Steve's Cellar Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Total Beers: 113 | Unique Beers: 39 | Breweries: 21
83
30
| Consumption History | When |
|---|---|
| Drank 750 ml of Barrel Works Series Sapsquatch by Southern Tier Brewing Co (2017-04) | January 26th, 2019 |
2019-01-26 4.35/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 4/17 1 pint 6 ounce bottle into a DFH tulip. Dark ruby mahogany color with a small head which quickly fades to just an outer ring. Etched fish at the bottom of the glass throws up a small circle of persistent bubbles, otherwise not much carbonation. Smell of sweet boozy dark fruit and maple. Taste reflects the smell but unlike other maple ales or stouts, the maple really comes forward as well as the slightly bitter aftertaste you get with pure maple syrup. I've often complained about Southern Tier cranking the sweetness to diabetic coma levels but for me they get this right. I don't know if the aging had anything to do with it but there is almost no hop presence compared to other American Barleywines and that is 100% not a complaint from me; much more like a British Barleywine. The booze is there but not overpowering at 14.9%. Mouthfeel isn't as oily as a British Barleywine but still a nicely thick minimally carbonated (but not flat and syrupy) retention of flavor.
I was very intrigued by this when it came out and it was too pricey for me to buy more, but now I wish I was cellaring more. | |
| Drank 500 ml of Bourbon County Brand Coffee Barleywine by Goose Island Beer Co. (2018-09-27) | January 12th, 2019 |
2019-01-12 10/27/2018 bottle poured into a DFH tulip. Dark brown body with a small tan head of tiny bubbles which quickly dissipated. Smell is richly sweetly boozy with a hint of coffee very deep in the mix, much under the raisin and brown sugar aromas. Taste is very complex between competing sweet flavors with the coffee present on the back end. Mouthfeel is thick and oily, coating the teeth like a British barleywine should. A very positive BCBS experience. I'm glad I drank this as promptly as I did because I'm afraid the coffee might fade to nonexistent status with more age, in addition to unexpected surprises in the rest of the mix.
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| Drank 12 oz of Christmas Ale by Great Lakes Brewing (2017-02-17) | December 29th, 2018 |
2018-11-16 This is one of three that was given to me by a friend who moved away with a best by date of 2/17/17. I wouldn't have chosen to age this but once I had it I thought why not. I think it's developed a sour off note in both the smell and taste but you can still detect the sweetness of the honey and cinnamon. Not a wretched experience by any standard but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I doubt that I'll pour the other two out but unless either of them yields some startlingly good results, I won't comment about them here. | |
| Drank 12 oz of Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Oil of Aphrodite by Jackie O's Pub & Brewery (2017) | December 15th, 2018 |
2018-12-15 4.28/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 2017 12.7 ounce bottle bought in the middle of the year into a DFH tulip. For once I did the right thing and let the bottle warm to room temperature before opening (breweries please take note for your big stouts)
Very dark brown body topped by a small hot chocolate colored creamy head which dissipated quickly but left a tight bubbly lacing on the glass side. Sweet barrel boozy chocolate smell with other flavors coming in and out. Can taste the coffee faintly but maybe the year plus cellaring has faded it back with the walnut and dark fruits. Booze is there but not overly hot. Feel is perfect for a stout like this as the tastes linger in the mouth. I had the regular Oil of Aphrodite relatively fresh and don't recall it being nearly as good as this. | |
| Drank 500 ml of Bourbon County Brand Midnight Orange by Goose Island Beer Co. (2018-09-19) | December 8th, 2018 |
2018-12-08 Before I begin this review, I'd like to point out that I'm getting pretty pissed off at the craft beer "purists" that flock to any mention of BCBS as being a betrayal of the craft beer ethos. I have spent my life fighting Budweiser and their brainless Bud Lite ads and don't need any lectures on the dirtball tactics they've engaged in in the past to put a pillow over the face of craft beer. That said, I like BCBS. I'm not that fond of everything Goose Island has done, but I like Sofie and Matilda and if that makes me a bad person, too damn bad.
This poured into DFH tulip with a very dark brown body over a small, quickly dissapating dark tan head. The smell, as it warmed, wasn't as orange forward as I was expecting; rather it was well integrated into a rich chocolaty boozy flavor that was very encouraging. The taste delivered on the promise of the smell and then some. The feel of it was just fine for a slow sipper.
