CulturAle Press

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.”