October 2017 Cellar Reviews

2013 BCBBW

Seems to be way past its prime. Biggest flavor is toothpaste, ugh. The dark fruits that make these amazing are still there, but masked out by said toothpaste.

If you have any left, may want to get rid of them now.

2.5/5

 

A toothpaste flavor would be rough to take. I drank my last one of these Friday night and it was excellent...sweet, boozy, dark fruit. Mine says it was bottled on the 17SEP13 and I got it from a liquor store (possibly Total Wine) in summer 2014.

Has this been in your cellar since it came out? Can there be that much variation between bottling batches?

 

I mean, its a flavor we get twice a day, so if anything we're used to it. I am not the original owner of the bottle. Its likely been in my fridge (~50) for a year or two at this point but who knows before that. I don't remember when I got it honestly. Very rarely do I trade for any beers that aren't fresh these days, so experiences like this tend to reinforce that mentality.

 

It' seems really odd to me that more people are not speaking up about their BCBBW Vintage experiences. I thought BCBBW was supposed to age as gracefully as BCBS?

 

Still doing fine with the carbonation and foam. The bourbon and cherry bark are, imho, at the peak of perfection. Vanilla and molasses are strong and there's minimal oxidation. I reckon I caught this at just the right time. Now I wonder what my 2010 is going to be like. Prost!

 

Just cracked a 2015 Hill Farmstead Juicy. Still has one of the most amazing aroma's out of any of their wild's. Oak, white wine, juicy over-ripe pineapple/watermelon, mixed citrus, light funk. Taste is all that and then some. Acidity has become a little more pronounced, but still soft and almost creamy on the palate. Phenomenal beer, one of my favorite's from them.

 

I had one last week, same vintage (same date exactly)....I thought it was very good, no flavors you describe. Maybe it went bad?

 

Cracked one of my last remaining 2016 Dweller's from GreenMan last night.
Rich, semi-sweet chocolate flavors, balanced with a nice presence of dark fruits and slight roast.

10/10. Would drink again. Its right up there with Expedition from Bells, albeit quite a bit sweeter- but in a good way. Not sure this would continue to improve for years the way Expo does though.

 

I found this hard to drink fresh. I am saving one to try in a few years just for the hell of it.

 

cross posted from WBAYDN #1828

The appearance was a thick dark brown color with no matter how hard I poured, there wasn't any head and there wasn't any lace.
The aroma captured a superb blend of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, sweet driftwood, light earthy spice, sweet vinous quality, light vanilla bean, sweet barley/graininess and a touch of anise on the back end.
The flavor was modestly sweet with that earthy spice and the anise sliding in for a spectacular broadening effect. That cleaned up sweet driftwood roams in and around ever so nicely. Moderate sticky sweet to earthy sort of aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a good sipping quality about it. Carbonation felt fairly low yet expected. ABV felt just a hair under, but not too much. Slight acceptable graininess in the finish, but honestly, I somewhat liked it as it seemed to cut down on any possible cloying effects that may have came about.
Overall, in my opinion, what an absolutely wonderful aged imperial stout! It delivers on every promise that Dogfish Head says.

 

What year was this one bottled?

 

Oh nuts, I'm an idiot, ugh, sorry, "2016", I can't believe I forgot to put that in my post, but thank you for pointing out.

 

Kulmbacher Eisbock
Purchased around November 2014
Unknown bottle date - code is 2249362

Pours black with ruby hues around the edges of the glass when held to the light. Starts with about 1/2 finger of off-white head which quickly reduces to a thin collar.

Nose of dark fruit - predominately raisin. Juicy plum. Some sweet leather notes. Rich molasses notes underlying.

Dark fruit dominates the palate. No booze at all. A bit of leather and pepper in the back of the mouth. Rich, sticky finish, but the dry earthiness lingers underneath. Incredibly well balanced.

Medium bodied. Appropriate carbonation for the style. Finish is a bit sticky, but not cloying.

Overall this is infinitely better with age though unfortunately I have no idea when this was brewed - since I picked it up in 11.2014, it's at least nearly 3 years and I'm confident this would hold up well for at least a couple more.

 

This is a lovely Eisbock, I had it years ago fairly fresh, (I'd like to say 4 months, I think), somewhat wishing I remembered the exact date, but oh well. Cheers to you for a stellar review!