Vertical Tasting Thoughts

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by jon432, Nov 26, 2014.

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  1. jon432

    jon432 Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2014 Maryland

    hey all, happy thanksgiving eve! doing a small taste test with my wife and her cousin tomorrow night. we have mad elf 2012, 2013 and 2014. just curious what order we should attempt these in? fresher first with a clear palate? or oldest to youngest?

    thanks, never done one of these before.
     
    #1 jon432, Nov 26, 2014
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  2. JuMa44

    JuMa44 Initiate (0) Oct 12, 2014 Pennsylvania

    Oldest first because mad elf does not age well.
     
    #2 JuMa44, Nov 26, 2014
  3. HopHead84

    HopHead84 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,268) Nov 29, 2006 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Any way you want, really. I'd recommend oldest to newest, or simultaneously. If you don't do them all at the same time you should save some of each year so you can sample them side by side at the end.
     
    #3 HopHead84, Nov 27, 2014
  4. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I would go freshest to oldest for initial tastes. But then mix up the sips to compare.

    I've done only aged it one year, though it improved.
     
    #4 jmdrpi, Nov 27, 2014
  5. BlackElixir

    BlackElixir Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2013 Wisconsin

    Don't know if you have already embarked on this tasting or not. Anyway, I have heard it said that you wouldn't read a book from back to front, so why do a tasting from oldest to youngest? This is the philosophy that I personally live by when doing these. Start by tasting the fresh beer so that you have a clear idea of how the beer started out and then taste subsequent vintages to see how it ended up. It really is a very fun and informative experiment, so enjoy!
     
    #5 BlackElixir, Nov 28, 2014
  6. jon432

    jon432 Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2014 Maryland

    hey all, thanks for the suggestions! so, we tasted all of these initially, then finished, 12, 13 and the 14.

    the 12 was sweet and syrupy, almost no mad elf characteristics. not a bad beer per se, but not the mad elf i was looking for.

    there were very few discernible differences between the 13 and 14. both tasted as i was hoping mad elf would! a fun little night for sure. thanks
     
    #6 jon432, Nov 29, 2014
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