What to do with dfh 120?

Rule of thumb when aging beers:

Always try one fresh to establish a baseline. The general consensus is that this beer ages VERY well (I have yet to have one, DFH doesn't distribute 120 or WWS to VT for some reason). Most people I've talked to don't necessarily enjoy it fresh, but you are not most people, you are you and only you will know if you like it or not. If you age it, and then try it at a later date you will have no idea if it has gotten better or worse according to YOUR tastes, which is really all that matters in the end.

 

120 is already a polarizing beer, you either love it or hate it. That said, I would try one as fresh as possible before even considering cellaring one.

 

I'm lucky enough to be a 120 fan and live 2 miles from DE. I am also fortunate enough to have had a range of 120s dating back as many as 5 years. While I'd agree with Hanzo, you'll either love it or hate it "fresh", it is a totally transformed drinking experience when it's been cellared for 3-5 years vs off the shelf... And magic in a glass on tap.

 

I like 120 fresh. It is very intense with an almost unreal hop aroma and taste. I drank one with a year of age on it and it was just not the same.

Drink it now RollTide 7 with no regrets. If you like it, you'll find yourself coming upon it again someway, somehow.

 

Drink it now.

 

Unlike WWS (which I liked), 120 minute masks the alcohol very well with fruity hop esters and a balance of bitterness and malt sweetness. WWS was akin to a port, boozy and redolent of ripe dark fruits.

 

Totally agree about 120. Extremely drinkable fresh. WWS needs to age without question in my book

 

I've had this beer freshly bottled, a few months old, fresh on tap, and aged 4 years. It's a different beast each time. I would drink a fresh one to see how you stomach the booziness and age the other.

 

I must agree with others to drink now, especially if you've never had it before, otherwise you have nothing to compare it too. Also I don't think the flavor profile would change so drastically in a couple years that you would like it then and not now. I just bought three bottles recently, drank one (amazing), and probably will pull one in 2 and 5 years.

 

I prefer fresh as well. I never understood aging things if you've never tried it fresh.

 

Try it fresh. If you find it again, get 2, or just age 1. With age, it almost transforms into a barleywine of sorts.

 

120 is the most hideous beer i've ever tasted and i would pour it down the drain.

that said, if you really want to tempt fate, drink one fresh, age the other. it's not that hard to come by.

 

Especially this year, since its scheduled three times. Unless of course you live in a state with an ABV cap......like I do.

 

So the one that is just getting into MA stores is the first wave of 2013? I happened upon a large qty and grabbed 8 to have some for aging.

 

Yep, their website shows release in two additional months this year.

 

Do you have more than 1? If yes, drink one fresh and age the other. If not, definitely age it, then next year or the year after buy a fresh one and try them both side by side to decide if you think it gets better with age.

 

I tried a bunch last year during a vertical tasting.

All my notes are here. http://emptygrowler.com/2012/10/an-epic-vertical-tasting/

Here is what I said about the 120.

Vintages tried: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Tasting notes: This was a beast, as you might imagine. With ABV’s ranging from 18 up to over 20% it was tasted in very small doses. As you might expect with something of this gravity, the older vintages are the best and I liked the 2004 and 2005 the most. They are still hot and don’t resemble an IPA, but were much smoother than the others and tasted more like a good barleywine. The 2008 was just awful, and tasted like drinking bad perfume while the 2009 was more like hop syrup. I think the 3-4 year range for this beer is it’s super awkward stage. The fresher vintages were decent, but not much had changed from the 2010, 11 or 12 yet.

 

Fresh or aged, this is my favorite beer of all time. There is nothing else like it. But as mentioned above you will love it or hate it. I have never met anyone that said it was ok. I'm lucky enough to love it. Get another to age. Drink the one you have.