Indiana this summer, though, so I've stocked up a few bottles of The Abyss, Mirror Mirror, and BA Sucre variants to bring with me for the glory of an unfinished basement.

 

If i can only get 1, i drink it, i don't intentionally age it. Without exception.

 

As far as the Abyss goes, I drank the first one I got, warm. Room temp. And it was delicious. To me, no need to age it unless you're curious how it changes. I did, however, stumble across 3 more bottles of it without looking. Drank two, threw one in the cooler for a special occasion. I also picked up 2 Sucaba and a Parabola this year. Sucaba is gone. Parabola is also gonna be held for a special occasion. Got my first niece due to pop out in september, so I'll throw those down with my brother then. IF I can wait that long. We'll see....

 

If the brew is over 10 percent I feel no rush to break into it. Barley wines and the such. That said, IF you have not had the pleasure of Abyss might I suggest you end the torture and ENJOY it ASAP. Deschutes is world class and not to be missed.

 

I didn't see Weyerbacher's Tiny in your reviews.....as a humble stout lover (along with the little lady) might we suggest finding one if you can.

 

I haven't seen any in the Lansing area since it came out at the end of Jan.

 

There's no part of NJ that there isn't a solid shop within 15 minutes. Even sussex county has good shops.

 

I cellar it and wait to share it

 

Depends on where you are. Here in Oregon, both The Abyss and the Black Butte XXVI are super easy to find, though for what it's worth, all the stores around me ran out of the Abyss a little bit ago, while one of the supermarkets near me still has a sizable amount of the Black Butte left.

 

Drink that 'ish!!!

 

Used to have a cellar, not anymore, I drink as I acquire.

 

They do. My local Meijer has the regular offerings, fresh squeezed, mirror pond, black butte, obsidian, etc. they even had abyss when it came out (ours has a good beer buyer). I know I can even get the reg. beers at the rite aid down the street. Local bottle shops got the mirror mirror, not the stoic, black butte xxvi, Jubel 15, etc. they all went fast but they all show up.