March 2013 Cellar Reviews

I also just had one recently and thought it was drinking rather well right now. I may have preferred the roughness of a fresh bottle a bit more however. Different strokes.

 

Weyerbacher 14- the wheatwine.
I don't really have good notes from when it was fresh to compare to.
A dark honey color with a little cloudiness.
Smells sweet with a toasted sugar scent and some bread and a bit of fruit.
Taste is pretty nice- sweet with a hint of brown sugar over some fruit flavors and a bit of alcohol taste.
Overall this is pretty nice. I think this is my last and I would be weary of letting it go too much longer but am very pleased with it as it is now.

 

Bell's Batch 10,000

Still a nice pop upon opening. Slightly dusty aroma with a solid malt base. A little boozy.
Still a full dark dense head. A dark red (garnet) and cloudy body.
This might be moving past it's prime. Not that it is bad, but it's losing some richness. Still a malt forward drink with some sweetness and a bit of drying. Seems a little less complex that last time I had it. A little sherry like and a little fruit still present.
A nice drink, but I think it's on the downward side.

 

Got a little bored with what was in the fridge so I ventured down into the cellar and grabbed a Snoqualmie 14th Anniversary RIS named Louis Quatorze. Should be just over a year old at this point. Unpasteurized/Unfiltered.

Poured a deep black with garnet around the edges, the head dissipates quickly. Smells of chocolate, leather, soy sauce, licorice, and a bit of tobacco. Taste is rather interesting, not quite what I was hoping for. A meld of the aforementioned aromas along with a meaty, almost salty, flavor that is off-putting to me. I think it is the soy sauce that kills it for me, never been a fan of it in my stouts. Body is quite thick, almost chewy with a rather dry finish. Overall, I remember not enjoying this beer much when I originally picked it up and threw a couple on the cellar to see what happened. Not saying much, but I preferred this beer fresh, but I will revisit this beer in another year or so and see what happens. Don't really see that turning out too well...

 

2011 Goose Island christmas ale.
i liked this beer fresh because even though it has some of the standard spicing of christmas ales, it is a lot less heavy on the spicing as compared to some other xmas ales.,
dark, bready malts to begin with and it finishes off with the 'christmas ale' spices and a bit of pine. somewhat strong aftertaste of all flavors melding together.
seems a bit muted except for the somewhat strong finish which i'm not loving.
i would probably drink this fresh or let it go for a few more years to see what it turns in to.

 

I had a bomber of 2009 Xmas ale that I totally forgot about and discovered recently. I opened it yesterday with a couple friends yesterday and holy crap, it was absolutely terrible. I mean, I completely expected that going into it, but it was bad...really bad. 4 years doesn't do anything positive to a Christmas ale, that's for sure!

 

Last weekend I opened a 2010 Boulder Obovoid with a couple buddies. I had found this dusty bottle hidden in the back of the clearance rack at the local liqy. I have no clue where it spent the last three years so it's hard to say if it was stored properly. I also don't know what it tasted like fresh but it definitely was no longer oak or oatmeal flavored in any way and actually reminded me of a Belgian strong dark. It was still carbonated but was pure raisin in flavor and nothing else. We concluded it was like killing a California Raisin and drinking his blood.

Drinking this elderly Obovoid wasn't bad, but it really wasn't good either; "questionable" would probably be the best term.

 

Opened a 2010 Kuhnhenn BB4D the other night. It was pretty tasty, lots of marshmallow and burnt brown sugar from the barrel, just like I remember from previous experiences with this beer when it didn't have quite as much age on it. A noticeable sherry like oxidized quality had creeped in as well though, and while it wasn't unpleasant, I don't think I'd let this beer go any longer.

 

Got a Bramble recently from woodchopperstyle and I figured I'd check this bad boy out. Poured into a Voodoo snifter at cellar temp.

Carbonation upfront seems on point with a thin yet full head that turns to lacing shortly thereafter. Tons of blackberry and raspberry on the aroma, with little else to find. Tastes like berries, seeds, then some boozy/medicinal flavor coming through (not as strong as fresh) along with the rye notes and a little bit of wood on the finish. The berries are pretty evident from start to finish. Mouthfeel is still mediocre.

I think it still has some time to develop. The middle flavor seems like it needs a little longer to blend perfectly with everything else. After a couple sips, everything really falls into place and it is very good. As it stands right now, I would give it ~4.30. I think that once the mid-flavor falls into place, this is +4.5.

 

Opened up my last JW Lees Harvest Ale from 1999 tonight. Short version: It's outstanding. Oxidation is probably the central focus of the flavor profile now, with complex nutty and sherry like notes fading into some fig fruitiness, with just a bit of toffee/ sweetness still present as well. A shining example of what extended aging can do to a beer.

 

Had a 2009 Stone IRS tonight.

Without going into much detail, thought it was past its prime. Body felt thinner. Flavor took on more dark fruit flavors.

 

I've gotten... well, one is on its way, 3 full bottles of UK goodness on ebay recently. Don't give up the fight.