Bourbon County Brand Stout 2007-2011

2007	Received in trade, "closet aged" thereafter (~1 year)
2008	Bought off the shelf at different times. Closeted/Refrigerated/Properly cellared for different periods of its life.
2009	Bought off the shelf in 2009. Refrigerated for a while, then closeted.
2010	Received in the beginning of 2011 in trade. Closeted thereafter.
2011	Bottled 11/11/11 :-) Had to trade although it made the shelves.

Enjoyed on 12/11/2011: 2011 → 2010 → 2009 → 2008 → 2007. Poured into a snifter.

Notes:

    Not much to write here --- BCBS is a great beer but quick to dominate and decimate the palate. 2011 (the freshest) was amazingly good and noticeably easier to drink fresh, compared to the past vintages. While it is a different beer, it clocks in an even higher ABV compared to past years' (14.5% as opposed to 13%). So either they improved the drinkability magically, or my palate has adjusted to high ABV beers so well that it doesn't "hurt anymore". Strong roasted notes were present that I generally do not associate with Bourbon County, but the beer was very very smooth.

    2010 was different, almost less intense. 2009 was also less intense but all of it might have to do with palate numbing. The beer kept getting chocolaty with age, I think. I read on the Internet that 2009 and 2011 are very similar beers because of similar weather conditions during the maturation. Can't say if I observed that myself.

    2008, that I have generally found to be very chocolaty, also exhibited very spicy and woody notes. At this point it was very viscous, smooth and devoid of roast, although the roast is still alive in this vintage (from another tasting done in the opposite order).

    2007 has not gone downhill. No signs of oxidation but stronger coffee and roast than 2008. These two adjacent years are very different. So are 2010 and 2011 in my opinion. It was a fun night, made even more fun by Abyss 2011, Dark Lord 2011, and some excellent homebrewed Old Ale and Imperial Stout.

Weyerbacher Sixteen

Weyerbacher Sixteen
Ale brewed with honey (dark braggot)
10.5% ABV
Poured into a Lucifer snifter.

    Pours the clear garnet color of a Quadrupel, with a moderate bubbly tan head. Good retention, medium lacing. Smells strongly of honey, and I like it. Drinks sweet with hints of dark bitterness. Definite notes of honey and yeast.

    The finish is mildly tannic, and the booze is present. Richness of dark fruit and dried peel --- frankly, this reminds me of Rochefort 10, say what you may! Either my palate is shit, or this beer is way underrated. I read some reviews and the major complaints are off-putting booziness and unwanted esters. Classic "fermentation gone wrong"? Well, I don't get any of it. In my very humble opinion, except for 6, 8, and 10, this is the only beer I have had that evokes similar feelings as Rochefort does!

4, 4, 4.5, 4, 4.5

Surly Five

That wax was a really really really dumb idea. Just a pain in the ass, nothing else. The bottles looks horrendous anyway, so there goes the "classy presentation" part.

Poured into a wine glass. The beer is deep garnet colored with a good clarity. Initially a light brown colored head of moderate size formed, but it fell soon into a persistent ring. The aroma is quite funky, if not sufficiently strong: street dog just back from the sewer, soft oak, and generally sour (acetic). Other notes? I'll put them under the red wine umbrella, about which I don't know anything!

The sour notes in the taste are stronger than I expected. The impression I got from the forums was that this beer was more about the Brettnomyces and not about the tartness. Having tasted it earlier and today, I think that it is sufficiently sour, but of course not intensely so. The mouthfeel, however, is flawed in my opinion. For a beer that tastes as tannic as this one when warm, the body has to be bigger. The red wine notes really come through with temperature. Generally dark and tart, Five delivers what it promises; but is it great? Hardly so.

For a brewery that makes beers like Furious and Darkness, yeah, Five is bit of a letdown. For a first effort, it's pretty good. I sincerely wish Surly the best with their next sour.

4, 4, 3, 2, 4

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale

A DIPA on all counts. 7.85% ABV, intensely hoppy, deliciously malty!

On tap at Stub & Herb's

    Clear and almost sparkly amber colored with a small but creamy head. Good retention and lacing. Looks appealing. Extremely fruity aroma, not exactly my kind, but very very good. I wished it was more dank, but damn! this is very tropical (& good)!

    The taste follows the aroma --- tastes more like fruit juice than a DIPA. The malty sweetness gels very very well with the hops. The light body and the right carbonation work wonders; this is truly a great beer. I thought it would be all hype & fanboy reactions but I was very wrong. With Little Sumpin' Wild and now this, Lagunitas is killing it.

My only complaint is the ABV. Lagunitas is a little too much of a bang for the buck at times.

