July Cellar Reviews

2010 Bells Expedition Stout- No formal review because I split this with a friend I haven't seen for a while...our focus was more on catching up, rather than reviewing the beer....but alas, I did notice how well this one is progressing. I remember lots of bitterness and some harsh roasted notes in the past with this one (while still being a very good imp. stout). Last night my last bottle was tasting great. LOTS of chocolate and just a hint of the intense roast. I wish I had a few more bottles because I see this one getting even better in the years to come. In 2-3 years, I see this one tasting like chocolate mousse, and will be as smooth as butter. If you have a few aging, I suggest trying one now, but holding on for a couple of years to have something really special. This beer can go the distance.

 

2010 Port Older Viscosity is awesome right now and I think it rest even longer. Lots of bourbon vanilla and tons of coffee. The coffee is really surprising. No soy sauce at all. Just decadent goodness.

 

Two year old Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper - we loved this one fresh, but were a little disappointed in our cellared version. It wasn't bad, but lost balance and had a strange initial bitterness. It improved with time, but still wasn't as good as the fresh version.

 

Had an '06, '07, '08 Great Divide Hibernation Ale. The '06 was superb...very smooth and mellowed out. It had that caramel, malty, sticky goodness to it that I love on aged beers. The '07 and '08 were good, but not as good as the '06.

Also had an '06 (kegged in '08) Lou Pepe Kriek on draft last night (x3). Amazing. The cherries are still amazingly bright and in full force. The lambic flavors haven't overpowered them yet, which bodes well to the bottle I have cellared.