For whatever reason, BCBS works on me to heighten the experience whenever I'm listening to music. It did it last year with the standard BCBS and now with this variant. I know that's a subjective evaluation but it is what it is. I enjoyed this a lot. | |
| Drank 550 ml of Ten Fidy - Bourbon Barrel-Aged by Oskar Blues Brewery (2017-11-06) | December 1st, 2018 |
2018-12-01 It was with great alarm when I read what @bbtkd wrote about aging these stovepipes being not such a smart thing to do beyond six months because things start to fall off, like the coffee flavor. The good news is that this 11/06/17 can, and another, was given to me by a friend relocating across country so it didn't cost me a damn thing. But being a risk averse individual, kind of, I decided to put one of these bad boys to the test and popped one tonight into a DFH tulip. It poured nicely with a reasonable dark tan head over a dark brown body. And the smell still had plenty of barrel and alc over the nice molassesy stout aroma with a matching taste. So WTF does @bbtkd know, right? Except I think he's right. Something is slightly off compared to experiencing this a year ago. It's not as hot, obviously; but it's also not as complex. It's still been a very positive experience (I'm listening to some wild ass music which sounds *great*) but I think these are best experienced fresh. | |
| Drank 650 ml of The Abyss Brandy 2016 by Deschutes Brewery (2016-10-08) | November 24th, 2018 |
2018-11-24 Poured into a DFH tulip. Very dark brown body under a finger tan head which dissipated slowly leaving some lacing. Smell is mainly of dark malt and fruit aromas; only a slight hint of the brandy remains. Taste reveals more of the brandy but the roasty malts and complex vanilla flavors are taking over (I assume, I never had this fresh). Mouthfeel is fine for a sipper like this.
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| Drank 12 oz of Christmas Ale by Great Lakes Brewing (2017-02-17) | November 18th, 2018 |
2018-11-16 This is one of three that was given to me by a friend who moved away with a best by date of 2/17/17. I wouldn't have chosen to age this but once I had it I thought why not. I think it's developed a sour off note in both the smell and taste but you can still detect the sweetness of the honey and cinnamon. Not a wretched experience by any standard but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I doubt that I'll pour the other two out but unless either of them yields some startlingly good results, I won't comment about them here. | |
| Drank 330 ml of Scaldis Noël / Bush Noël by Brasserie Dubuisson (2017-08-14) | November 16th, 2018 |
2019-05-03 I'm not sure how much this has improved in the last six months but it tastes very good tonight. Everything is balanced with rich malty Belgian strong ale tastes and smells. I'll have the last one of this four pack over the holiday season. | |
2018-11-16 This has aged nicely over the ten months since I first tried it. The malt and dark fruit smells and tastes seem to be deeper and richer than before with an alcohol presence you recognize but it's not out of balance. This is a very good Belgian strong dark ale that could get even better with more time. | |
| Drank 12 oz of Christmas Ale by Great Lakes Brewing (2017-02-17) | November 16th, 2018 |
2018-11-16 This is one of three that was given to me by a friend who moved away with a best by date of 2/17/17. I wouldn't have chosen to age this but once I had it I thought why not. I think it's developed a sour off note in both the smell and taste but you can still detect the sweetness of the honey and cinnamon. Not a wretched experience by any standard but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I doubt that I'll pour the other two out but unless either of them yields some startlingly good results, I won't comment about them here. | |
| Drank 12 oz of Old Stock Ale 2012 by North Coast Brewing Co. (2012) | November 15th, 2018 |
2020-01-11 Drinking the next to last of the 2012s as I like to begin the year with one of these, my first introduction into the joys of English old ales. Still plenty of carbonation as poured into a DFH tulip but the color has darkened into a reddish dark amber. Before I get into any tasting notes, like an idiot I brushed my teeth before enjoying this because my post dinner mouth tasted like hot garbage. Be that as it may, adding an artificial mint to my palate completely screwed everything. It's been an unusually warm January day here, as in the windows are open, so it did get to warm up more than usual at this time of the year.
Even after it warmed up the smell was very muted. There was some vanilla and dark fruit but not to the level I was expecting. The taste was initially more fusil than I was previously accustomed to but as it warmed up, and that fucking artificial mint subsided, a richer taste of vanilla, brown sugar and dark fruit took over. I hadn't planned on doing a vertical with subsequent years but maybe when I enjoy the last one I'll do it for comparison purposes. Because, even though these are capable of being aged far in excess of eight years according to the brewer, maybe the optimum spot has been exceeded.
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2018-11-15 found a four pack of 2012 vintage two years ago and just immediately snagged it. Nothing in my cellar exists in the sheer numbers that Old Stock Ale does. Even after appreciating the wonder of big stouts this is still an automatic purchase like breathing. I polished off one of these bad boys last summer as part of a vertical, and now it's the second one.
