That was a fantastic bottle, thanks for bringing it.
I actually lay down my Cantillons, and realized this-
They use a traditional wine cork. Other beers that size use the cage and cork. Perhaps that is the difference?
So, I will lay down Cantillon, and still stand up the others.
I lay anything with a cork on its side to prevent the cork from drying out. Crown caps remain standing whenever possible.
We just finished off a 2013 Chimay Blue, it was fabulous.
First post here, thought this might interest people. 2003 Dogfish Head 120 min IPA (750ml, cork and cage). I bought two on release from their brewpub in Rehoboth Beach. Drank one of them that week and held the other until last October. I stored it laying down in my cellar at 57 degrees the whole time. 12 year old IPA. I was worried about the cork but there was no seepage and it came out in one piece!! It was the oldest beer I’ve ever had by far. Amazing how well it held up. Still carbonated but tiny, tiny bubbles. The hops melded into everything perfectly with an amazing balance of slight bitterness and sweetness with that really great aged profile. I wish I bought more, it would be great to have a few more of these around, seemed like it was in a good place and would hold there for quite a while. How great would it be to be able to try one of these at 20 years of age.
Fantastic! Did you plan from the get-go to lay one bottle down for that long, or did you just forget you had?
My plan was to hold one and see what would happen to it. Dogfish says that this would age well and I decided to find out. They were right! I was starting to get worried that I was waiting for to long but that wasn’t the case. Not sure how aging this long would apply to other beers considering the size of this one, 15-18% abv, but with the right storage conditions I think it’s worthwhile to keep some larger beers for longer than you think is acceptable. I they totally fall apart you aren’t out that much, if they are great you are going to wish you had more.
Welcome, Rob! I’ve always been interested in how this beer might age. Glad to hear it was still tasty! Did it strike you as a hoppy Barleywine, of sorts?
dogfish 120 is basically a hoppy barleywine
Didn’t even know that it was ever bottled in 750 under cork & cage! Never would have thought that any ort of hop character would remain in a 12 year old beer.
On Sunday I cracked my last Goose Island Gillian (2013). OMFG what an awesome, wine-y, tart, refreshing drink. So utterly complex and aromatic. So sad it was my last one.
Hoppy barleywine is the best way to categorize it. The first few years these were bottled only in 750’s. They used to bottle them by hand 5 or 6 at a time. Not sure if it’s true, but the story I heard was that when the corks were getting put in the bottles someone had their finger over the bottle and the corking machine punched their knuckle into the bottle. Next release was in 12 oz bottles with a cap…
Oooh! {shudder}
I just purchased a cellar in the Netherlands with thirty bottles of Cantillon that were purchased from the brewery fifteen years ago:
Lou Pepe, Rosé de Gambrinus, Geuze 100% Lambic, Grand Cru Bruocsella 1999, Kriek.
We will try them when they land and report back.
fantastic!
This is interesting, thanks for sharing man! Im also a beer lover haha…
That’s an awesome score Patrick please let us know how they show for you.
IM drinking a 2013 Thirsty Dog Siberian Knight BBA I found as a stray in my cellar. This is sort of a regional beer that is well regarded pretty much for the BBA stuff. This beer just hasn’t budged in the least, I’m not sure I’d pick it blind from the new release, so if your looking for any development it’s probably going to take a decade. With so many BBA beers these days it’s no longer something to seek, but if your ever in Ohio it’s a good one to look out for.
I had the opportunity to try a 2007 and 2008 N’Ice Chouffe tonight. The 2007 was too carmelized for my tastes, but the 2008 was very nice.
I’ve got a vertical of Anchor Christmas running back to 2011. Plan to try all 6 together at some point over the holidays and will report back.
2012 Wells & Young - “Courage” Russian Imperial Stout
It’s still excellent, although perhaps not quite as good as it used to be. Two more bottles to go.
Had a 4.5 yo. bottle of The Kernel - Imperial Brown Stout this weekend. Smelled and tasted aged without being too old. For my preferences, however, this was probably at its best one or two years ago.
The more I drink aged Imperial Stouts, the more I’m finding that my general ageing sweet spot for these beers is 2 - 3 years. Some of the BBAS, however, I’m finding I prefer with more age on them. Perhaps this will be the year I crack my last '09 Bourbon County … ![[bye.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/984858d1d14f8b2f351499080ee63857219b69ad.gif "bye"){kind=small}