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.

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.

I can't think of a better way to end a year than this. According to Patrick Dawson's tasting group 12-13 years is the optimum aging time for these classic bad boys so here we are. Almost no carbonation as you can see. Sherry and dark fruit smells predominate with maybe molasses and toffee. Taste is just incredible with each sip reflecting the smell with brown sugar added and a hint of tobacco at the end but not as prominent as previous experiences (that isn't a complaint). Mouthfeel is superb with the tobacco lingering on the palate. Just an outstanding sensory experience. Happy New Year, cellar mavens.

MHuge fluffy head which produces the most abundant lacing I think I've seen over a dark brown body through which no light seems to pass. Quintessential RIS smell of malts and dark chocolate. Taste is very rich and creamy as the hop bitterness has faded into maybe a dark chocolate aftertaste that lingers on the palate in a pleasant way. Mouthfeel is very rich. This is a superb RIS in terms of the alcohol staying understated while still making itself felt. Catherine the Great would surely approve.

Still has plenty of carbonation producing a prodigious fluffy head. Smell is very malty with a hint of chocolate. Taste is creamy and rich with the before mentioned chocolate. Body is very rich and full. This has aged very nicely. Glad I still have one left.

Carbonation is still undiminished. The smell is rich chocolate malts. Taste still has a hop presence but things are very creamy under the slight bitterness with a very rich flavor. Mouthfeel is very full. I might let the other two rest and see what happens.

1/25/2018 12 ounce bottle on 1/18/2020. Large tan head over a dark brown body. Rich chocolate infused malty smell. Taste is much creamier and mellow with the hop bite lessened from fresh with complex dark fruit flavors making their presence known. Not boozy per se but you know you're drinking something with heft, the type of brew that Catherine the Great wanted transported large distances for her enjoyment on the long Russian nights.

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 was left over from last year (it wasn't a one off so I'll be getting this year's version shortly) and I'm not sure if aging has helped or hurt it. There's still the maple sweetness in both the smell and taste. Maybe it's a bit more balanced but maybe not. Either way it tastes great. There's a bitterness to it but pure maple syrup has that in it so maybe it's a manifestation of that

This was a pleasant surprise. Not that big a Brew Kettle fan but this is very good. Had a sample before picking up a four pack. Just the right balance between sweetness and not detracting from the malt taste. I hope this isn't a one off.

Anyway this was my second Black Friday event and I only picked up one of the regular BCBS (unlike this year where I picked up 3) so I don't have any unaged to compare it to but this tastes great. The carbonation is still producing a full head and there's no sign of any oxidation or off notes. Smell is very rich of malts, barrel and booze along with a molasses tinge to it. As it warms it gets better but being this is December and I'm in my attic in front of the stereo (BCBS makes all music sound better; I finished a record review tonight with imagery and insight I'd have never reached otherwise) it only gets so warm. The taste mirrors the smell. The mouthfeel is very rich and full. I don't care what anyone says, there's something special about BCBS. And at one pint and nine ounces it's perfectly priced where it's at, plus it's just the volume to sip over the course of an evening and experience something very pleasant all by itself.

Weather is finally turning winter like so time to break out this cellar dweller bottled on 11/1/2019. Bourbon continues to dominate the smell which at 18.3% isn't exactly a shocker. However the heat in the taste doesn't take your breath away, similar to the experience over a year ago. Rather it's nicely smooth. As you sip you get brown sugar, chocolate and dark fruit tastes. Very nicely balanced. I expect the remaining two bottles to benefit from additional cellar time.

4.41/5 rDev -0.2% look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5 Snagged a four pack of this on first sight. Bottled on 11/01/19 so this sucker's already a year old. Poured a 12 ouncer into a DFH tulip. Not much of a head over an inky brown body. Smell just exudes bourbon barrel malts. Taste adds a layer of char, tobacco and leather over the smell. Even though you can't disguise the alcohol burn, it doesn't take your breath away like some Evil Twin high alc smokers do. This is more integrated like a really good J Lees English barleywine, to mix styles. This is a superb sipper with a very full mouthfeel. I'll continue to age the remaining three in my cellar.

4.19/5 rDev -1.2% look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 1/6/20 650 ml bottle bought in the spring that I was thinking of aging but then saw in the cellaring thread that it wasn't advisable so thought let's get it on. Poured into a DFH tulip a nice light tan head was over an orangish amber cloudy body. Prodigious lacing as the head died down. Smell is mostly of brown sugar and dark fruit. In the taste, although this is a hopped up American barleywine, the hops aren't overly bitter and instead add to the sweetness of the taste, particularly when it warms to room temperature. I don't think this will age nearly as nicely as Bigfoot or Bell's Third Coast so I'm not regretting my decision. Mouthfeel is fine for the style. Although this was a positive experience, unless I can find future bottles marked down from what I paid for this, this will be a one off.

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.

4.11/5 rDev +0.2% look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 Bought this during the summer and saved it for an Indian Summer evening. Poured a pint can into a DFH tulip. Nice clear tannish mahogany color with a fluffy light tan head that faded gradually. Smell is very malty and dark bread with a hint of rye. The taste follows the smell with some caramel and chocolate added. Alcohol presence is non existent. Mouthfeel is very full but refreshing. This would be a good beer for Masthead to keep on regular rotation

Happy Halloween. I bought this a while ago in a bottle shop when it was too hot to enjoy a big barrel aged stout so now's the time. Poured a 12.7 ounce bottle into a DFH tulip and the head just didn't measure up over a blackish brown body so it gets nicked for that. Smell is of a generic brand Jackie O's stout, which is a pretty high standard but they have a certain sameness to them albeit on a high plane (I hope this is making sense to someone who's experienced this). They loaded this up with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (which coffee wise is out of my not cheap range) so it's present in the smell and taste but not to an obnoxious degree; instead things are nicely balanced. Mouthfeel is just fine for a barrel aged stout. This has been a good experience despite my lower than average scoring.

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.

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.