Cellared 2014.07.14 750ml

Drank 2016.02.27

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

Love Child No. 4 fresh is my favorite sour beer. It was so very complex and interesting. I find too many sours to be very one note. One flavor. Love Child No. 4 was rich with a ton of different flavors from the first sip and it changed as I let it linger in my mouth and swallowed it slowly. It was amazing. I thought Lolita had similar qualities but not to the degree present in Love Child.

With a year and a half spent in the cellar, all I get is sour. And a touch of funk. But mostly just a ton of sour. I ruined the best sour beer I’ve tried to date.

I’m winding down my cellar and I consider the experiment a general failure. But the experience has been valuable. It just doesn’t seem like it is for me.

Cellared 2013.11.27 650ml

Drank 2016.01.01

New Holland Night Tripper

Roasty. Good. Nice mouthfeel. Wasn’t expecting that as it pours thin. Bitter. There is a slightly odd taste to it immediately on the tongue. The aftertaste is better than how it tastes. This took a few sips to discover. New Holland is sadly still one of my least favorite Michigan breweries. This I would count as moving that needle in the right direction but only a bit.

Halfway in, I get aspartame. Yuck. It isn’t overpowering but it is absolutely removing most of the pleasure.

Cellared 2014.03.26 12oz

Drank 2015.12.31

Founders KBS

Strong initial alcohol on the nose. Very impressive first sip. Coffee is very much there. Very smooth and the flavors are strong and integrated. Better than I remember this. It is still thin. I should probably get through the next 3 before too long as I am sure the coffee will fade eventually.

Cellared 2013.11.17 750ml

Drank 2015.12.25

Brouwerij Het Anker Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw

A bit of alcohol on the nose. No alcohol when tasted. Sweet dark fruits. Light and highly carbonated. Refreshing. Very good. One of the best results of my experiments with aging beer. I have not had a fresh one. I would be very interested in seeing how this was like fresh. But while it is indeed very good, a fresh Sixth Glass is probably even better than this.

Cellared 2013.10.20 12oz

Drank 2015.12.19

Sierra Nevada Narwhal

I was pretty unimpressed the first time I had this. I am just as unimpressed this time with over 2 years on it. The flavor is still thin. It has picked up a bit of metal flavor. It is not rich enough and the flavors are not deep enough. It is bitter without being roasty. I smelled lots of alcohol but didn’t taste it. I suspect now I really do like my stouts sweet. This isn’t sweet enough. Or maybe I don’t like sweet itself but rather I like a ton of grain. Narwhal just comes up short. It is not the stout analog of Bigfoot.

Cellared 2013.11.17 12oz

Drank 2015.12.19

North Coast Old Stock Ale

Smells of alcohol. Does not taste of it.

Initial impression was less than positive. Slightly metallic. Uninteresting flavors. Thin mouthfeel.

A bit in, it tastes sweeter and fruitier. Better. Almost like a quad.

Cellared 2014.03.08 12oz

Drank 2015.12.04

Dark Horse Plead the 5th

In a year and a half, it did not get particularly better. It developed none of the most favorable flavors. None of that sweetness I enjoy. It was never as good as Expedition or FIS fresh. The intensity of flavor is just not there. It has not picked up this good stuff with age. Yet at least. With 11 more in the cellar, I will be revisiting this for a LONG time.

Cellared 2013.12.27 16oz

Drank 2015.12.02

Brewery Vivant Plow Horse

I disliked this a lot fresh. It was VERY hard to drink. It was kind of sour. I had a difficult time finishing it. It was unpleasant. But I got through two of them. The second one was hard because I knew it would be bad.

After nearly 2 years, it got so much worse. One sip and I drained poured it. The smell was of alcohol. The taste was metallic and sour in a very bad way. If I had to guess, this is what an infection tastes like.

I have not purchased anything from Vivant since the first time I had Plow Horse. I know I never will now.