The Brew Basement

Name: Old Guardian
Brewer: Stone
Style: Barleywine
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: March 7th, 2008
Original Tasting: March 29th, 2008
I wasn’t sure if this brew would make to Upstate NY or not. Not every Stone offering seems to make it this far (no sign of the Russian Imperial Stout yet), so I was pretty happy to see this in my [...]

” ..Old Stock Ale is well-designed to round-out and mellow with age. We know it’s hard to believe that this exquisite beer can actually improve, but trust us. The waiting can be an excellent exercise in self-discipline and the reward is built in… …We suggest a year’s cellaring to let the complex flavors develop, but [...]

Name: BackBurner
Brewer: Southern Tier
Style: Barleywine
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: February 20th, 2008
Original Tasting: March 12th, 2008
Even though my main mission on this site is obviously aging and cellaring beers, some of you may have noticed my secondary mission - exploring the fantastic beers local to me here in Upstate NY. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be [...]

Name: Brown Shugga’
Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Vintage: 2007
Bottled On: N/A
Cellared On: March 1st, 2008
Original Tasting: March 7th, 2008
I hope you’re all bearing with me as I work through a bit of backlog of reviews. This one happens to be my first brew from Lagunitas Brewing Company, the very awesomely named Brown Shugga’. Lagunitas [...]

Name: Bigfoot
Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Style: Barleywine
Vintage: 2008
Bottled On: January 18th, 2008
Cellared On: February 12th, 2008
Original Tasting: February 22nd, 2008
It took a month and a half, but I finally have my 2008 vintage beer to review! Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot is one of the most popular beers to cellar among enthusiasts here in the US, I’m very happy [...]

Name: Alaskan Barleywine Ale
Brewer: Alaskan Brewing Company
Style: Barleywine
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: February 1st, 2008
Original Tasting: February 8th, 2008
Talk about a beer that has a lot going for it! Just consider the following.
Take a brewery renowned for it’s quality. Add in its multiple-award winning barleywine. Be sure to consider the fact that this is the very first [...]

Name: Decadence Anniversary Ale (Imperial Evil Dead Red Ale)
Brewer: Alesmith Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Vintage: 2006
Cellared On: November 29th, 2007
Original Tasting: January 25th, 2008
Alesmith’s Decadence Anniversary Ale is a stronger version of their November seasonal beer, the Evil Dead Red Ale. This dark brown beer with rosy-red hues sure looks the part of [...]

Name: Scotch Ale
Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: January 4th, 2008
Original Tasting: January 18th, 2008
After recently reviewing (and enjoying) Middle Age Brewing’s Scotch Ale, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I tried a different one. In fact it was only about a hour later before I popped the cap on my next [...]

Name: Ye Olde Kilt Tilter
Brewer: Middle Ages Brewing Company
Style: Scottish Ale
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: January 4th, 2008
Original Tasting: January 18th, 2008
I find it really refreshing to find a brewery dedicated to British-style ales here in the US, especially with all of the focus lately that seems to be on Belgian-influenced ales. I find it even more [...]

Name: Monster Ale
Brewer: Brooklyn Brewery
Style: English Barleywine
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: January 3rd, 2008
Original Tasting: January 18th, 2008
Coming inside from a cold January evening, I had one thing on my mind - the case of Monster Ale I had picked up a couple of weeks earlier. I knew I needed something to take the chill out of [...]