Poured into a DFH tulip. Very dark brown body under a finger tan head which dissipated slowly leaving some lacing. Smell is mainly of dark malt and fruit aromas; only a slight hint of the brandy remains. Taste reveals more of the brandy but the roasty malts and complex vanilla flavors are taking over (I assume, I never had this fresh). Mouthfeel is fine for a sipper like this.

This is one of three that was given to me by a friend who moved away with a best by date of 2/17/17. I wouldn't have chosen to age this but once I had it I thought why not. I think it's developed a sour off note in both the smell and taste but you can still detect the sweetness of the honey and cinnamon. Not a wretched experience by any standard but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I doubt that I'll pour the other two out but unless either of them yields some startlingly good results, I won't comment about them here.

Although this is over a year past the recommended date this is still going strong. Still a vibrant Belgian strong ale smell and taste with no sign of oxidation or off smells or tastes. Alcohol is still very understated which is why I'm sitting in front of the Christmas tree enjoying this with no desire to go anywhere.

I'm not sure how much this has improved in the last six months but it tastes very good tonight. Everything is balanced with rich malty Belgian strong ale tastes and smells. I'll have the last one of this four pack over the holiday season.

This has aged nicely over the ten months since I first tried it. The malt and dark fruit smells and tastes seem to be deeper and richer than before with an alcohol presence you recognize but it's not out of balance. This is a very good Belgian strong dark ale that could get even better with more time.

This is one of three that was given to me by a friend who moved away with a best by date of 2/17/17. I wouldn't have chosen to age this but once I had it I thought why not. I think it's developed a sour off note in both the smell and taste but you can still detect the sweetness of the honey and cinnamon. Not a wretched experience by any standard but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I doubt that I'll pour the other two out but unless either of them yields some startlingly good results, I won't comment about them here.

Aging improves everything on this: appearance gets darker, smell and flavor get richer and more complex, and mouthfeel gets fuller. Even though these aren't part of, for lack of a better term, my regular beer rotation, every year I buy a new four pack and cellar it like clockwork. And it's for times like this.

Drinking the next to last of the 2012s as I like to begin the year with one of these, my first introduction into the joys of English old ales. Still plenty of carbonation as poured into a DFH tulip but the color has darkened into a reddish dark amber. Before I get into any tasting notes, like an idiot I brushed my teeth before enjoying this because my post dinner mouth tasted like hot garbage. Be that as it may, adding an artificial mint to my palate completely screwed everything. It's been an unusually warm January day here, as in the windows are open, so it did get to warm up more than usual at this time of the year. Even after it warmed up the smell was very muted. There was some vanilla and dark fruit but not to the level I was expecting. The taste was initially more fusil than I was previously accustomed to but as it warmed up, and that fucking artificial mint subsided, a richer taste of vanilla, brown sugar and dark fruit took over. I hadn't planned on doing a vertical with subsequent years but maybe when I enjoy the last one I'll do it for comparison purposes. Because, even though these are capable of being aged far in excess of eight years according to the brewer, maybe the optimum spot has been exceeded.

found a four pack of 2012 vintage two years ago and just immediately snagged it. Nothing in my cellar exists in the sheer numbers that Old Stock Ale does. Even after appreciating the wonder of big stouts this is still an automatic purchase like breathing. I polished off one of these bad boys last summer as part of a vertical, and now it's the second one. Poured into a long stemmed tulip, the color has gone from gold to a reddish tan with perhaps less carbonation but things are far from flat. Smell is just full of vanilla tinged dark fruit. Taste delivers the total goods. There is no sign of oxidation or cardboard flavors or any of the other signs that maybe aging this beyond a point was pushing it too much. There's no reason to not keep this going; if things turn bad, there are more recent years to set a limit to.

4.39/5 rDev +1.4% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 I've been sitting on this bottle for a year and decided that after my car broke down today and I've walked miles in the cold windy rain, I should treat myself to this tonight. Since there are no notes in the summary, I should provide some context: although this is categorized as an American Brown Ale, that is very misleading by itself. The label describes it as a Bourbon Barrel Brown with coffee, cacao and vanilla beans. Poured into a DFH tulip, it has a dark reddish brown body topped by a small light tan head that doesn't really go away. The ingredients give it a rich coconut smell in which, at times, you can detect the individual parts but why bother; just enjoy the whole thing. The taste is similar but in it you can discern the components more, particularly the coffee on the back end. Having had a Stone Americano Stout earlier this week, the coffee here is much more understated, surely reflecting lighter beans and smaller quantities used so to stay in balance with the rest. Mouthfeel was a bit thin for this but that's a small quibble. I don't think I had this fresh so I can't judge the impact that aging it a year accomplished other than this was a very good experience.

Since the beginning of the year this has either fallen off or this wasn't as good a bottle as the previous ones; I'm leaning toward the former. Still a very good barrel aged wee heavy but it's become clear, at least to me, that fresh to two years is best for this.

This has aged nicely. Still has the boozy malty licorice smell and taste to it like you're sitting around a peat fire about to chow down on some haggis. I agree with @Beersnake1 that this doesn't age as well as other styles but I don't think anything negative occurred here.

