I uncovered a bunch of bottles that I had sort of forgotten about. Will do my best to open a few this holiday season. Hopefully some won’t be overly oxidized. Maybe go to my local if anyone is in the area and interested.
A few more fun ones.
Nice “discovery”! Make sure you post some notes on how those older guys are holding up (if at all).
Awesome! Had a Thomas Hardy 1996, if I recall correctly, last year. Totally oxidized. Hope you have better luck.
Aren’t they always oxidized?
Curious how those Bigfoot’s are holding up.
Those bigfoots will be great. A month or so ago I had a 2001 that was awesome and showed no signs of decline. I’ve also recently did a vertical of Bigfoot with some late 90s bottles mixed in and if stored properly, they should all be drinking great!
Charlie Papazian recommends dipping capped bottles in paraffin to better preserve them. I’ve actually purchased the wax but never got any further. It might be a good news resolution.
The plan is to drink one aged bottle a day. I will post my notes. Hopefully they won’t all start with “crap”.
I opened one of the Dogfish Head 120 minutes a number of years ago. All hop components had dropped out leaving a lot of sweetness. Interesting but not particularly enjoyable.
The reason I’ve kept the Thomas Hardys for so long is that I don’t particularly care for them. If someone wants a couple, I’d be happy to swap for something fun. I’d donate them to charity but don’t think they would get any bids.
Bigfoot tasting note posted in “whatcha drinking” post. I’m with Tyler, these Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) can seriously age.
nice!!! plus I like that these are all dated. I would love to hear how these taste and what the ‘sweet spot’ for aging is.
Thomas Hardy should be drunk 20 years from bottling or not at all. Preferably not at all.
I’ve had a couple of aged 120s. First, I think if you like the beer you should drink it on release. Some people don’t, so they think the age will settle it down. Second, the beer you get is not what I think they are going for (despite writing on the label now that the beer ages well). Its just a boring, monolithic, malt monster. OTOH, I know a lot of beer guys that love them with age. You could probably trade it for something you do like. I have a 2010 (I think). Tried one bottle and saved the other. Will only drink them on release now.
Oddly, I think the 120 is a much better-balanced beer than the 90; the 90 is pretty much Instant Headache every time I try it.
When I reread my post I think part of reads funny. My intention was to suggest that the 120 was good on release and not worth it to age. I like it a lot actually. When I’ve tasted it with age I have not. Sorry for the confusion.
I’m with you John. I don’t think aging it was a solid decision. It’s been awhile since I had a fresh one but wouldn’t think twice if I was able. But I do need to do something with this bottle now that I have saved it. Probably wait for a good get together of beer dorks.
Brian, at the brewpub they blend the 60 and 90 minutes for a “75 minute” which I think is better than the parts. They now bottle it but add maple syrup which detracts from it in my opinion.
They add maple syrup!?! ![[shock.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0b1dcf699ec319f43254f92e3f145786dcd93904.gif "shock"){kind=small}
![[barf.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8943c0ebb2703c20afa757f7ca84a099bb9de70d.gif "barf")
Not a traditional IPA ingredient to say the least. Doesn’t really work for me but someone must be buying it. Sort of my overall thought on most DFH beers. Can’t knock Sam’s success but it is somewhat surprising since almost all of their beers are unusual to the point of you only wanting a single glass before moving on to something else.