4, 4, 4.5, 4.5, 4

Chocolate Abbey

Chocolate Abbey
New Glarus Brewing Company
Chocolate Dubbel

    12 oz poured into a Chimay chalice. Dark brown and clear, with a light khaki colored creamy head. Perhaps it was the rather vigorous pour but I haven't seen this good head retention with this glass. The aroma is pretty much creamy hot chocolate, with nothing else showing. Taste is more beer like, with the base malt and subtle hops registering their presence, and only hints of chocolate in the aftertaste.

    Only the looks and the mouthfeel of this beer resembled a dubbel at first. I did not get any esters or phenols whatsoever in the aroma or the taste and the beer tasted very clean. With some more sipping I find myself divided about the source of the bitterness: hops? Or phenols?

    Overall it's an enjoyable beer. Not the kind I would drink by the case but certainly I could drink a 4-pack of in an year. My friends who had it liked it too.

4.5, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 4

1809 Berliner Weisse

1809
Brewed in the traditional style of Berliner Weisse.
5% ABV
500 ml poured into a tall glass.

    Pours a light hazy color, very effervescent, with a small creamy white head. Aroma was all wheat initially, but there are strong Gueuze like notes. Per the label there is lactic acid bacteria in bit. That explains a lot.

    Nice taste too, fruity and tart with a little acid bite towards the end, complemented by the slight bitterness. Medium body, and I would have been content with a lighter. Good carbonation, very refreshing overall.

4,4,4,4,4

Steel Toe Size 7 IPA

Size 7
Steel Toe Brewing (TC local)
7% ABV
"Northwest style" IPA

    Undated bomber poured into a pint. Guys at the store said that they had just gotten a shipment in, so I will assume it's fresh.

    Pours a very clear amber color with a pillowy two finger off white head with good retention and lacing. Looks the part, although a tiny bit of haze = win. Maybe it's filtered.

    Aroma is... meh. Tastes clean and bitter. Seemed a little dull at first but I am warming up to it. Good bitterness all around supported by a medium-light body and touch of malts, with good citrusy notes. Carbonation is on the lower side that's generally good in my opinion.

    My nose might be off because I find it a little bit lacking in aroma and hop flavor. As if there were enough early additions (very very welcome) but not enough late additions/dry hopping. The brilliant clarity might be because of lack of dry hopping? Then again I believe no brewery would put out an IPA in this market w/o dry hopping it to the best of their judgment.

    Overall, I like it. A good local option, better than any IPA put out by Summit, Fulton, Schell's. Does it excel Furious or Mama? Probably not, but regardless, it's a good beer at a good price! Thanks Keith for the recommendation.

4.5, 2, 4, 4.5, 4

A few Dogfish Head ales

Thanks McNuts for the smooth trade with plenty of beers to look forward to!
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60 Minute IPA
6% ABV
12 oz bottled 10/21, sampled 10/04.

    Amber colored with moderate clarity and a nice and creamy, two finger off white head. Excellent retention and lacing. Perfect looks. Aroma is somewhat hoppy, slightly earthy/grassy, with lots of malts. Actually, the toasty-biscuity malt character is more prominent than the hops.

    Tastes rather dull for an IPA, slightly sweet and slightly bitter. Nothing to notice here. Very generic, and closer to APAs more than AIPAs. Medium body and good carbonation. Lingering sweetness is certainly not welcome. Thoroughly ordinary for an "IPA"

    I am sure back in 2003 it pushed the envelope on the East Coast, but right now it only comes off as a balanced American IPA, not meant in a good way.

4, 2, 3.5, 4, 3
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Faithfull Ale
7% ABV
A couple months old.

Poured a clear golden color with a nice and fluffy Belgian head. And that was the best feature of this beer. Smelled like nothing at first but generic fruitiness came about with warmth. It's the taste that was really empty: bland and flavorless; and the mouthfeel was terribly disappointing. Had it been crisp and clean, it would have passed off as a decent beer, but the mouthfeel only added to the dullness of this beer --- oddly creamy with low carbonation, very much opposite of what one would expect from a beer of a style similar to, say, Duvel.

Very disappointing, but not a terrible beer. Just very average and not worth paying $$$ or trading for.

4, 3, 3, 2, 3
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Burton Baton
10% ABV

A blend of oak aged and fresh DIPAs. A little over an year old at this point. 12 oz bottle poured into a generic pint.

    Pours a hazy amber color with a tiny head. Good head retention and lacing though, especially for the size of the head itself.

    Goddamn! this is a good beer! Aroma is of an excellent barrel aged barleywine --- rich oak-vanilla and plenty of malts. There are no hops and nor did I expect any. Great taste with mute bitterness, plenty of wood, a very very tannic finish and lingering oak flavors. Although not very complex, this beer serves as a great vehicle for oak. Rich and mellow, simultaneously.

    Expectedly warming, with a medium body and soft carbonation. Amazingly clean finish for its magnitude, I find it no sweeter than 60 minute IPA. An excellent beer that I would drink again, and again.

4, 4, 4, 4.5, 4.5