The 2016 is off. Not off flavors, just not where it should be.

Very subtle, hard to believe it's 11.5%. Better than the last time but still disappointing. I need to try another vintage.

Hmm, yeasty, a bit nutty nowhere near as good as I remember.

This seems more like a traditional porter, rather than a modern light stout. Drinkable and refreshing more than dark and roasty. Nicely bitter, with some tartness and heavily carbonated in the right way.

Lots of char, less chocolate than the 2015 that I had recently. This bottle got really boozy as it warmed. Can use some time to mellow. Always a pleasure to drink.

Cryo variant of the Cascade Ninja; approximate bottling date. More hops in the aroma than the flavor. Big, bitter grapefruit nose. Expected more bitterness, but not as balanced as I hoped it would be. Nice citrusy taste gave way to malt sweetness too quickly. Disappointing considering the insane standard I expect from their ninja series. Maybe I should have gotten the Idaho-7 instead.

Too much coffee for me. Definitely should have opened it sooner. Coffee grounds and bitter chocolate. Barely any whiskey, which was the biggest disappointment. The bitterness smoothed out as it warmed but with a variably astringent aftertaste. Nice and thick, smooth mouthfeel except for the tingly carbonation. Bottom line: don't let these sit. I know every release is different but the coffee took over in this one after 3 years. Not my preference.

So, this takes 2 or 3 years of aging to get it where I want it. The bite is gone, the heat is gone, so smooth and rich. Tastes unmistakably like a barleywine, and an American barleywine at that, but so well integrated. One of the few worth the cellar space. Sigh, not quite Straightjacket but half the price.

Life.

This was a little more woody tasting earlier on but now the sweeter stickiness is coming out just like you want from a barleywine.

Much better than it was a month ago. Nice and buttery.

Unknown date of consumption. Forgot to record an entry somewhere.

A really enjoyable sour. The apricot added some depth of flavor, as opposed to an unfruited sour, but I couldn't pick out the flavor at all. The ginger was somewhat apparent at the end and blended fine with the sourness, probably unnecessary. Had none of the acetone flavor that ruins sours for me, very drinkable. Not much to look at but I'm used to stouts and scotch ales. It was really good, but really expensive. I pay less per ounce for BCBS. Remind me to stock up on the New Glarus sours when they're around.

Bottom line: too much hops, not enough barrel. First impression wasn't positive, based on the dirty brown appearance like a backed up sink. I was worried it was infected but maybe it just needs a little filtering. Has a green, woody hop flavor that would work with the right malt base. Missing all the sweet, bready flavor. Also, I'm hard pressed to detect the barrel character, I actually pulled the bottle out of the recycling bin to double check it was barrel aged. It's drinkable, but I'm disappointed in this one.