The Oldest Beer You've Had

I'm excited to drink my '96 J.W. Lee's Harvest... waiting for the right occasion.

 

1985 Westy Extra 8

 

There is a 1993 JW Lees in the cellar, maybe will wait until next year to crack it open. Other than that, I can only recall having sampled fairly common stouts and barleywines 4-5 years old.

 

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1533/578/?ba=thagr81us Cheers!

 

1983 Celebration ale. That bottle was one year older than myself. Had it in 2009.

 

1996 Cantillon Bruocsella... It was my first sour. It was good but I wasn't as prepared as I should have been.
1997 Gale's - Falling apart pretty hard. Interesting, but strong vinegar and very flat.

 

Had a 2005 Pannepot Grand Reserva at the beginning of the year, really good. Also have some 2006 World Wide Stout I can't wait to try, just just looking for a 2007 so a can do a complete 06-11 vertical over a full week.

 

1994 and 1995 Chimay Grand Reserve. Also a 1994 Samichlaus. (Oldest when drank at 17 years, the other two were 14 and 15 years.) Oldest currently in my cellar is a 1999 J.W. Lee's.

 

I brewed some mead in 1999 and drink one bottle each year. I have 2 six-packs left. Don't have the gumption to drink the Sam Adams Boston Lager that I bought on my honeymoon in 1988. It looks nasty in there.

 

'95 Bigfoot. Oxidized, but good. '07 Samichlaus, now looking for more. ISO: aged Samichlaus

 

2006 (drank in 2011) Peche Mortel. Lacking carbonation, but still very pleasant

 

Alaskan had their 2001 Smoked Porter at GABF last year and that is the oldest I've tasted. It was great!

 

1951 geuze from an unknown brewery

Was really mellow, flat & tasty. Got a picture of it and the cork on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kylemh/media/slideshow?url=http://yfrog.com/o02g2vcj

 

1902 Bass King's Ale, much more pleasant than I had been anticipating: review

 

My oldest is a 2004 Caldera Old Growth in 2010 so it was 6 years old. Next to that, probably 4 year old Abyss.

 

Bear Republic had their 2002 vintages of Old Scouter's BW and Sammy's Strong Ale. The BW was pretty good but Sammy's was phenomenal! It was one of the best beer experiences I've had.

 

1975 Thomas Hardy's that was opened by my friend last month. Prior to that a Samichlaus from sometime in the 80s. I would have to ask my friend for the exact vintage but I want to say it was '87. Before that, a SA Triple Bock. I am sure it is easy to guess which experience was the worst one of the bunch

 

I guess I am to blame for the two vintages of Triple Bock at last year's HMOG. Or maybe you "enjoyed" them elsewhere. The '75 Thomas Hardy and the pre-1990s Samiichlaus were good. I don't remember the exact vintage for the Sami, either.

The oldest decent bottle was a Ballantine IPA, from about 1960, that I tried with MightyMalt97, back in the mid-late 1990s. About three years ago, wiith another friend (and the friend's dad - who had worked at Ballantiine) we tried a Ballantine Burton Ale, brewed about 1941, bottled about 1960. It was part of brewing history, but it was BLAND. Not bad, just bland. We at least expected a malty flavor in the absence of the original hops.

 

1986 Thomas Hardy's for me. Was told it wasn't stored properly, but it was great.

Other standouts:
Brabantiae, Thanks Michael.
'90s Cantiloon gueuze (96?), Thanks Craig.
3F Millennium Geuze, 2001, 2002 Oude Geuze, Roos/Blauw, all some of the best beers I've ever had.
1999 Westvleteren 12, best non sour aged beer I've ever had. Immaculate.

Novelty:
Walking into Toronado on a random day a few months ago to see 1999 Alaskan Smoked Porter on tap.