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.

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.

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.

4.18/5 rDev -1.9% look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 I've been looking forward to this for a while. Poured into a DFH tulip had a thick tan head, which never completely dissipated, over a dark brown body. Very aesthetically appealing to look at. Smell was very nice with a boozy barrel aroma over a roasted chocolate malt base. Taste was fine but didn't quite deliver on the promise of the smell; lacking the complexity I was hoping for. Mouthfeel was just fine. I don't know if it's appropriate to address it here but I'll do it anyway: is it appropriate to hold barrel aged Russian Imperial stouts to the same standards as double imperial stouts? Because I think it's an arbitrary differentiation and prefer to lump them together. That said, although I am enjoying this a great deal, I prefer KBS, BCBS and Ten FIDY and maybe more. I'm not trying to badmouth this by saying that as much as putting it in it's proper slot in the hierarchy. Maybe further aging would have improved this but I snagged the last one available.

look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 Pours a dark brown with a small light brown head which dissipates quickly with little lacing. Smells like an Irish dry stout initially until it warms up which increased the mocha scent with a hint of coconut. Taste follows the smell. Mouthfeel is good. A pleasant enough experience just lacking a bit of the heft that I associate with the best of this style. Not to be overly stereotypical but this is exactly what I'd expect from a Hawaiian brewery.

3.65/5 rDev -9.4% look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75 I picked this pint and six ounces bottle, #1002, at the brewery last summer when it was offered with great fanfare. I'd had some barrel aged Rackhouse ale on tap which tasted great and I decided to ignore the people who said that Great Lakes barrel aged beers don't do well in bottles and cellared it for a night like tonight. Welp those people were right. This isn't bad but it's just too thin for what I expect from a well done trippel. I'm not picking up any complex flavors and there's a disturbingly bitter aftertaste. Just not the experience I was hoping for.

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.

look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 This 4/8/2011 5.2% bottle was a gift from a dog walking friend. The label recommended bottle conditioning for up to five years so I figured I'd better get cracking. Poured from a 650 ml bottle into a DFH tulip, there was still an abundant thick white head over a clear dark yellow body. Smell contained some of the winey hints present in some Belgian pale ales and maybe a hint of the flowery hop smells but I'm afraid most of them have faded. Taste was slightly more intense but I have a feeling the label advice was spot on. Mouthfeel was just fine per the style. Sorry I didn't drink this earlier but free craft beer FTW!

look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 Pours a dark brown with a small light brown head which dissipates quickly with little lacing. Smells like an Irish dry stout initially until it warms up which increased the mocha scent with a hint of coconut. Taste follows the smell. Mouthfeel is good. A pleasant enough experience just lacking a bit of the heft that I associate with the best of this style. Not to be overly stereotypical but this is exactly what I'd expect from a Hawaiian brewery.

This was a 2015 bottle given to me, along with others, by a friend cleaning out her beer fridge in anticipation of moving. It poured a slightly dark yellow with a large white head which slowly dissipated with moderate lacing in a Nonic glass. I don't thing aging this served it well. I could barely smell any rose hips and citrusy hops which surely have faded with time and they were borderline nonexistent in the taste. In fact it tasted like a generic American Pale Ale which I'm sure was not Southern Tier's intention. The good news is that this is the last bottle I received that should be negatively impacted, or not enhanced, by aging.

I don't have a younger version of this to compare it to but to me this is what the epitome of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale is all about. It poured into a long stemmed tulip a very dark brown with a full dark tan head which dissipated quickly with almost no lacing. Smell is still pretty boozy with lots of dark fruit flavors and the taste almost perfectly reflects that although as it warms the interplay of flavors becomes more complex. Mouthfeel is what it is for a sipper like this. I don't detect any off tastes that sometime get associated with aging. I'm not aware of what The Bruery's game plan was for this was, like maybe I should've waited longer until all 12 days of Christmas had been released before drinking this. Or maybe today was the absolute optimum time to be drinking this bad boy. The only thing I regret is not sharing this 750 ml with someone who would likewise appreciate it. But I am definitely up to the task of seeing this through.

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.

This was my intro brew into barrel aging so I was really looking forward to this since our highly scientific controlled experiments have indicated that three years is the sweet spot and this bad boy has a 10/06/2017 bottling date. So why does this taste a little off? Not bad per se but a little less than what I was expecting. Maybe because this was a gift from some friends moving cross country (my Beer Cellar records has the date of 8/26 for this so this came from another batch) and wasn't stored to my exacting standards. The look and smell are fine but the taste isn't up to snuff. Oh well, I still have one left according to my less than 100% accurate cellar records so maybe next times the charm.

This was my intro brew into barrel aging so I was really looking forward to this since our highly scientific controlled experiments have indicated that three years is the sweet spot and this bad boy has a 10/06/2017 bottling date. So why does this taste a little off? Not bad per se but a little less than what I was expecting. Maybe because this was a gift from some friends moving cross country (my Beer Cellar records has the date of 8/26 for this so this came from another batch) and wasn't stored to my exacting standards. The look and smell are fine but the taste isn't up to snuff. Oh well, I still have one left according to my less than 100% accurate cellar records so maybe next times the charm.

This was my gateway into the joys of barrel aging (not Imperial Stouts; it's a long story). 8/26/2017 bottle poured into a DFH tulip. No lack of carbonation over a dark brown body. Smell has the typical licorice/molasses wee heavy malt smell over a barrel aged base. Taste echoes the smell with a boozy heft which is very balanced. I'm not sure what additional aging will improve but I've got two more to answer that.

Wanted to follow up last night's consumption of a 2016 with this, particularly since starting in a month this will be available year round. I think the aging brought out some more complex flavors because this, while still excellent, just seems slightly less interesting. The barrel and molasses flavors are still here, but they're more out front and less balanced. I look forward to subsequent tastings.

The smells and tastes of the barrel, the licorice notes and other dark sugars have blended extremely well into an easy drinking sipper. And, as usual, when it warms from the cellar fridge temperature of 50 degrees to room temperature it only gets better. The carbonation and lacing haven't fallen off at all. I honestly can't think of how further aging can improve this because it's perfectly balanced now so what could be gained?

Poured into a Lost Abbey tulip. Age has not removed the barrel taste or the carbonation, still has a nice head, but maybe it's slightly more balanced and the mouthfeel is still outstanding. If nothing else, this makes me even more happy that it will soon be available year round.

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.