New non-LCBO/TBS beer releases

[atomeyes]

i was there today after 12. they were down to their last 2 cases.

[lister]

@bellwoodsbeer: Sorry folks, Bring Out Your Dead 2014 is all sold out in the retail store. Still available on tap in the brewpub though!

[Belgian]

@bellwoodsbeer: Sorry folks, Bring Out Your Dead 2014 is all sold out in the retail store. Still available on tap in the brewpub though!

^ I still want to try it on tap. Gosh I'm lazy.

Next up - Grandmay's Boy, Edition #2! It's quite good on tap so I'm curious about the bottled version & how well it will show a year or two of (additional) ageing.

[atomeyes]

@bellwoodsbeer: Sorry folks, Bring Out Your Dead 2014 is all sold out in the retail store. Still available on tap in the brewpub though!

^ I still want to try it on tap. Gosh I'm lazy.

Next up - Grandmay's Boy, Edition #2! It's quite good on tap so I'm curious about the bottled version & how well it will show a year or two of (additional) ageing.

why age it?
the plums will totally disappear with time.
drink now.

[JeffPorter]

@bellwoodsbeer: Sorry folks, Bring Out Your Dead 2014 is all sold out in the retail store. Still available on tap in the brewpub though!

^ I still want to try it on tap. Gosh I'm lazy.

Next up - Grandmay's Boy, Edition #2! It's quite good on tap so I'm curious about the bottled version & how well it will show a year or two of (additional) ageing.

I really liked Grandma's Boy a few years back - I passed on BYOD because I found that I just wasn't all that crazy about last year's. I think I'm just "meh" on cognac barrels. I guess I'll try it on tap this week, though, as some folks are saying it's better than last year's.

[TheSevenDuffs]

I passed on BYOD because I found that I just wasn't all that crazy about last year's. I think I'm just "meh" on cognac barrels. I guess I'll try it on tap this week, though, as some folks are saying it's better than last year's.

It is a different beer this year, not just a new vintage of the exact same beer. Higher ABV, lighter mouth feel (according to the blog) and aged in the barrels longer (12 months this year, not sure how long last year's was aged). So this might be one to try even if you weren't crazy for last year's. That being said, if what you don't like is the cognac barrels, you will likely find this year's changes to be for the worse.

[Belgian]

I really liked Grandma's Boy a few years back - I passed on BYOD because I found that I just wasn't all that crazy about last year's. I think I'm just "meh" on cognac barrels. I guess I'll try it on tap this week, though, as some folks are saying it's better than last year's.

That's exactly where I'm at. I agree the new Grandma's Boy far exceeds the previous brewing, and I also agree the first Bring Dead seemed like a work in progress and would like to see how it's improved.

In effect we are testing the pilot and beta versions of these BW beers so it is not surprising some of them are somewhat trial and error (in a fun way).

why age it?
the plums will totally disappear with time.
drink now.

Yes Sir. Actually I assumed that was the case as the plums were added so late to the barrels. Still, you have expensive fruit lambics that people age all the fruit out of, there must be some subtle benefit to it or why else would they?

[PeenSteen]

the first Bring Dead seemed like a work in progress

[atomeyes]

Yes Sir. Actually I assumed that was the case as the plums were added so late to the barrels. Still, you have expensive fruit lambics that people age all the fruit out of, there must be some subtle benefit to it or why else would they?

people do stupid thing all the time

quoting a certain legendary Belgian brewmaster: when he bottles a lambic with fruit, it's at the peak drinkability and he would never age it. so, it's not just my opinion, but an opinion that others in the industry share.

the only time i'd age a fruit beer is if i found the fruit to be way too forward. on the homebrewing scale, i made a sour cherry ode to Supplication. i bottled it after 3 months of it sitting on fruit, which is a hell of a lot quicker than RR does. it shows. it was almost undrinkable for the first 6 months in bottles. the cherry level was almost offensive. now, it's complimentary. in a year, it will be relatively hidden. in 3 years, there will be zero trace of cherry (other than colour), so why buy something that's priced the way its priced due to fruit being added to it?

if you want to age a lambic, age a fruitless lambic, which is the same base minus fruit. sure, one can argue that fruit gives the bugs something different to break down blah blah blah, but losing the fruit flavour defeats the reason one made and bought the beer.

