The Barley Blog: A Beer Blog » The Cellar/Fridge

May Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:31:15 +0000

Holy cow, it’s been almost 6 months sing the last time I thoroughly checked the basement stash. The winter months saw a good deal of tasty brews disappear from the list, but the past couple of months has seen an increase in the diversity of products hidden away. At any rate, here’s the list as of Friday night.

Affligem Noel (2009) x1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x3
Anchor Our Special Ale (2008) x6
Anchor Our Special Ale (2009) x6
Avery The Czar (2009) x1
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x3
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2009) x1
Bell’s Batch 9000 (2009) x3
Brewdog Riptide Stout x1
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2008) x4
Chimay Reserve (2008) x2
Corsendonk Abbey Brown x1
D. Carnegie Stark Porter (2006) x2
D’achouffe N’Ice Chouffe (2007) x2
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x3
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2008) x7
Dogfish Head Palo Santo (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Immort Ale (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Burton Batan (2009) x4
Duchesse De Bourgogne (2010) x1
Founders Nemesis 2009 (2009) x2
Schneider Aventinus (2009) x1
Schneider Aventinus Eisbock (2009) x1
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer (2008) x1
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer (2009) x2
Gouden Carolus Noel (2009) x1
Great Divide Old Ruffian (2009) x1
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti (2009) x1
Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 (2007) x2
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. (2010) x2
Nectar Ales Black Xantus x1
North Coast Old Rasputin (2009) x3
North Coast Brother Thelonious x1
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2009) x3
Orval (2008) x2
Rochefort 10 x1
Sam Adams Imperial Stout (2009) x1
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2007) x3
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2007) x1
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2009) x2
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2010) x6
Sierre Nevada Celebration (2009) x3
Sierra Nevada Ken & Frits’s Ale (2010) x3
Stone Old Guardian (2010) x1
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x2
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x3
Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09 (2009) x5
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2008) x1
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2009) x5
Troegs Mad Elf (2009) x1
Troegs Flying Mouflan (2010) x1
Unibroue Quelque Chose x1
Victory Baltic Thunder (2010) x1
Victory Storm King (2009) x1
Victory Old Horizontal (2009) x4
Victory Twelve x2
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (2009) x2
Weyerbacher Old Heathen (2009) x2
Weyerbacher Fourteen (2010) x4
Williamsburg Ale Works Grand Illumination Ale (#0318)

Until the next update…

November Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:45:04 +0000

It’s been a few months since the last update and all I can say is that I have been doing some solid stocking up for the Winter season. Barleywines, seasonals and a couple of stouts have been added to the mix. This is definitely the time of year that the number of bottles in the basement increases. Can’t wait to crack into some of the older stuff I have in the next coming months.

Anchor Our Special Ale (2006 ) x1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007 ) x4
Anchor Our Special Ale (2008 ) x10
Avery Collaboration Not Litegation (2009) x1
Avery Mephistopheles (2006) x1
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x4
Brewdog Paradox Islay (#009) x1
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2008) x5
Chimay Reserve (2008) x3
D’achouffe N’Ice Chouffe (2007) x3
de Dolle Export Stout x1
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x3
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2008) x7
Dogfish Head Palo Santo (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Immort Ale (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Burton Batan (2009) x4
Founders Breakfast Stout (2009) x1
Harpoon Leviathon IPA (2009) x2
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer (2008) x1
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer (2009) x2
Gouden Carolus Noel (2009) x1
New Holland Dragon’s Milk (2009) x1
North Coast Old Rasputin (2009) x3
Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy (2008) x3
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2008) x2
Orval (2008) x2
Rochefort 10 x1
Sam Adams Imperial Stout (2009) x1
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2007) x4
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2009) x3
Sierre Nevada Celebration (2009) x24
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x2
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x3
Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09 (2009) x5
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2008) x1
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2009) x5
Southern Tier Mokah (2009) x1
Troegs Mad Elf (2009) x2
Victory Storm King (2009) x1
Victory Old Horizontal (2009) x6
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (2009) x3
Weyerbacher Old Heathen (2009) x3
Williamsburg Alewerks Bourbon Barrel Stout (2009) x1

I’m sure that I’ll be adding a bottle here and there, but there’s only one big purchase that I know is on the horizon and that’s a case of Anchor’s Our Special Ale. Can’t wait for that one to hit the shelves.