Tried one of this year's batch to taste one fresh before cellaring the other three for three years. Fresh was quite enjoyable poured in a DFH tulip with a finger of tan head over a dark ruby body. Smell was of booze and barrel over the wee heavy malts. Taste and mouthfeel are just wonderful. Can't wait for three years to be done.

No problem with it going flat because the carbonation hasn't subsided at all as the body continues to get darker. And the smell is still plenty rich and sweet with vanilla tones. But in the taste the molasses has faded somewhat leaving the bitterness of the oak barrel being somewhat grating on the palate. As it warms to room temperature this becomes less problematic as the sweetness returns to mask the barrel but I recall this being a better experience with less age under it. If/when Founders offers this again, I'll be so guided.

Poured into a DFH tulip. Carbonation is still present with no obvious diminution. Not sure if the color has darkened more from 11/13/18 but it is decidedly darker than the starting point. Molasses and oak seem to be more blended. Aging hasn't hurt this at all but I'm not sure that it's improved at the same level as, say, North Coast Old Stock Ale. Still I only have one left and I'll wait until at least the three year point if not longer.

Poured into a DFH tulip the color seems darker but there's no loss of head nor retention. The oak smell is still present along with a touch of molasses and a pleasant booziness. Taste replicates the smell but it seems more balanced than in the past. Bitterness in the aftertaste noted in February hasn't gotten any worse and might be less prominent. Cellaring hasn't negatively impacted this.

Poured into a long stemmed Lost Abbey tulip I think the color has darkened some. Still a strong oak smell and taste. The taste has a slight bitterness at the end that I'm not sure I noticed a year ago; this was a gift from a friend moving and cleaning out her fridge so I'm not sure what the storage circumstances were, so I still have three more to further age and hopefully the bitterness doesn't get to the point that it's undrinkable. Maybe in another year there will be a fresh batch with which I can compare.

Was noticing the number of people claiming this doesn't age well, looked in my cellar fridge and thought "shit, I'd better get on this". Poured into a DFH tulip, the carbonation is still quite present with a fluffy dark tan head of an inch on top of a dark brown body. The barrel is still present in the smell along with some chocolate and malts. It's the taste where this suffers. The coffee is almost gone and the rest just doesn't have enough bite to it. This isn't surprising since my experience in aging stouts has been that it balances flavors or an alcohol burn that predominate in a newly bottled version.

This is the second half of a vertical starting with a 2019 which was, quite frankly, a disappointment. It tasted like a slightly better Breakfast Stout with next to no barrel presence. This had slightly less carbonation but was far from flat. The coffee smell and taste was reduced but still present but, wow, the barrel presence was back and left no doubt that I'm drinking something barrel aged in bourbon barrels. This was the opposite of what I expected, which is why we do these tests.

Another 2017 in an Abbey long stemmed tulip. I think this is very balanced now and am thinking of gradually finishing the 2017s between now and late spring 2019 to ward off any off tastes or the barrel tastes disappearing and it becoming something less pleasing than it currently is.

Had another of the 2017. Poured into a DFH tulip I think the head was slightly smaller than when fresh. The barrel and booze smell is still prominent but is slightly more balanced in the taste along with the chocolate and malts. Still a very rewarding experience in the waning days of August. Still three left to consume and compare

Having a 2017 after a year (time flies when you drink excellent beer) and the chocolate flavor has faded slightly but the barrel taste and alcohol burn are still present along with the coffee. This probably isn't a long term item to cellar but there's no urgency to consume the remaining four.

Still pretty hot but smooth. I'm hoping that aging mutes the alcohol burn and brings out more of the chocolate and other flavors. But if it doesn't this is still very good.

4.34/5 rDev +5.1% look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 This 10/16/2014 bottle was a gift from a friend who relocated and had to empty her beer fridge; lucky me! Since I'm not aware of what this tastes like fresh, I'm guessing that it was hoppier fresh but that's the extent of my assumptions. Poured into a DFH tulip, it's a black body with a finger sized tan head. Even straight from a 50 degree fridge the coffee smell dominates everything. As it warms you get chocolate and vanilla and even a boozy aroma. The taste is flat out coffee with some stout malt char. Mouthfeel is very creamy and pleasant. For a not big alc stout this was a very positive experience. Even though I don't know what this tasted like fresh there's no sign that four years has had any obvious negative impact. Based on my grade compared to the average, maybe aging has been positive.

Finishing off the last of the 10/11/17 four pack. Carbonation has not fallen off one iota. Unfortunately nothing has really changed positively while nothing has deteriorated either. Maybe my palate's too unrefined because I'm not detecting the variety of flavors that DFH describes in their blurb. It's certainly still good enough and didn't develop any off elements in the aging process so I'm not at all disappointed by the results other than it didn't improve. Isn't that part and parcel of aging experiments?

