The Brew Basement

Hello everyone! I just thought I’d share a few recent cellaring links I’ve come across! Enjoy!
For those of you looking a way to organize your cellared brews, here’s a great spreadsheet for beer cellaring put together by RunAwayJim.Org. I also have another one in a slightly different format that a reader recently shared with me, […]

Here’s my latest round of six-month tastings! It’s amazing what seems to happen on these vintage tastings - there’s always a mixed bag of success and failures.
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja - Big disappointment here. Diminished sweetness has left this brew wildly unbalanced and extremely sour.
Victory Weissbier - Just forget it - drink this fresh only. […]

Name: Baltic Thunder
Brewer: Victory
Style: Baltic Porter
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: March 3rd, 2008
Original Tasting: April 13th, 2008
This is one brew with a history - that’s not something you can usually say with a new brewing!
In this case, Baltic Thunder is Victory Brewing’s take on a well known brew by the now-closed Heavyweight brewing. The beer was called […]

Name: Jah Va
Brewer: Southern Tier
Style: Imperial Stout
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: March 3rd, 2008
Original Tasting: April 4th, 2008
The very first stout I tasted for this website was Dogfish Head’s Chicory Stout. Despite being a very tasty coffee-flavor brew, it just hasn’t been holding up well in the cellar. I have a bit more confidence in Southern […]

Thanks for tuning in to the second part of this series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the first part, Smoke’s Preservative Effect on Aging Beer.
There’s a whole host of phenolic compounds present in beer, but three are much more common the others. Phenol itself, the most basic of phenolic compounds, gives […]

Name: Rauchbier - Weizen (Wheat)
Brewer: Aecht Schlenkerla
Style: Rauchbier
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: March 21st, 2008
Original Tasting: April 12th, 2008
My second beer from Aecht Schlenkerla (their Weizen) started off a bit differently then the last. It was apparent that this brew was going to be a heck of a lot mellower then the Aecht Urbock. The flavor of […]

Name: Rauchbier - Urbock
Brewer: Aecht Schlenkerla
Style: Rauchbier
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: March 21st, 2008
Original Tasting: April 12th, 2008
After popping the cap on this brew, there’s no doubt what you’re dealing with here. Smoke, and a whole hell of a lot of it. Powerfully smoky smells came off of this brew. I was reminded of a roaring campfire […]

Hello everyone! I’m taking a break from my recent writing about smoked beers to bring you the latest results from the cellar. This batch is comprised of mostly six month tastings - except for the Chimay Grande Reserve, which is a 2006 vintage. Enjoy!
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale - The spiciness of this brew is still […]

I would guess it’s no great surprise to anyone when they find out that smoked beers tend to age well. Most of us have been exposed to all sorts of preserved smoked meats, seafoods, and other products for all our lives – why should smoked beers be any different? And indeed, the differences between smoked […]

Looking for a good smoked brew? They’re a bit of an elusive breed, to be honest. In your typical US beverage store you’ll find stacks and stacks of lagers, row after row of pale ales, but not very many smoke flavored beers. It’s a simple fact that if you find yourself in the mood for […]