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Belgian wrote:2011 Unibroue '17' Grand Reserve - these according to UB peak at 5 to 8 years, showing a lovely matured mellowness and full interesting flavors, maybe you'd like to drink up your '11s of the 17s now if you got 'em!
I also want to try an older Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw. I don't think I've gotten any new ones for some time.
Nice....don't have any that old. Only since they re-labelled it...2013 I think they did that? I do have some older Unibroue's to crack open in the coming months....
Edit - just checked my cellar notes and it seems i DO have a 2011 packed away...and 2012, 2013....and so on.....those will make for a fun weekend once the snow falls!
Belgian wrote:2011 Unibroue '17' Grand Reserve - these according to UB peak at 5 to 8 years, showing a lovely matured mellowness and full interesting flavors, maybe you'd like to drink up your '11s of the 17s now if you got 'em!
I also want to try an older Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw. I don't think I've gotten any new ones for some time.
Nice....don't have any that old. Only since they re-labelled it...2013 I think they did that? I do have some older Unibroue's to crack open in the coming months....
Edit - just checked my cellar notes and it seems i DO have a 2011 packed away...and 2012, 2013....and so on.....those will make for a fun weekend once the snow falls!
Cuvee Keiser in the 750 I have cellared - but sadly only a scant few left. Unibroue i find a nice after dinner beer, you just cant beat a Maudite. Nice that Sapporo hasnt made any changes to them.
Belgian wrote:2011 Unibroue '17' Grand Reserve - these according to UB peak at 5 to 8 years, showing a lovely matured mellowness and full interesting flavors, maybe you'd like to drink up your '11s of the 17s now if you got 'em!
I also want to try an older Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw. I don't think I've gotten any new ones for some time.
Nice....don't have any that old. Only since they re-labelled it...2013 I think they did that? I do have some older Unibroue's to crack open in the coming months....
Edit - just checked my cellar notes and it seems i DO have a 2011 packed away...and 2012, 2013....and so on.....those will make for a fun weekend once the snow falls!
I did that comparison last winter. The age didn't do well on them, I like it a lot more fresh.
Over the weekend at Milos' Craft Beer Emporium:
Forked River Autumn In Vienna Lager (draft)
Sawdust City Chinook Tillsonburg - Wet Hop Pale Ale (draft)
Beer Lab Porter - Version 5 (draft)
At home while handing out candy to the kids:
Amsterdam Autumn Hop Harvest Ale
Big Rig Tales From The Patch
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott
I did that comparison last winter. The age didn't do well on them, I like it a lot more fresh.
Yeah the 2011 is verging on tea-like in some of the flavors, not bad at all but I'd guess rather than age this one for too long drink between 6 and 18 months? Just long enough for the yeast to develop it!
The VDK Blau are from 2012, and the Deus Brut are from the barely existent 2012 shipment of 240 bottles (another snowbank to serve freezing cold beer.)
Still a La Terrible from Dec 2014 (perfect age?) and an Ommegang XV (2012) I should kill off soon. Work, work, work!
The Dupont Avec Les Bon Veux is amazing. I'm having the 375ml right now not the family size. The 1500ml should be the next dinner party (of actual drinkers, not toe-dippers.) Barely chill this and enjoy the nice texture - supple & silky. The flavors are very matured (it's aged a long time) with some bold signature yeast underpinning the pale fruits. The citrus and spice is all so integrated. One to have right away or hang on to a few.
Wow I don't want to hype this and ruin it but it is such a home run, and nice that it's now travel size.
(Last time at Blue Monk the unsettled new keg totally ruined it, the pour was like a bitter yeast smoothie so that was pretty terrible!)
A good snack with this Bon Veux is sliced kosher dills drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few good green olives. YMMV.
Had one a couple of weeks ago, and again tonight. I'm really liking it....and am perhaps a little surprised at that. I only recall have gluten-free beers a couple of times before, once a long, long, time ago, and once maybe 5 years ago. I didn't care for them. Either I've changed, or not all gluten-free beers are the same. I actually tried their pale ale the other night, but I don't think it was a fair test as I had just finished a spicy pumpkin beer. I'll give the pale ale another try in the near future.
2006 Chimay Bleue. Of course less body than the higher-gravity 2013 La Terrible and 17 and the Rochefort 10.
^ But that's like comparing a Burgundy red to one from Bordeaux. "Blue Cap" has its own thing going on and as it sleeps the flavors get more refined with a subtle vanilla and dry woodiness over the kola, grapey dark fruit and chocolate. Sweetness is tamed down and a touch sour malty breadiness mingles with dark fruit in the aroma. Barely a hint of Madeirized qualities meaning oxidation is amazingly not an issue in these 10-year-old 33cl bottles. Small handful of these left, I thought I had more (receipts show I had bought three cases) so I can drink these fairly soon.
Will have to drink up the (50th anniversary) Chimay Spéciale Cent Cinquante soon as well! It was excellent three years ago, and was kind of an under-appreciated sleeper at the time it came out; some recent tastings have reported successful aging, some less so.
Belgian wrote:2011 Unibroue '17' Grand Reserve - these according to UB peak at 5 to 8 years, showing a lovely matured mellowness and full interesting flavors, maybe you'd like to drink up your '11s of the 17s now if you got 'em!
I also want to try an older Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw. I don't think I've gotten any new ones for some time.
Nice....don't have any that old. Only since they re-labelled it...2013 I think they did that? I do have some older Unibroue's to crack open in the coming months....
Edit - just checked my cellar notes and it seems i DO have a 2011 packed away...and 2012, 2013....and so on.....those will make for a fun weekend once the snow falls!
Cuvee Keiser in the 750 I have cellared - but sadly only a scant few left. Unibroue i find a nice after dinner beer, you just cant beat a Maudite. Nice that Sapporo hasnt made any changes to them.
i think i have 8 or so bottles of the blau in my cellar. opened one for the first time since i bought them 3 years ago. yeah, it's a damn beautiful beer. probably one of the best quads out there
Belgian wrote:
Will have to drink up the (50th anniversary) Chimay Spéciale Cent Cinquante soon as well! It was excellent three years ago, and was kind of an under-appreciated sleeper at the time it came out; some recent tastings have reported successful aging, some less so.
the thought was to not age the anniversary beer and i'd sort of agree with it. 1 year in the bottle would be my guess for sweet spot. i can't think of any/many tripels that i'd want to age other than Dulle Teve, which is not your typical tripel
IPA_Lover wrote: Thor's Hammer worth picking up? Just saw this on the shelf yesterday.
It's very good, and well worth a try. Huge raisiny-figgy-plummy notes with warming alcohol and a slight nuttiness on the cough. Big, full mouthfeel (shocker). Definitely an English-style barleywine as it leans toward the sweeter side of things with minimal hop character. At $9.95 a bomber it's also decent value IMO.
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott
