Mirror Mirror treasure find

I have yet to have an infected Mirror Mirror out of the two cases I've been drinking (18 for 18 so far)

 

Same here though I've not had that many bottles.

 

I've traded/gifted out a number of them but I've drunk/shared about ten and it has progressed from a hot boozy mess (first couple) into something pretty special (last 5-6). Hops have fallen off and the overall beer is just way more integrated.

I love it now and am sad to be down to my last couple.

 

i traded for it around when it was released (right before infection talk began), had uninfected bottle, then libbey recently traded/gifted (more the latter) me a bottle. i think it's gotten a lot better with time.

edit: also, i'm in the "bottle 1 in case is uninfected, rest of bottles are uninfected," camp, from my limited experience and other anecdotal evidence.

 

I've had several bottles and never came across an infected one. I agree that time has done wonders for this beer.

 

Well ain't I the lucky schmuck. Had nearly a case of it (mostly purchased from different locations) and everyone was infected. Never got to taste what it should have tasted like.

 

Opened one recently, and it didn't seem like a classic infection: it wasn't sour, cherry, acidic, per se. It did have a much weaker mouthfeel than I remember, and it just tasted a bit rancid. Didn't have the nice big caramel notes that it used too. It was kind of gross, like dirty water.

This is why you always try a bottle or two of whatever you buy BEFORE aging.

 

Thanks for the tip, but most were consumed (attempted any way) withing weeks/months of it hitting the shelves in Minnesota.

 

Huh, I didn't realize all infections were evident upon release date. Thanks for the ProTip. Noted.

 

My point was that they usually aren't evident upon release. The quoted poster bemoaned the fact that he never got to try the beer before he'd aged all of his bottles for two years. Then they all turned out to be infected. I told he that he should have at least tried a bottle or two to get a general idea of what the beer was supposed to have tasted like.

In general, I just think it's a good idea to try a bottle before you throw it in the cellar. Frankly, a lot of beers suck, and just a crappy beer, doesn't mean it's going to become a good beer with time--in fact that almost never happens (not specifically talking about Mirror Mirror, here).

 

Nope, not accurate at all. Where do I say I waited two years to try it? The only thing I said is that everyone I tried was infected. And as I stated in a follow up post, and others have stated, the possibility or signs of the infection were known practically from the get go. I tried buying it from multiple locations in hopes of finding a good bottle. I did sit on a few, only to see what would happen.

 

I bought bottles in both Portland and in my area, Olympia. Some I opened up right away (within 6 months) and they were great. The ones I held onto longer started to show signs of infection. However, the infected bottles I have had have been tasty. Sort of like a sour cherry flavor mixed in with a solid hoppy barley wine. The body of the beer thinned out a bit, but it was still tasty. I have a few more bottles left, and I think they too will be infected. Hope they taste good though.

 

This thread made me open my last bottle tonight -- I'm from Twin Cities. There is a smidge of funk in the nose and a little (pleasant) taste of sour apple in the taste -- but MAN am I bummed I don't have more. This is a really fun, complex beer. Sounds like some btls were worse than others, but this one was really nice. Fun beer to open and the age did nothing but good things to it. Always fun to open an April 2009 brew in August 2012 and have it have been worth the wait. Not to reopen the thread, but just another comment inspired by this thread...