Until the next update…

June Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:31:23 +0000

You’ve just gotta love getting a little birthday money to play with. While I didn’t blow it all on beer, I did indulge myself a bit and still probably spent too much. Of note since the May update, there was a rash of barleywine disappearances — even though I felt the ‘09 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot was still too young, a majority of it willingly sacrificed themselves for our enjoyment. There are also some exciting additions that I hope I have the patience to let site a bit.

Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) x1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x4
Anchor Our Special Ale (2008) x10
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation (bacth #3) x2
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x5
Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale (2008/9) x1
Bluegrass Brewing Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (2009) x1
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2008) x5
Brooklyn Local 1 (2009) x1
Chimay Reserve (2008) x3
Corsendonk Abbey Brown x1
D’achouffe N’Ice Chouffe (2007) x3
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x3
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2008) x7
Dogfish Head Palo Santo (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Immort Ale (2009) x2
Dogfish Head Midas Touch (2009) x1
Dogfish Head Sahtea (2009) x1
Flying Dog Horn Dog (2009) x1
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast (n/a) x1
North Coast Old Rasputin (2009) x2
Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy (2008) x4
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2008) x1
Orval (n/a) x2
Rochefort 10 (n/a) x1
Sam Adams Imperial Stout (2009) x1
Schlayfly Reserve Imperial Stout (2008) x1
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2007) x4
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2009) x5
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x2
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x4
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2008) x1
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2009) x5
Southern Tier Mokah (2009) x1
Southern Tier Iniquity (2009) x1
Troegs Flying Mouflan (2009) x2
Vistory Storm King (2009) x1
Victory Twelve (2009) x1
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (2009) x4
Weyerbacher Old Heathen (2009) x1

Well, there you have it. I’m excited about several of the new additions, some of which probably won’t last too much longer tucked away in the back corner of the basement. Oddly enough, because everything is so tucked way, what I thought was a 2009 Stone IRS was actually at 2008 — bonus for me.

Until the next update…

May Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:34:08 +0000

Looking back through the site the other day I noticed that I hadn’t posted a recent cellar update. More curious as to how my cellaring has been effected by the economy, I grabbed pad and pen and worked my way over treadmills, around boxes and toys to the dark corner a dark corner of the basement. Here’s were we stand as of today:

Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) x1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x4
Anchor Our Special Ale (2008) x10
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x5
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2008) x6
Chimay Reserve (2008) x1
D’achouffe N’Ice Chouffe (2007) x3
D’achouffe La Chouffe x1
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x3
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2008) x7
Dogfish Head Palo Santo (2009) x1
Dogfish Head Immort Ale (2009) x4
Grotten Brune (Peter Cellis) (2008) x1
New Holland Night Tripper (2009) x1
Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy (2008) x4
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2008) x2
Redhook Double Black Stout (2008) x1
Sam Adams Imperial Stout (2009) x2
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2007) x4
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2009) x11
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x2
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x5
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2009) x4
Troegs Flying Mouflan (2009) x1

While I’ve done some saving on the day-to-day beer enjoyment, it appears as though I’ve been pretty active with the cellar inventory. Turnover has been fairly moderate as I’ve dipped into it more the past couple of months than I did last year. Stay tuned for the next update.

In the Fridge/Cellar IX

BarleyBlog — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:55:23 +0000

Well, I just got back from a run to Total Wine and, luckily, didn’t do too much damage to the wallet. I’m not sure if I arrived after a restocking or perhaps passed through some sort of worm hole in the space/time continuum, but the shop has several more Belgian beers than they’ve had on any other trip. I was also able to snag a bottle of Blackened Voodoo — a beer I haven’t seen in this area since long before hurricane Katrina.

For those interested, here is today’s purchase:

Sierra Nevada Early Spring ESB (x6)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo (x6)
BBC American Pale Ale
Rogue Brutal Bitter
Dixie Brewing Blackened Voodoo
Paulaner Salvator
Heavy Seas Below Deck
Piraat Ale
Gulden Draak Ale
St Feuillien Tripel
St Feuillien Brune
Pierre Celis Signature Series Grotten Brown
Biere du Boucanier
St Landelin la Divine
Petrus Gouden Tripel

The Sierra Nevada beers will probably be gone shortly after the three day weekend, but a few of the others will be hidden away in the cellar for enjoyment at a later date.

As a side note, this is my 500th post at The Barley Blog. Yay me!

December Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:38:57 +0000

It’s been a couple of months since I last took stock of what I had been hoarding in the basement. Looking over the numbers there has been some pretty decent turnover among some of the items while a few of the mainstays have remained intact, for the most part.

The past few months have seen me delve into the cellar a bit more than usual in my attempt to save a little money, but that’s not really been as effective as I had hoped. Aside from one major purchase (a case of Anchor Our Special Ale), the overall number of bottles has diminished from it’s previous peak.

For those interested, here’s where we stand as of today:

Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) x3
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x6
Anchor Our Special Ale (2008) x20
Anchor Old Foghorn (2007) x2
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x9
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2007) x2
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2008) x3
Brooklyn Local 1 (2008) x1
Delirium Nocturnum (2008) x1
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x4
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x5
Lagunitas Old Gnarleywine (2007) x1
New Holland Dragon’s Milk (2008) x1
North Coast Brother Thelonious (2008) x1
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (2007) x1
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2007) x1
Redhook Double Black Stout (2008) x3
Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve (2008) x2
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2006) x1
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2008) x5
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x3
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x6
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2007) x4
Unibroue 17 x1

We’ll see in the coming month how much of this disappears for the holidays.

Cellar Update

BarleyBlog — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:19:20 +0000

As regular visitors may know I threw myself on a strict diet when it came to purchasing beers for longer term storage a couple of months ago. The initial inventory of the cellared beers was definitely a shock to my system and set the wheels in motion for a little cost cutting and smarter planning on my part.

Well, it’s been a couple of months since that initial shock and I thought it would be interesting to see where we stack up in terms of my spending and cellaring habits. As of this past weekend, I’ve knocked my beer budget down to about $50-$60 a month and raided the cellar a bit in an effort to help offset the monthly damage to the wallet.

For those interested, here’s what’s survived in the basement so far:

Allagash Hugh Malone (2008) x1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) x3
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x6
Anchor Old Foghorn (2007) x3
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x11
Blue Grass Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (2008) x1
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2007) x1
Brooklyn Local 1 (2008) x1
Chimay Grand Reserve (2007) x1
Chimay Premiere (2007) x1
Corsendunk Abby Brown (2008) x1
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x5
Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emporor (2007) x1
Lagunitas Old Gnarleywine (2007) x2
North Coast Brother Thelonious (2008) x1
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (2007) x2
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2007) x1
Rogue Shakespeare Stout (2007) x1
Schloss Eggenburg Urbock 23 (2007) x1
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2006) x1
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2008) x6
Sierre Nevada Anniversary (2007) x4
Shipyard Blue Fin Stout (2008) x2
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x3
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (2008) x4
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2007) x4
Stone Old Guardian (2007) x1
Victory Baltic Thunder (2007) x6

A few beers have disappeared from June’s list and a few have been added, but I’ve tried to keep the turn over between incoming and outgoing beers to a minimum — especially without adding too many more.

Mad Squirrel Disease

BarleyBlog — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:34:00 +0000

This past weekend I decided to finally get a bit more organized with the beers that I have been hiding away in the basement. I rearranged them, grouping them into different segments and adding them to a small spreadsheet for easier tracking and what not. After compiling the data I had on the beers (brewer, vintage and quantity) I reviewed what the spreadsheet was spitting back out at me. Shock and awe quickly followed.

Now, I know that I certainly don’t have a portfolio of beer as extensive as many folks out there, but 92 individual bottles of beer sure as hell is a lot, especially when I thought I had maybe half of that to begin with. The first question to pop into my mind, of course, was, “Where the hell did all of this beer come from?” Does my basement have a magical beer cellaring fairy? Sadly, no it doesn’t.

I knew that I had been putting away a bottle or two with just about every trip to the store, but it never occurred to me that the bottles were adding up so quickly. I’m both pleased with what I have and a little dismayed. I mean, hell, this is a lot of beer (for me and my wallet). So, in an effort to slow the hoarding nature that I have somehow developed, I’ve put myself on a bit of a moratorium with regard to the cellar. It sucks, but I need to stem the influx of tasty goodness.

