March 2014 Cellar Reviews

BB XXI. drinking spectacularly, little oxidation so not sherry like at all, very blended and smooth, perfect carb., lots of dark fruit goodness now, lesser chocolate compared to fresh, and the roast has gentled to a lesser partner than when fresh. Enjoyed with Oldladyfingers and Jeffboyardee123 who also thought it was drinking excellently.

 

2012 bells black note

12oz bottle

A. Black as night as expected, half a finger of dark cocoa colored head

S. Vanilla for days, unbelievable smelling beer. Faint bourbon hiding in the back

T. Follows the nose pretty close. Almost zero alcohol. Slight warming sensation. Roasty
with hints of chocolate, bourbon and an epic amount of vanilla.

M. Silk, very smooth. Coats the mouth

O. I was not a huge fan of this beer when it came out. It aged remarkably well. This was my final bottle of this particular vintage that was drank with my tasting group and it was the clear winner that night.

 

I was thinking about popping this exact beer soon. Thanks for sharing!

Anyone recommend letting this sit any longer?

 

Just my opinion but that thing is drinking beautifully right now. Would like to hear your opinion if you do. Cheers

 

I don't need any more convincing. I'll be back later this week with my review!

 

Just opened a 2009 KBS and opened a 2013 beside it for comparison. The 2013 was very good, but everyone agreed that the 2009 was sublime. I am usually someone who is really susceptible to not liking beers because of oxidation, but I did not get even a hint of it in the 2009. The 2009 was amazingly smooth with amazing chocolate flavors, bordering on the smoothness of chocolate milk (without the milk part). Not that it is easy to find a 5 year old KBS, but would definitely recommend finding one.

 

2009 Samichlaus

rust orange color with reddish hues, no head. wonderful smell that is mix of sweetness and herbal spice. complex taste - oak, vanilla, cherry, caramel all in there. sticky mouthfeel. very nice.

 

I've heard so many people say to drink these fresh that I was getting concerned about the bottles I didn't get around to drinking. I think I have 5 and I may just drink one a year.

 

Had a 1994 Samuel Adams Triple Bock last night.

1994 Vintage poured into a Hill Farmstead taster glass. The cork fell apart in the bottle. Poured with a strainer and there are tiny bits of cork lining my glass.

A: Pours a deep black and nothing else. No head present and not even a ring of suds around the top. Looks like soy sauce in my glass. I actually really like soy sauce, though.

S: Smells of strong booze and maple. The maple syrup smell really dominates the nose of this. Some dark fruits, oak and vanilla round out the scent of this beer.

T: Upon first taste the booze seems like it's going to destroy my pallet. However upon further tasting it turns into a real treat. The maple syrup is the star of this show. Dark fruits, oak and vanilla goodness come through to give this brew some serious depth. I have never tasted anything like this. There is also no booze whatsoever on the taste which is amazing considering the 18% ABV on this.

M: This brew is amazingly thick. Thicker than any barrel-aged stout that I've ever tasted. The alcohol is non-existent. A chewy feeling is left in my mouth which actually makes me want to take another sip. Just awesome.

Overall: This was perhaps the most intimidating beer that I've ever had. When the cork fell apart upon first opening, I thought that it would be the beginning of the end. Then when there were tiny cork pieces in the glass I thought this would be something that I would immediately drain pour among first sip. I didn't even refrigerate this, I just grabbed it right out of the cellar and poured it. The smell also yielded a little caution, but once I tasted it all those worries went right out the window. The taste is one of the most complex beer I've ever had. The maple syrup paired with the dark fruits and oak make this such a well rounded beer. I am actually honored to be able to have tried this, but more honored and surprised that I actually got a good bottle. Hopefully the 1995 bottle is just as good.

 

I think alot of it has to do with how its cellared, I have gotten vintage kbs in trades that tasted like burnt old coffee it was so gross, however I have aged some myself for a year or so and it tasted amazing!

 

jelly. despite hearing so many bad things about this dude i still really want to taste it!

 

You should go for it. Some people are willing to give away their bottles. That's what happened in my case.

 

Winter 2010/2011 vintage Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

nice ink black with decent tan head. very pleasant aroma of milk chocolate. taste starts with a nice balanced taste of mocha- chocolate and espresso, then finishes long and dry slightly bitter roasted flavor. silky smooth mouthfeel, thick. very nice.

 

Just popped open my bottle of Bell's Black Note from 2012. Here's what I thought of it:

Pours black with a minimal amount of head that just fizzed away in moments. The aroma was a far cry from what a fresh bottle of this vintage had to offer, which was dominated by alcohol. With age, the aroma offered up caramel, vanilla, dates, raisins, licorice, maple and a touch of wood. Taste is extremely sweet with no signs of heat. Maple, vanilla and caramel dominate the palate in the aftertaste, and it lingers for a little while. This feels like drinking maple syrup with its big body and no carbonation.

Overall, this reminds me a lot of a fresh bottle of BCBS, which is really saying something! I remember thinking that a fresh bottle of this reminded me a lot of what I hate in a lot of young bourbons, and I find that this bottle with a bit of age brings to the table a lot of the flavors that I enjoy in bourbons that spent a good amount of time in the barrel. I loved it!

 

Same here. A friend gave me a bottle and we ended up opening it together with a couple coworkers the other week. Exactly how you described it, which was great because I had a bottle a couple years ago that was so soy saucy I couldnt finish my glass.

 

2012 Avery Uncle Jacobs Stout - Was good but past it's prime unfortunately. The dark fruit/sherry character from the oxidation was overwhelming, and it was overtly sweet. Fresh Uncle Jacobs had lots of complex flavors but was a little hot. I think 1 year of bottle age would be the max next time.

 

2010 Thirsty Dog Siberian Night

black, thin tan head that fades. the aroma has now moved from coffee to chocolate territory compared to previous notes. the previously bold flavors in the taste are now more muted. dark chocolate, slightly bitter. starts sweet, finishes drier. super smooth mouthfeel, low carbonation.

 

Uncle Jacob's Stout, Batch 1



12oz bottle of Batch 1, bottled March 27, 2012. Given to me as a gift from my little brother. Poured into a Surly Darkness goblet today, March 19, 2014. So approximately two years in the cellar.

App- Pitch black, oily, viscous and with a LOT of legs. Even with a vertical pour, it comes with a minimal half finger mocha head with minimal retention. No lacing. A very placid stout.

Smell- Very sweet. Chocolate fudge, oak, sweet bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, caramel. Similar to Bourbon County Stout.

Flavour- Reminds me a lot of the first time I had Bourbon County Stout. Thick chocolate fudge, sweet bourbon, a lot of barrel vanilla and oak. Molasses. The intense fudginess that makes this a sipper. No indication of oxidation or off flavours at all.

Mouthfeel- Thick bodied, on the verge of syrupy. Just enough carbonation. Drinks even thicker than BCBS. Heat is not apparent when cold, but as the beer warms up, there is a burning hot finish as it goes down, as expected for a high gravity stout like this.

Overall- Very good BA stout that's very welcome on a March day where winter just won't go away. It's up there in the BCBS territory, only it costs 3x as much as a single bottle of BCBS and is a lot harder to get in comparison to the distribution BCBS gets. So while I enjoyed this, I wouldn't go out of my way to get this when I can stock up on BCBS. Regardless, my conclusion is that Batch 1 at 2 years is drinking very well right now.