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.

Drinking this after a Jackie O's Cellar Cuvée 1 makes me realize that, nothing against the earlier ale at all, that this must be the #1 value in the craft beer world.

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.

Had originally planned a vertical with a 2016 but the evening is too far gone for that. Anyway with two and a half years on this the hop bitterness has faded on the front end to allow the caramel sweetness to come forth but still makes itself known on the back end with a piney resinous bite. I still have four left in my cellar to further age because there's nothing that would indicate a need to expedite consuming this year's model.

After my 2/4 initial plunge with a 2019, which was at my daughter's and son in law's place in Santa Cruz, I decided when I returned to chez Hate to pop one of the 2018s (bottled 12/01/2017) as a basis of comparison. One huge difference: I store mine in a cellar fridge set between 50-55; God knows what the kids fridge is set at but it's a *lot* colder. Maybe because of that the head was much larger and consistent with what photos here have illustrated. Definitely because of the temp differences the smell was more prominent as was the taste. The hops are still very forward and any drop off is indiscernible to my unrefined palate. There's still an underlying sweetness that I hope comes more to the fore with increased age.

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.

4.46/5 rDev +4% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 Bottled on May 5, 2016. Bought this at a bottle shop where the owner advised to cellar this for a while and today is that day. Poured into a Simon Pearce tankard bought on vacation in 2019, produced a clear dark amber body under a medium off white head. Smell has a lot of malty sweet ingredients with the wheat banana and cloves morphing to molasses and raisins. Taste reflects the smell although very rich and full. Even though the alc is well hidden, self preservation dictates a slow sipper. Although it's tempting to think of the Bavarian cuisine which would compliment this, I'm thinking more a post desert sipper. I'll try to find a younger bottle for comparison sake except I'm afraid it will only disappoint. But that's why we experiment right?

As usual as soon as the cap was popped I could smell barrel and bourbon with the typical large head and as it warmed to room temperature it was indeed very balanced. But it started out somewhat hot to the point that I don't think I'll open the next one until at least mid October. I don't think there's a downside to doing that and who knows what will happen.

As soon as I popped the cap the booze just permeated the immediate vicinity. Even before it warmed to room temperature the taste had a richness that let me know I was in for something special. Once warmed up the smell has a malty boozy molasses texture I can't get enough of. But even though it's obviously boozy it's not excessively so; for example I've had some Evil Twin similar alc level concoctions where I had to moderate my breathing to prevent a massive coughing jag. This was much more balanced. Just an outstanding 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.

Drinking this after a Jackie O's Cellar Cuvée 1 makes me realize that, nothing against the earlier ale at all, that this must be the #1 value in the craft beer world.

4.22/5 rDev -1.4% look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25 2020 12.7 ounce bottle 12.8%. Poured into a long stemmed Lost Abbey tulip. Dark brown Imperial Stout type body with small tan head. As soon as the cap was pried off the booze could be detected. Once in the glass malts, brown sugar, dark fruits and molasses come to the fore. Taste mirrors the smell particularly after it warms up; when straight out of the cellar fridge at 50 degrees I could taste some honey but it oddly fades as it warms up. Mouthfeel is a perfect mix of lightness and substance. This is the first Jackie O's blend I've had and I like it. Although it's categorized as a Strong Ale it's more like an Imperial Stout but it's still something different with the wheat wine. So it's a grey area but a very enjoyable grey area.

3.98/5 rDev -2.9% look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 Pint can poured into a tulip. Full dark tan head over a dark brown body. Lots of lacing. Once it warmed a bit the aromas came forward: malts, vanilla, dark chocolate. Coffee made its presence known in the taste along with the previously mentioned aromas. Mouthfeel was very creamy and easy to drink. Alcohol was very well hidden. Definitely got better as it warmed up. With the coffee presence being understated I think the other three wouldn't benefit from cellaring.

Maybe cellaring this has improved it because the apple brandy is much more prominent and the entire experience, particularly taste and mouthfeel, seems much richer and fuller than my initial impression. As it warms I suspect it will get even more so.

The good news is that I don't think cellaring hurt this. The bad news is that the maple isn't as prominent as I wish it was, which might be an unrealistic expectation on my part. The fudge is still nicely featured and maybe the maple adds a sweetness that I expected to be different. The bourbon is borderline nonexistent though. All in all this was a good but not great cellaring experience.

Still no loss of carbonation with a full head. I think through time I've become conditioned to how Founders thinks of maple syrup adding to their barrel aged stout flavoring because even though I don't taste maple syrup as I ordinarily think of it, there's a sweetening flavor, over and beyond the fudge, that enhances everything. The mouthfeel may have become creamier through time. I still have one bottle from the original four pack; I don't feel like it's a mistake to age it further.

4.06/5 rDev -10.4% look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 Poured into a DFH tulip. Inky brown body topped by a full fluffy head. Lots of chocolate and malts in the smell but the bourbon and barrel are AWOL. Maybe the maple manifests itself as a sweet smell but not the expected woody bitterness. Same with the taste; the fudge is absolutely out front but masking almost everything else. Although as it warmed I started to detect the maple. Mouthfeel is fine for a big Founders stout. Maybe I've been spoiled but I expected slightly more from this.