Hello everyone! Here are a total of ten cellar updates - and I’m still not through July’s brews yet. As always seems to be the case, the results were a bit of a mixed bag.

Ommegang Hennepin - (One Year) This brew is holding up fantastically. The bright flavors of the fresh beer have muted somewhat, allowing some of the grassy “earthy” tones to come to prominence.

Ommegang Abbey Ale (Dubbel) - (One Year) Just absolutely terrific after a year in the cellar. The original sweetness of this beer has continued to pull back, revealing a rich range of dark fruity flavors.

Schneider-Weiss Aventinius - (One Year) Nothing changed too much here, the clove flavor is still king in this brew. The sweetness is retreating in this beer as well, with more subtle flavors are coming out as a result. Even more delicious then before.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot - (One Year) Another brew that’s holding steady in the cellar. Fading hops seem to be the main flavor movement, but overall it’s just making the beer smoother and easier to drink.

Middle Ages Kilt Tilter - (Six Months) It sure looks darker, but that’s about the only difference after six months.

Southampton Grand Cru - (Six Months) I think this beer has slipped a bit. Both the fruit and spice flavors are not as intense as they were before. A bit of a bummer.

I think I had Dogfish Head on the brain last summer, because here’s FOUR updates for ya! Of course, none of them were strong cellarers….

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout - Not too good. Pretty horrible, actually. Absolutely scary bad, to tell the truth. There’s oxidation all through this beer, and maybe even some contamination.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch - Honey flavors are increasing their domination as the grape flavors continue to fade. Still good, but I suspect this brew peaked after six months.

Dogfish Head Aprihop - Where’s the apricot? This tastes just like a typical pale ale at this point.

Dogfish Head Black and Blue - Even though I think my six-month tasting was an aberration, the flavor of this brew is diminished in almost every aspect when compared to fresh.

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com