Surprising failures

FTFY

 

If I could ask...why do you think that is? Do the BA flavors really drop off/get worse/whatever? Just curious...I generally just drink fresh beer but I have built up a small little cellar, not necessarily with the purpose to age, but more of an "overflow," so this will help in prioritizing what I drink.

 

On the subject of barrel aged beers, I had a 2010 ORF recently and it was insanely good.

 

There have been a few exceptions, but for the most part I find that the barrel character the brewer worked so hard to impart into these beers tends to fade with time.

 

I was hugely disappointed by the 2009 North Coast Cellar Reserve Old Stock (Bourbon Barrel) I opened December 2012. I had it fresh and was so impressed that I threw down the $30 for the bottle. When I opened it it was bland, boring, and one-dimensionally boozy compared to the beer I had fresh.