The positive changes I noted on 7/7 continue in place: there has been no reduction in the carbonation when poured into a DFH tulip. Smell was still lacking for a big stout just after the pour after being stored at 50 degrees, but as it warmed up I got a nice wine aroma over the stout malts. The taste is still not at the level of the top tier RISs but it seems like a typical DFH experiment, which is not meant as a slam because imo they do things with a lot of integrity. I still don't detect much barrel per se so I guess the wine smell and taste is what it is. Mouthfeel is fine for this sipper. I still have one left that I'll crack open at some point in the future because there's been no deterioration that I can detect.

Decided to cellar this to 9 months from bottling date to see if there's any improvement, about which I was skeptical because of how balanced the taste was originally. The pour into a long stemmed tulip showed no deterioration of the head in both size and retention. The wine aroma may have faded somewhat but there's still a pleasantly sweet hint. The taste is where the major improvement has occurred because it seems richer than it was previously with maybe the wine a bit more forward. I still don't taste nearly as much barrel as I'm used to and the alcohol remains entirely hidden. Mouthfeel is still fine so I'd say the cellaring was a success, given the subjective nature of every tasting. Maybe revisit this a year from bottling.

Now that hot weather has gone, time to make a dent in my cellar and this is as good a place to start as any. Packaged on 10/11/2017 this was when I started cellaring Third Coast. Wasn't impressed with earlier tastings but cancel that evaluation with this because the hops have receded nicely while still retaining a pleasant presence. The dark fruit and brown sugar smells and tastes are much more prominent so this is, if not optimal, very close to it.

Carbonation was slightly reduced while still being far from flat. Smell and taste had a reduced hop presence while still obviously being there. This is already starting to age nicely. Not sure where the optimum spot is but I'm pretty sure it's not there yet. Looking forward to revisiting this in a year or so.

4.02/5 rDev -2.2% look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 Poured from a 12 ounce bottled on 10/11/2017 into a DFH tulip. Small head over a cherry mahogany body which dissipated quickly with little lacing. Smell got much more pronounced as it warmed up since I started this in a very cold attic before moving to a warmer setting. Smell was of nicely sweet fruit with a slight, not overpowering, booze tinge. Taste was more hoppy than the smell but it in no way detracted from the sweet flavors. Absolutely no alcohol burn. Mouthfeel was fine albeit slightly thin. Overall this was a bit of a letdown because my hopes maybe were higher than were reasonable. Then again, maybe additional aging will get this to the point I wanted it to be since this is still young. Will revisit this in a year.

Poured into a DFH tulip, the carbonation is greatly reduced with a very small head over a light mahogany body. It doesn't taste flat though. It still smells and tastes great, with maybe more molasses and dark fruit coming forward while the booze and barrel are still there although diminished to a more reasonable level. Maybe I've been spoiled since the last time I've had this but the mouthfeel is less substantial than what I was expecting.

Cellaring this was one of the better decisions I've made and I still have one left. The color just keeps getting darker and richer. Smell and taste are still very sweet from the maple aging but some of the molasses and other initially hidden smells and tastes are now coming forward into greater prominence. Plus still has a bitter maple aftertaste which sets it apart from fake flavorings. I don't know how long I'll cellar the survivor (last year a friend shared one with me but I don't think it had been stored as well as this) but I'm thinking 2023 at the earliest.

First time trying again after 10/14/2018. I'm not sure if six months have balanced the sweetness which I originally found overpowering, but after a 12/30/2016 Curmudgeon, the sweetness tastes refreshing. Further aging might balance the sweetness more but the current level isn't problematic. Maybe it's all a matter of perspective but I've upgraded the rating from 3.91 to 4.16.

3.91/5 rDev -9.3% look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a DFH tulip. Gorgeous mahogany body with a slightly off white head that dissipated slowly with some lacing. Smell was very sweet barrel boozy. Taste was just dominated by the sweetness too much; there's plenty of other things going on, with a nice bitterness at the end, but this was just sweeter than I consider optimal. Certainly not a drain pour but not as good as I was hoping. Mouthfeel was fine. I was really looking forward to this based on the rave reviews it was getting but I prefer the regular Curmudgeon from a couple years ago, of which I am still aging some. I complained about CBS not being sweet enough so maybe this is a case of be careful what you wish for. I will cellar the remaining three and hopefully achieve more balance.

3.94/5 rDev +4.8% look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 I was given this by someone who moved across country and had to clear out her beer stocks. She's always been extremely generous and I've tried to reciprocate but, not that she cares, I'm in her debt. I don't know how old this is because I can't find any date on it; she texted me that she thinks it's 4-6 years old but that might be before it was available so if I screwed up the estimated date I was flying blind. Anyway it's a hot and humid night and I was looking for something somewhat refreshing and since this is 6% decided to crack this baby open. Poured into a DFH tulip it had a nice light tan head over a dark mahogany body. The smell was understated with the barrel tones coming through. The taste has more porter oomph to it underneath the barrel taste along with some understated bourbon, caramel and vanilla, particularly when it warms up. Perhaps the aging has muted the sweetness that I was expecting because this is in no way overly sweet. With no overwhelming alcohol burn this was the choice on a hot evening I was hoping it would be. The mouthfeel compliments everything else.