Questions on a 2 year old beer found in a store

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by gclaw4444, Aug 17, 2016.

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  1. gclaw4444

    gclaw4444 Zealot (590) Jul 30, 2015 Massachusetts
    Trader

    So i've never done cellaring for various reasons, one of which being i dont have a cellar which i imagine is an important part of the process, keeping beer in a cool dark place. Well last weekend i picked up a bottle of Clown Shoes Extremely Angry Beast, a 12% stout made up of bourbon and rum aged stouts, at a random gourmet grocer's small craft beer selection. I didnt realize that the beer was bottled on october 2014, and it wasnt labelled as cellared like i've seen another store do, it was just on a small display table with some new Clown Shoes beer in a shop with a lot of windows and natural light.

    I didnt think to ask if it was cellared or it's storage conditions since i didnt know, but i'm wondering if this amazing sounding beer i got might end up bad. I suppose i wont know for sure until i drink it, but should i be worried about it possibly being just kept out in the open that long? Could it have gone bad? And since i've never actually cellared anything, what sort of flavor changes might i expect from it being 2 years old?
     
    #1 gclaw4444, Aug 17, 2016
  2. reefer_bob

    reefer_bob Savant (1,010) May 13, 2014 California
    Trader

    Nice find. I'd recommend drinking it now. The store won't know how it's stored I'd assume.

    As for off flavors in a beer like that? Oxidation, a cardboard taste.

    Enjoy!
     
    #2 reefer_bob, Aug 17, 2016
  3. Benjolovesbeer

    Benjolovesbeer Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2016 Michigan

    Get it and drink on special occasion, should hold up for 5 years if it's a good beer.
     
    #3 Benjolovesbeer, Feb 2, 2017
  4. youradhere

    youradhere Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2008 Washington

    Drink it- only cellar beer you've had and feel will go the distance or want to experiment with. Most BA stouts are created to enjoy the barrel flavor immediately, as age will erase those barrel flavors.
     
    #4 youradhere, Feb 2, 2017
  5. LuskusDelph

    LuskusDelph Initiate (0) May 1, 2008 New Jersey

    All the more reason to let it age first. :grimacing:
     
    #5 LuskusDelph, Feb 3, 2017
  6. ZebulonXZogg

    ZebulonXZogg Grand Pooh-Bah (3,142) May 5, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I was at a local beer store a few weeks and they were selling OB Ten-Fidy clearly marked as 2014 and 2015. I bought both. 2014 seemed a bit smoother and both appeared the same on the pour.
     
    #6 ZebulonXZogg, Feb 3, 2017
  7. RDMII

    RDMII Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Georgia

    I highly doubt it's seen much degradation, if any. Drink it and enjoy.
     
    #7 RDMII, Feb 3, 2017
  8. james02

    james02 Initiate (0) Jan 29, 2015 New York

    I'll sometimes search out older cellarable beers, in the hopes that some of the work has already been done...
     
    #8 james02, Feb 3, 2017
  9. HoosierBrew

    HoosierBrew Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Indiana

    Buy it and ship it to me. Ask them if they have another stashed in the back. :slight_smile:
     
    #9 HoosierBrew, Feb 4, 2017
  10. gclaw4444

    gclaw4444 Zealot (590) Jul 30, 2015 Massachusetts
    Trader

    So for some reason people decided to notice this thread months after i posted it. I totally drank it like that weekend. It was good but not as great as i was expecting, but i had never had the beer before so i'm not sure if it was that particular beer or the aging. I remember asking the store i got it at why they has such old bottles and they just said their distributor found them.
     
    #10 gclaw4444, Feb 5, 2017
  11. phildow

    phildow Crusader (407) Jan 6, 2013 Michigan

    I've had a few barrel aged offerings from CS. I've noticed that their barrel aging doesn't seem to be as pronounced as other offerings, like older Bourbon County. The beer itself might not have fallen off that much, but I'm guessing the already faint barrel flavors were gone altogether.
     
    #11 phildow, Feb 6, 2017
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