Poured into a long stemmed tulip, the color has gone from gold to a reddish tan with perhaps less carbonation but things are far from flat. Smell is just full of vanilla tinged dark fruit. Taste delivers the total goods. There is no sign of oxidation or cardboard flavors or any of the other signs that maybe aging this beyond a point was pushing it too much. There's no reason to not keep this going; if things turn bad, there are more recent years to set a limit to. | |
| Drank 500 ml of Omne Trium Perfectun by The BottleHouse (2017) | November 15th, 2018 |
2018-11-15 4.39/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I've been sitting on this bottle for a year and decided that after my car broke down today and I've walked miles in the cold windy rain, I should treat myself to this tonight. Since there are no notes in the summary, I should provide some context: although this is categorized as an American Brown Ale, that is very misleading by itself. The label describes it as a Bourbon Barrel Brown with coffee, cacao and vanilla beans.
Poured into a DFH tulip, it has a dark reddish brown body topped by a small light tan head that doesn't really go away. The ingredients give it a rich coconut smell in which, at times, you can detect the individual parts but why bother; just enjoy the whole thing. The taste is similar but in it you can discern the components more, particularly the coffee on the back end. Having had a Stone Americano Stout earlier this week, the coffee here is much more understated, surely reflecting lighter beans and smaller quantities used so to stay in balance with the rest. Mouthfeel was a bit thin for this but that's a small quibble.
I don't think I had this fresh so I can't judge the impact that aging it a year accomplished other than this was a very good experience. | |
| Drank 12 oz of Backwoods Bastard by Founders Brewing (2018-08-01) | November 14th, 2018 |
2018-11-14 Tried one of this year's batch to taste one fresh before cellaring the other three for three years. Fresh was quite enjoyable poured in a DFH tulip with a finger of tan head over a dark ruby body. Smell was of booze and barrel over the wee heavy malts. Taste and mouthfeel are just wonderful. Can't wait for three years to be done. | |
| Drank 12 oz of Curmudgeon by Founders Brewing (2016-12-30) | November 14th, 2018 |
2019-11-23 No problem with it going flat because the carbonation hasn't subsided at all as the body continues to get darker. And the smell is still plenty rich and sweet with vanilla tones. But in the taste the molasses has faded somewhat leaving the bitterness of the oak barrel being somewhat grating on the palate. As it warms to room temperature this becomes less problematic as the sweetness returns to mask the barrel but I recall this being a better experience with less age under it. If/when Founders offers this again, I'll be so guided. | |
2019-04-25 Poured into a DFH tulip. Carbonation is still present with no obvious diminution. Not sure if the color has darkened more from 11/13/18 but it is decidedly darker than the starting point. Molasses and oak seem to be more blended. Aging hasn't hurt this at all but I'm not sure that it's improved at the same level as, say, North Coast Old Stock Ale. Still I only have one left and I'll wait until at least the three year point if not longer. | |
2018-07-21 Poured into a DFH tulip the color seems darker but there's no loss of head nor retention. The oak smell is still present along with a touch of molasses and a pleasant booziness. Taste replicates the smell but it seems more balanced than in the past. Bitterness in the aftertaste noted in February hasn't gotten any worse and might be less prominent. Cellaring hasn't negatively impacted this. | |
2018-02-12 Poured into a long stemmed Lost Abbey tulip I think the color has darkened some. Still a strong oak smell and taste. The taste has a slight bitterness at the end that I'm not sure I noticed a year ago; this was a gift from a friend moving and cleaning out her fridge so I'm not sure what the storage circumstances were, so I still have three more to further age and hopefully the bitterness doesn't get to the point that it's undrinkable. Maybe in another year there will be a fresh batch with which I can compare. | |
| Drank 12 oz of KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) by Founders Brewing (2017) | November 12th, 2018 |
2019-04-26 This is the second half of a vertical starting with a 2019 which was, quite frankly, a disappointment. It tasted like a slightly better Breakfast Stout with next to no barrel presence. This had slightly less carbonation but was far from flat. The coffee smell and taste was reduced but still present but, wow, the barrel presence was back and left no doubt that I'm drinking something barrel aged in bourbon barrels. This was the opposite of what I expected, which is why we do these tests. | |
2018-11-12 Another 2017 in an Abbey long stemmed tulip. I think this is very balanced now and am thinking of gradually finishing the 2017s between now and late spring 2019 to ward off any off tastes or the barrel tastes disappearing and it becoming something less pleasing than it currently is. | |
2018-08-26 Had another of the 2017. Poured into a DFH tulip I think the head was slightly smaller than when fresh. The barrel and booze smell is still prominent but is slightly more balanced in the taste along with the chocolate and malts. Still a very rewarding experience in the waning days of August. Still three left to consume and compare
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2018-04-07 Having a 2017 after a year (time flies when you drink excellent beer) and the chocolate flavor has faded slightly but the barrel taste and alcohol burn are still present along with the coffee. This probably isn't a long term item to cellar but there's no urgency to consume the remaining four.
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2018-02-19 Still pretty hot but smooth. I'm hoping that aging mutes the alcohol burn and brings out more of the chocolate and other flavors. But if it doesn't this is still very good. | |
