November 2017 Cellar Reviews

I’ve been meaning to crack this. Thought it was appropriate this weekend. Bottled 9/20/2012.
Dark as night, minimal head that leaves the tiniest of bubbles around the outer ring of the glass. Raisins and rich chocolate on the nose. Raisins turn into chocolate, fudgey brownie batter with zero heat. Thick and chewy mouthfeel. It’s a delicious treat.

 

Any bourbon flavor left?

 

@dlcarst none that I could really say. Maybe some oak barrel but nothing that I could say was distinguishably bourbon,

 

Drank a bunch of 2016 beers this month...

2016 Founders Backwoods Bastard.
Bottled 10/14/16 11.2% abv. Compared to 2017, booziness mellowed, more well-rounded. Tastes of raisins, fig, caramelized sugars from long kettle boil, fair amount of oaky vanilla. Overall very nice and I look forward to trying it at 2 years old.

2016 Lagunitas High West-ified. Compared to 2017, barrel character has faded but is still present. No hints of oxidation. Strong coffee and chocolate notes. Holding up very well.

2016 Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Ten Fidy.
Barrel character pretty much gone. Some signs of oxidation. Deceptively smooth for abv. Prefer it fresh.

2016 Fremont Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star 14.5% abv. Some hints of oxidation. Prefer it around 6 months. Barrel character faded. Smooth for abv. Still delicious!

2015 Fremont Bourbon Abominable. 14% abv. Wow. Wow. Holy shit!!! Best beer I’ve ever had, only regret having it at the end of the night after a bunch of other beers. What a nightcap though! Fresh I find it overly boozy and dominated by bourbon, but two years in the cellar has done wonders for it. Tastes like a chocolate bourbon ball. So complex, so smooth. Outstanding!

 

For years ive been reading people's comments about how bourbon county falls off and isnt that good after a couple years aging. I decided last night to pull a bottle for science. This was a screw top cap I purchased off the shelf back when it was freshly released. It has sat undisturbed for nearly 8 years in my basement. Surely this is gonna suck and be an aged mess like so many before me have proclaimed.

Man...this shit is so much better than any bourbon county ive had the last 3-4 years. Opened at cellar temp, this was downright chuggable bourbon infused chocolate with a splash of coconut, vanilla and caramel. Aftertaste had a little raison and black licorice.

 

I dunno what it is, but 2009 was one of the best vintages I've had.

 

Worth noting is that it's been 6 and a half years since the buyout. Your 2009 is pre-buyout, and despite AB's claims that the beers won't change, perhaps they did. Check out the earlier post where there was no bourbon detectable in his 2012 (post-buyout) bottle, even though it was 3 years more recent than yours.

 

Just discovered this monthly review series - great concept, I really enjoyed reading your reviews.

I'll add my most recent cellar pull, though I didn't take detailed notes:

2012 Kuhnhenn BB4D is drinking phenomenally right now. Incredibly rich, with loads of toffee, butterscotch, and raisin. It also had a substantial (but not at all off-putting) alcohol/bourbon/sherry heat.

I've had mixed results aging Kuhnhenn beers, so I was very pleasantly surprised by this.