Your worst vertical

Two years ago at a tasting we opened numerous Anchor Christmas bottles, from fresh down to 1988. I think there were six total between those years. Everything after two years was horrid, with the '88 being a perfect compliment to fried rice.

 

Yeah I've never really understood the Anchor Christmas and Sierra Nevada Celebration verticals some people do. I mean sure, they've been making them consistently for far longer than a lot of other winter seasonal releases have been around so if you want a 30+ year vertical they're available, but if you actually want a 30+ year vertical that tastes good...I don't get it.

I only ever got a chance to try three of Stone's Vertical Epic beers but reading Stone's descriptions of them on their website leaves me with the distinct impression they were trying to do this exact same thing: educate people on what not to age. Either that or they were trolling everybody. Belgian IPA's, white ales, spiced pale ales; yikes. At least there were a fair number of Belgian dark ales in the mix. I still don't understand what they were thinking brewing a white ale in 2002 for the purpose of drinking it in 2012.



I would love to watch a group of six people attempt a He'Brew Jewbelation vertical and then play a game of soccer.

 

We did a North Coast Old Sock vert tasting of 06-12 or something like that, I will say that anything older than 3 years did not taste good to me or anyone else in the group. Group consensus was that fresh was best, and getting worse with each year. YMMV.

 

the more i drink cellared beer the more i think it tastes best fresh.

 

I've had 2 x 2006 Old Stock this year and thought they were way better than I expected. Nothing to go out and find more of, but far from bad.

 

To each their own. I love 97 Triple Bock for instance, most neophytes cringe at the thought.

 

I didn't like it in 1997!

 

That is hardcore, not gonna lie.

 

What's hardcore is I traded for over a dozen of the 97, and have a few 94&95, and I plan to drink them all! I am curious to see what the 97 is like at 30 years.

Also, more hardcore is drinking one of those puppies on the back patio on a hot day in the summer. That was a bad hangover day fer shizzle.