Oh yeah, just in case any one is curious, this is what is holed up in the basement:

Allagash Grand Cru (batch #17) x 1
Anchor Our Special Ale (2006) x 3
Anchor Our Special Ale (2007) x 6
Anchor Old Foghorn (2007) x 3
Bell’s Expedition Stout (2007) x 13
Blue Grass Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (2008) x 4
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (2007) x 2
Chimay Grand Reserve (2007) x 1
Chimay Premiere (2007) x 1
Dogfish Head Burton Baton (2008) x 4
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (2007) x 1
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (2007) x 5
Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emporor (2007) x 1
Koenings Hoeven Quadrupel (2008) x 1
Lagunitas Old Gnarleywine (2007) x 5
Moylan’s Hopsickle (2007) x 1
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (2007) x 2
Ommegang Three Philosophers (2007) x 1
Rogue Shakespeare Stout (2007) x 2
Saison Dupont Avec les bon Vieux (2007) x 1
Schloss Eggenburg Urbock 23 (2007) x 1
Schloss Eggenburg Samichlaus (2006) x 1
Sierre Nevada Bigfoot (2008) x 7
Sierre Nevada Anniversary (2007) x 4
Stone Vertical Epic 07.07.07 (2007) x 3
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2007) x 6
Stone Old Guardian (2007) x 4
Unibroue Terrible (2007) x 1
Unibroue 16 (2007) x 1
Victory Baltic Thunder (2007) x 6

So there you have it. If any one else shares in my sickness, how are you (if at all) coping with it?

In The Fridge VIII

BarleyBlog — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:55:48 +0000

Man. It’s been quite some time since my last “In The Fridge” segment. Man beers have come and gone in the past six months — more than I can count to tell you the truth. I just wanted to share what all I had in the basement mini fridge (I really need to invest in a larger appliance) as well as what’s been lurking stored in the dark corners.

The fridge contents include:

Walnut Creek Alehouse Hefeweizen
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale (2007)
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Old Ruedrich’s Red Seal Ale
Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale
Anheuser-Busch Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale
Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch
Victory Brewing Storm King Stout
Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock
Shipyard Brewing Fuggles IPA
Penn Brewing Penn Weizen

And here is what’s currently being stored, as well as notes on their current storing duration and number of bottles:

Brewery Castle Eggenberg Samichlaus (2 bottles – almost 1 yr)
Bell’s Batch 8000 (2 bottles – 3 mo)
De Dolle Stille Nacht (1 bottle – 3 mo)
Anchor Brewing Our Special Ale 2006 (6 bottles – almost 1 yr)
Ommegange Three Philosophers (1 bottle – 6 mo)
Gouden Carolus NoÃ«l (1 bottle – almost 1 yr)
Delirium Noel (1 bottle – almost 1 yr)
Kasteel Brune (1 bottle – 6 mo)
Ommegang Ommegang (1 bottle – 6 mo)
Nice Chouffe (2 bottles – 1 mo)
St Bernardus ABT 12 (1 botle – 6 mo)
Koenings Haeven Quadruple (1 bottle – 1 mo)
Tripel Karmeliet (1 bottle – 1 mo)
Saison Dupont (1 bottl – 1 mo)
Duchesse de Bourgogne (1 bottle – 1 mo)

I can’t wait to dive into a those beers that will be one year old this Christmas season. Keep your fingers crossed that the basement temperature maintained an acceptable range for that time frame.

In The Fridge VII

BarleyBlog — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:16:15 +0000

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted any recent shopping trips. I think I might have missed a journey or two, but as of this weekend, here’s what I’ve got in the fridge:

Troegenator Double Bock (TrÃ¶egs Brewing Co)
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (North Coast Brewing Co)
Raison d’Etre (Dogfish Head)
Penn Dark (Pennsylvania Brewing Co)
Penn Pilsner(Pennsylvania Brewing Co)
Penn Weizen(Pennsylvania Brewing Co)
Steelhead Extra Pale Ale (Mad River Brewing Co)
Peg Leg Imperial Stout (Clipper City Brewery)
Denver Pale Ale (Great Divide Brewing Co)
Chesapeake Pale Ale (Williamsburg AleWerks)
Washington’s Porter (Williamsburg AleWerks)

And here are a few recent additions to the cellar for extended storage:

Pauwel Kwak (Brouwerij Bosteels)
Saison Dupont (Brasserie Dupont sprl)
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel (Brasserie d’Achouffe)
St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV)
Gouden Carolus Grand Cru Of The Emperor (Brouwerij Het Anker)
La Trappe Dubbel (Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.): Just got this one this Sunday as a gift