Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Digging around in the cellar

Last night while brewing up my first tripel I decided it was time to break the seal on the last bottles of Gravitas and Agave Porter Mk. 1

Why both? Because I had forgotten which was which

So, how did these two hold up to somewhere around a year of time in the cellar?

Wow. Full stop.

The porter was glorious and had developed some more complexities. The agave came through in plum notes which played very well with the roundness and depth of the beer.

Somehow I think I either cracked my imperials too early or just didn't appreciate them enough the first time around. The Gravitas certainly didn't mind hanging out in my basement doing its own thing for close to a year. Rich mouth feel, great tan head which exploded in a world of aromatics, extremely smooth.

And here's the reaction from my brewing collaborator last night

The Porter:
What else can i say that describes it better than that I thought it was the imperial stout? complex bouquet, that nice and balanced porter roasty flavor, a surprisingly supple mouthfeel. it was like that last keg of your favorite local brew that everyone forgot about down in the cellar. suddenly it feels like christmas.

The Imperial Stout:
the imperial stout was quite simply an excellent representative of the species. floral to peaty bouqet, luscious mouthfeel, and incredibly developed flavors ranging from overripe stonefruit to french roast beans to mildly earthy grains. fruity, yet meaty. and yes... somehow that is correct...

I still have a blond and an apricot in the basement. I'm not sure when next I'll crack open an old favorite, but if these two were any indication, the next two should be something special.