Notes similar to a year ago, although head is big with beautiful lacing. 5 years old with seemingly no carbonation lost. Wonderfully complex, perfectly balanced American barleywine. A little bitterness, a little sweetness, a lot of complexity. Only one more and I'll truly be sad when they're gone.

Deep amber, clear, with a one-finger head. A nice layer of bubbles linger. Brown sugar, caramel, toffee aromas. Taste is toffee, brown sugar, caramel, dried black cherries, molasses, a hint of vanilla, and a bit of resiny hop bitterness still remains. No cardboard or signs of oxidation. Finish is just a bit boozy. Mouthfeel is smooth, carbonation hasn't hardly fallen off at all.

Deep clear amber, nice foamy lingering head, some lacing. Scent is carmel-bourbon, molasses. First sip immediately noticed smooth mouthfeel, perfect carbonation. Perfect balance between carmel/molasses, hop bitterness, bourbon, oak in the finish. Hugely complex. Bitter & sweet, just the right amount of bourbon booze. Amazing beer.

Huge, foamy, copper head, even after 3 years. Oily black. Scent of dark fruit, cocoa, a hint of hops. Taste is chocolate, dried cherries, just a bit of roasty bitterness in the finish, along with the dried fruits and cocoa. Really transformed from fresh, although notes compare pretty similarly to 2 years.

Pours black & oil thick (of course), with a tan 1 finger head. It lasts and laces very nicely. Scent is malty sweet. No hops. Taste is noticeably less roasty than fresh. Sweetness is the dominant flavor. Just a hint of cough syrup flavor, but not gross, pleasant as is, just a touch. Bitter chocolate, raisin, sweet dried fruit, just a hint of coffee. No more hop bitterness, just a hint of roasty bitterness. Finish is sweet, long lasting. The beer has really changed over 2 years.

Thin head, bubbles linger around the rim. Deep, dark amber/brown. Scent is earthy hops, molasses. Taste is molasses, earthy hops, bitter hops, toffee, dates. Not overly sweet. Hugely complex, really amazing fresh. Bitter, earthy finish. British ingredients, but hoppy, not overly sweet like Fullers. Amazing.

Much less bourbon than fresh. Quite good, but big can was too much even to split. Booziness really evident at the end.

1 finger head, bubbles linger. Definite hop presence even after 27 months. A bit of chocolate malt, hop bitterness, and dried dark fruit. Really a nice, complex stout.

Nearly two years old. Black but not thick. Still has a nice head, half a finger and bubbles that stick around. Scent is gentle malty sweetness with a hint of cocoa. Taste is subtle coffee, chocolate covered raisins. Hops seem to be gone, but there is a faint bitterness still. Slightly sweet, coffee finish. Very nice, age has done this beer well.

Deep, dark amber, thin head with bubbles that won't quit. Caramel raisin scent, hint of bourbon. Taste is raisin, caramel, bourbon, plum, vanilla, brown sugar, molasses, rum. Sweet, but not overly. Hugely complex, hugely flavorful, deceptively strong. Molasses, hint of chocolate, bourbon finish.

Black, medium-thin consistency. Big, foamy head. Lacing, lingering bubbles around the rim. Scent is vanilla, bourbon, malt. Really great scent. Taste is vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, molasses, a hint of cardboard. A bit of warming booze. Fairly dry, bourbon/lightly chocolate finish. Not hugely malty, but hugely flavorful and complex. A smooth vanilla/bourbon delight.

Amber, big head, lacing. Hoppy (fruity and a hint of bitter), malty goodness. Brown sugar, just a hint of booze. Celebration meets Bigfoot.

Deep clear amber. Huge, fluffy head. Lots of lacing. Scent is malty, boozy. Taste is brown sugar (duh!), malty sweetness, booze. Some lingering hop bitterness, but definitely subdued from fresh. A bit boozier than expected. Really very different beer after 2 years.

Black, milkshake-like head that lasts. Lacing, bubbles all the way. Scent is chocolate malt and hops. Taste is still pretty hoppy, though not as much as fresh. Roast/charred flavor is most noticeable change. Still chocolate as well. Finish is bitter hoppy roasty chocolate. I'd say this one should go 3 years, given the prominence of hops in this and relatively small amount of change.

Black. Huge, foamy head that won't quit. Hoppy scent, some chocolate malt. Taste is hoppy and chocolatey, a bit of roast & coffee. But hoppiness is dominant, more so than in just about any stout I can recall. Bitter hoppy, slightly chocolate finish. Highly carbonated, medium mouthfeel (lighter side for RIS). Good beer, but begs to be aged.

A bit of smoke with nice, complex aged stout flavors. Great beer to age.

Pours black, medium-oily, half finger mocha head. Bubbles linger around the glass. Scent is aged stout-dark fruit, a bit of chocolate. Taste is dried dark fruit, smoke, chocolate. Superb balance. Wonderful complexity. Still nice carbonation, medium body. Finish is pleasant smoke, chocolate, dried dark fruit, and a hint of bitterness.

Pours black with a mocha head. Good carbonation still, bubbles last til the end. Smoke is most prominent aroma, but some malty roastiness as well. Taste is very balanced for a smoked stout. Smoke, roast, even some coffee & a little malt sweetness present.

Big mocha head. Smell of malty chocolate. Hops still noticeable. Taste is chocolate, dark chocolate, and a hint of coffee. Just the perfect example of chocolatey malt flavors. A bit of hop presence, but I almost didn't notice because the chocolate is so prominent. Hops are more present in the finish. Superb imperial stout at 13 months.