/rant

[atomeyes]

the first Bring Dead seemed like a work in progress

+1.
had one 2 weeks ago. first time i had it since the launch.
if i were being negative, i'd say that it tasted like a ramped up, fancy TenFidy. and that ain't a bad thing.
cognac and velvety stouts go hand in hand. it's a great beer. BOYD and El Jaguar are the best high-abv stouts made in Ontario.

[liamt07]

the first Bring Dead seemed like a work in progress

+1.
had one 2 weeks ago. first time i had it since the launch.
if i were being negative, i'd say that it tasted like a ramped up, fancy TenFidy. and that ain't a bad thing.
cognac and velvety stouts go hand in hand. it's a great beer. BOYD and El Jaguar are the best high-abv stouts made in Ontario.

Full City Tempest as well. And Lackey has done a couple over the years that are in the same category.

[Belgian]

the first Bring Dead seemed like a work in progress

WAT

Just an opinion pardner (also they said they re-tweaked it, not me.) I will re-try a bottle... some people are wild about any stout with big oak, which is fair for them, and equally fair for me I like more integration, let us call it. Skeleton Key fared pretty well in that way... I believe I first used the word 'velvety' LOL.

Thanks for the replies / opinions / use of captioned jpegs.

[boney]

Yes Sir. Actually I assumed that was the case as the plums were added so late to the barrels. Still, you have expensive fruit lambics that people age all the fruit out of, there must be some subtle benefit to it or why else would they?

people do stupid thing all the time

quoting a certain legendary Belgian brewmaster: when he bottles a lambic with fruit, it's at the peak drinkability and he would never age it. so, it's not just my opinion, but an opinion that others in the industry share.

the only time i'd age a fruit beer is if i found the fruit to be way too forward. on the homebrewing scale, i made a sour cherry ode to Supplication. i bottled it after 3 months of it sitting on fruit, which is a hell of a lot quicker than RR does. it shows. it was almost undrinkable for the first 6 months in bottles. the cherry level was almost offensive. now, it's complimentary. in a year, it will be relatively hidden. in 3 years, there will be zero trace of cherry (other than colour), so why buy something that's priced the way its priced due to fruit being added to it?

if you want to age a lambic, age a fruitless lambic, which is the same base minus fruit. sure, one can argue that fruit gives the bugs something different to break down blah blah blah, but losing the fruit flavour defeats the reason one made and bought the beer.

/rant

Generally, yes. But lambics are completely unpredictable. They vary even bottle to bottle in the same vintage. I've had many aged fruit lambics where the fruit dropped out majorly, but I've also had a select few that were spectacular, had vibrant fruit character and were wildly more complex than when fresh.....some of the best beers I have ever had. Emphasizing the small, small number though. The fruit will never be as big as when first bottled, but it all depends what you like most about lambics and what risk you are comfortable with.

[Belgian]

I will re-try a bottle (2013 Bring Dead)...

I think the oak tannin has tucked itself back a little with an overall smoother result, making the beer quite round (some would say velvety) with cocoa liqueur and smooth coffee. Great cascading overtones of fine warming cognac, the hops seem to express a lemony-mineral thing, ends with small hints of ash and late leafy-tannic bitterness over the sweet malts and coffee. This is quite impressive at room temperature, hiding the booze well and I will finish the bottle cooled off later.

If you're cellaring these they might hold on a while (who can say?) but I would try one right now rather than miss out on this stage of the 2013's development.

[ercousin]

Did anyone try the new Warp and Weft (tequila barrel berliner)? I remember the first batch being a nice clean lactic with some complimentary complexity.

This batch I got some lactic followed by a lingering taste of sweaty gym socks.... Guess that sour mash isn't as controlled as their blog post led us to believe.