The Brew Basement

Name: Ommegeddon
Brewer: Ommegang
Style: American Wild Ale
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: July 7th, 2008
Original Tasting: August 28th, 2008
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed last year when I first tried Ommegeddon from brewery Ommegang. I found the flavors a bit muted, almost like the beer was deliberately brewed mildly hoping for the Brett flavors to fly [...]

Name: Hennepin
Brewer: Ommegang
Style: Saison
Vintage: 2008

Cellared On: July 18th, 2008
Original Tasting: August 19th, 2008
Hennepin was one of the first brews I reviewed for the Brew Basement. I liked it so much that this summer I decided to bring it back for another try. Going back and examining my previous review, I saw that it really [...]

Name: Vertical Epic 08.08.08
Brewer: Stone Brewing
Style: Belgian Golden Ale/West Coast IPA
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: August 7th, 2008
Original Tasting: August 12th, 2008
Wow. I can’t believe it’s almost taken me a month to write this review. What kind of cellaring site am I running here? Jeeezz….
Anywho, the 08 Vertical Epic pours just as you would expect, with a [...]

Name: Cuvee de Castleton
Brewer: Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: American Sour Ale
Vintage: 2008

Cellared On: July 26th, 2008
Original Tasting: July 29th, 2008
After my big trip downstate to pick up some of this brew I knew it wasn’t going to be very long before I had to try it. I lasted three whole days before I caved.
While [...]

Cellar enthusiasts around the world rejoice!
Why? The lastest release in Stone’s Vertical Epic series is being released this week, that’s why!
In fact, you might be able to find it on the shelves of your local beer store right now. There aren’t many brews out there that are specifically crafted with cellaring in mind, so be [...]

Name: Abbot 12
Brewer: Southampton
Style: Belgian Quadruple
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: June 6th, 2008
Original Tasting: July 6th, 2008
Hello everybody! I’m back from a few technical difficulties and extremely happy to be leading off with a brew from one of my favorite breweries - Southampton!
The Abbot 12 is a dark brown amber beer, reminding me much of the [...]

Name: Duvel Belgian Pale Ale
Brewer: Duvel
Style: Belgian Pale Ale (Duh!)
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: April 25th, 2008
Original Tasting: June 15th, 2008
Many of us beer geeks consider Duvel to be a world-class beverage fresh, and rumor is that it ages pretty well, too. Simply put, Duvel’s Pale Ale is one of those brews that every serious cellaring [...]

Two beers, one aged for six months standing up, one aged laying down. But which is which?
For those of you who weren’t around back in October, you probably missed the kickoff of my first beer cellaring experiment. With the help of a couple of cases of Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers Belgian-styled Quad, I’m exploring one [...]

Name: La Merle
Brewer: North Coast Brewing
Style: Saison
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: April 11th, 2008
Original Tasting: May 19th, 2008
It was a gorgeous spring day. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold, and the sky was bright and flawless. It was the kind of day that could only get better with a beer in my hand. But what [...]

Name: Trippel
Brewer: Green Flash
Style: Tripel
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: April 9th, 2008
Original Tasting: April 20th, 2008
Brews from Green Flash Brewing in San Diego are a brand new addition to the beer scene here in Upstate NY this spring. The guys over at Oliver’s Beverage tell me they’re all selling like crazy, and I can believe it. [...]