Sucaba

Drink it this weekend by yourself - too good to share!
At 13 bucks a bottle I go George Thorogood all day.

 

Our SJ crews opened a vertical a few week ago: 10 is totally a mess, 11 is over the hill, 12 is right off the peak, 13 taste wonderful, 14 is good, 15 is a little bit hot. I guess two years for FW Anniversary hit the sweetspot and they go downhill from there. I concur storage, tasting order, and palate differences play a big role.

 

honestly, given the exact chronological dependence you listed, i wonder how much confirmation bias played into this. seeing how different the recipes are, i wouldn't expect a direct trend from oldest to newest.

i must be the only person that feels 13 has never been the same after a few months.

 

Admittedly I did not have 13 until last October. I thought it was wonderful at the time but I have no basis for comparison. Memories of what was can tarnish a perfectly good beer today.

 

You aren't. I was at the same vertical tasting as stupac (if it's the bay area tasting he's referring to) and my preference was:
12 > 14 > 15 > 11 > 13 > 10

 

Drink it now. I've had Abacus fresh and just opened one up a couple of weeks ago. A year didn't hurt it in my opinion, but it definitely lost some of that potent barrel character it had fresh.

 

This is my humble opinion...but you should drink EVERY beer fresh. If you enjoy it NOW, why age it at the outside chance it gets slightly better? The only time I think anything should be aged is if you REALLY think it can get better, and and the only way to make that assessment is to have one right here, right now. I thought this year's Abacus was fucking phenomenal. As such, I'm prepared to do a side by side. If last year's is that far behind, I'll trade it out. If I think it's as good or superior, I'll hang on a bit longer and revisit the situation a few months out.

 

I would drink it now, but I personally like a good bourbon/alcohol heat in a B/A beer. I drank my abacus with a few months on it (November '11) and enjoyed it though.

Interesting note, I am also a broke college student and decided to share that abacus with a roommate who drinks cheap whiskey by the fifth. He no longer accepts beer I offer him...

 

Look at that poll, nice work guys.

Just finished a bottle of Sucaba. It's ready to drink now and there is no way for anyone to judge whether or not the beer will benefit from aging. Chug it right now.

 

We had a blind barleywine tasting. 12 solid barleywines with 4 knowledgable BAs. Abacus finished 4th and Sucaba 5th. They were fairly close in voting, but the Abacus tasted real good with a year on it, probably wouldn't age it more than that. Not sure if this answers anything, but drink it now or in a year if you only have 1 bottle probably wont matter. But from the tasting it was slightly better with some age.

 

Knowledge is one thing, personal taste is another.
I mean this very light hearted but I know a few very knowledgable BAs that are talking out of their ass after a few Barleywines. Myself included.

 

Good thing you have the power to tell me what I tasted, this should make reviews a lot easier.

 

did a side by side of Abacus and Sucaba. The beer definitely doesn't age that well. My buddies and I overwhelmingly liked it better fresh

 

Had one bottle fresh and it was great! Saving my second until GABF when a friend is here from out of state who can't get FW but looking forward to seeing the difference.

 

I bet you'll be disappointed. Not because it is worse today than when you had, but because you've already had it. The surprise is gone. You'll just be looking at it from a comparison's sake rather than on its own.
:2cents:

 

Trying something new is always fun, but I doubt I'll be disappointed. It isn't too hard for me to enjoy a beer more than once...

 

Sorry, I should have been more general with my post. Didn't mean it to be directly related to you. It seems to me most of the time people bag on a beer more after they've already had it before. "psshhh, it was way better the first time I had it"

 

Now.

 

I just cracked a 2011 Abacus. I dont know about it not aging well. Its delicious right now not as hot but very caramely and with tons of vanilla notes. Very nice.