Cellaring Beers:   Avery Mephistopheles, Strong Stout, Boulder, Co. At 11 Years From our “Vault”

Date:  February 23, 2018

The Story— Avery, as we have mentioned here before, was one of the first “super craft” breweries in the United States.   It brews very good traditional styles, but ranges far off the reservation for many of its intensely strong and flavorful ales.   Mephistopheles was an early excursion.

I’m not quite sure how we had the smarts to put down this beer and let it be for over a decade.  It was one of the best beers we tasted in 2007 and I’m stunned by our forbearance in letting this one lie.   The original notes describe a huge, complex,  brilliantly balanced extravagance.  Lots of dark fruit, but less prune than dark roast.  Ellie liked it, I loved it. It was brewed to a somewhat stunning original gravity of 1.134 with Turbano sugar to push the alcohol to   16%.  I’m not sure the beer has improved over the decade, but it certainly hasn’t lost much.   Sometimes it’s enough to put a really great beer down so you can have a merely great beer later.   You can’t go back in time, but you can bring some of the past with you when you cellar beers.

The Beer—  At 11 years it’s, big, deep, boozy, and fruity with dark fruits and an ashy roast.  The only disappointment was from some unexpected oxidation.  As it drinks molasses and some flowers join dark fruit skin that stops just short of tart.  Ellie’s notes- Some of Thomas Hardy character of deep syrup, roasts and stewed fruit, lasting wood, tart and boozy with some surprising hop survivors.

Value — Good.   The big beers from Avery are only a bargain if you can find a store that’s given up on them.  Usually you’ll pay double digit dollars for a small bottle of nectar.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 34,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Cellaring Beers:  Sly Fox Saison Vos, Royersford   At Thirteen Years From our “Vault”

Date:  February 22, 2018

The Story—  We met Brian O’Reilly when he was “the” brewer at Sly Fox, a small brewpub in Phoenixville, Pa.  The brewpub grew and grew more and opened a production facility in Royersford, not far from its origins.   This beer is from Royersford – a big enough plant to be able to distribute, but still small enough for Brian to be the guiding hand behind the beer.  Sly Fox went on to open a larger production brewery in Pottsville.  Brian left for a new project in Philadelphia.   Sly Fox has some savvy business people — they’re opening a tasting room in the brewery centered Wyomissing area of Reading with more to come.   We’ll hold judgement to see if their beers soar to the heights they did under O’Reilly.

Our point in highlighting this beer that you can’t get is that often the best choices for cellaring beers are beers from brewers that you absolutely trust from breweries that have the financial backing to set up a sophisticated system.   The 20 barrel system at Royersford probably looked huge when Brian opened it compared to his original small kit at Phoenixville, but it in turn is dwarfed by the 40 barrel system at Pottsville.   We’ll probably grab a few beers from the new brewery to lay down, but we won’t leave them for the decade plus of this winner.

The Beer— Designed as a lay down beer, it’s held up well for something between 6 and 13 years.   Remarkable carbonation.   Metallic and fruity and surprisingly biologically stable.  Decent bitter at the end.  Stone and apple fruit and all of it is kinda understated.  The years have done no harm and maybe added a few new and interesting dimensions.   Ellie’s notes – a peppery tart and not unreasonable for a saison.  Zingy with a bit of vanilla sugar under it. A little bit funky but within specs —

Value — Very good.   This was a good enough value for us to have bought a case of it when it was fresh, hoping it would age as well as advertised.   It has.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Cellaring Beers:  Dogfish Head Beer to Drink Music To– At  One Year From our “Vault”

Date:  February 21, 2018

The Story—  The compelling feature of a good beer vault is its flexibility– you’re under little pressure to drink at a given time– but the question of what do you pull and when do you pull it is not an easy one to answer?   We cellared this beer sort of by mistake because we didn’t like it when it was fresh.  We pulled it this month because we’re clearing out much of the vault and expected to pour it down the drain.  (The cellaring disasters don’t make it to this site.)

At a year, however, the beer showed all the complexity that Dogfish intended with more “off center” flavors and fewer “just plain off” edges.   We couldn’t find much beer in this diversion when it was fresh, but there’s much of interest as it mellows with time.

The Beer—  At a year it’s Bretty and fruity with some pineapple, and it’s creamy and rich.   The spices have backed off and blended.  If you like the off centered original you might not want to put this down, but if you’re a bit jarred by the cacophony of the original, a year can allow the flavors to blend and even out. It’s still very fruity with some slightly  medicinal notes with a bit more of the pepper. Ellie found more of almost wit-like Belgian flavors–orange, cardamon, and the vanilla emerge more strongly with just a hint of heat from the pepper.

Value — Priced as a regular craft beer, this is a good deal fresh, but after a year or two, it’s a genuine bargain.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Aging Beers:  Tröegs Scratch #307 Cherry Chocolate Stout   At Two Years From our “Vault”

Date:  February 20, 2018

The Story—  Tröegs runs a seemingly endless series of Scratch beers that are normally only available at the brewery.  You can buy recent releases in their gift shop and take them home to cellar if they seem worthy of the effort.  The Cherry Chocolate Stout seemed like a no brainer cellar beer and we picked up a full six pack to see what it would do with some time.

It was a good beer when released.  More of a Flemish red than anything else, and quite tart for for a chocolate stout.  As you drink it the chocolate– very slowly –acts more of a shield from the tart than a flavor of its own.  By the end it’s all smooth enough, but, we felt, still seeking its identity.

The Beer—  This is one of the triumphs of cellaring.   At even two years, there’s a deep dark cherry then more cherry and less tartness, Chocolate remains a condiment rather than a dominant feature.   Some cherry Coke as it drinks with some herbal notes.   It seems to have sweetened.  There’s very little to complain about here even though we’re tasting it a year past its “best before” date.  It was so yummy we thought of drinking the other bottle, but heroically set it aside for another year .

Value — Very Good.   You can find most Tröegs beers cheaper at super markets than at the brewery, but you can’t find this anywhere but the brewery.   It’s a gem and they could gouge you, but they don’t.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Aging Beers: Left Hand Bittersweet Imperial Coffee Stout, Longmont, Colorado    At  Three Years From our “Vault”

Date:  February 19, 2018

The Story—  Left Hand has been brewing well since the first wave of craft in the 90s.  They’ll push an envelope, but rarely disappoint.   When we first tasted this in 2016 we found chocolate and coffee– then coffee and chocolate –then some cocoa for good measure.  Rich creamy and satisfying with some licorice as it drinks.

The Beer—  Three or four years out, the head is near dead.  There’s a big roast and coffee with lots of dark –almost acrid– malt and a hint of peanut butter — Reeces’s.  Rich, deep, sweet, and compelling.   Cocoa and chocolate and a rich cocoa coating of the tongue.    Creamy rich and sweet. I don’t find the licorice in it anymore.    Ellie liked the coffee unctuous sugars and booze, but pointed out how simple it was really — coffee, rich malt sugars, booze and very smooth.  Would that more beers were this “simple.”  A caveat: if you cellar this, pour it very carefully — the bottom of the bottle is sludgy beyond description and can take your last 6 ounces with it.

Value — Very good to excellent.   We bought this bottle for $8.49 in, we think, 2016.  Sorry we didn’t buy more of them.  With a good steak or even a deep red pasta dish, this is hard to beat,

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

 In February, we’re digging into our legendary “vault” where we’ve been storing hundreds of bottles of beer waiting for the right time to taste them (or sell them for charity).   The charity market has slowed, so we’re working through them in front of a fire and finding some disappointments, but more very surprising delights.   You can find the full list –eventually– here on this “index post.”

 We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”