The Toadfish Cellars

[Aggie]

Where we store our special reserves, and a place to taste and discuss other spirituous libations of the moment.  Beer, wine, liquours, homebrew, or whatever else you're drinking.

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First up...

I finally tried a bottle of Unibroue Quelque Chose...  strong ale steeped with sundried cherries.  It's a 2002 special edition vintage (brewage?), and the card attached 'round the neck suggests drinking it either cold on the rocks or to heat it up like a mulled wine.  Naturally, I had to try both ways.  It's nice cold with a clove flavour along with the cherries...  no head at all and not like a beer (more like a homemade alcoholic cherry and spice iced tea).  Warmed, the clove flavour is lessened and it froths a little more, and makes a nice mug o' something to sooth a cold. 

Recommended if you like something out of the ordinary.

[Aphos]

Yes, I know...Very Special Over Priced.  But it is still my favorite spirit to sniff, sip, and contemplate the ways of the universe.

[beagle]

Beer   Whisky   Champagne (only when oil is discovered in my back garden)

(picture credits: Youngs, Oddbins, Berry Brothers and Rudd).

[The Black Spot]

Bah! You only put a bottle of Young's up because the brewery moved out of London last week. Where's it now - Bedford!

Gloating because it's nearer to your neck of the woods?

[Griffin NoName]

Yaaaaaaaaar. Horse and Carts be more suited to that backwater then London Town.

[beagle]

Aaarggh. London be a fine place. If yer be liking politicians that is.

Round here it be all Greene King, but I got a taste for Youngs when I were working in London (just after the Great Fire).

[Opsa]

Guiness Extra Stout!

Chimay Belgian Monastery Ale!

Charles " 2 buck Chuck" Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon- my any time table wine!

Krug champagne!

*hic*

[Aggie]

What's the best place to start on the Chimay (cap colour)?  I've been meaning to try some and have a birthday excuse coming up...

I think a local shop has at least 4 varieties (?).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Beer:

Wine is harder, for now I'll go with a good bottle of Rioja (spain):

For spirits I like a good Russian vodka (Kubanskaya is so hard to get nowadays, I'll go with stoli)

and the stuff that cannot be sold legally on the States:


As you can see, simple tastes for a simple man.

[The Black Spot]

Yaaaaaaaaar. Horse and Carts be more suited to that backwater then London Town.

Aye. I remembers when I were livin' in Battersea. I'd be driving to work through the Wandsworth one-way system when I'd get caught in a traffic jam caused by a huge Young's cart being pulled by 4 shire horses. Utterly ridiculous.

Anyway, this is the thread that Cap'n Cronan was born to post on. I went round his place once - I've never seen such a collection of exotic beers in one place.

[Aphos]

For spirits I like a good Russian vodka (Kubanskaya is so hard to get nowadays, I'll go with stoli)

I will grant you, Stoli is very good vodka.  One of my favorite dirinks if I am seriously interested in getting tipsy.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I find Russian vodka as superior to the swedish and finish varieties. I wish it were easier to find Kubanskaya, it is even sweeter than Stoli. 

[Teripie]

Let me see if I can get this right.........

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Is this what you wanted to show?

[Sibling Chatty]

Where's that picture of a case of Barq's?

Back before the advent of the Terrible Tumors that prevent my being able to drink ANYTHING with any alcohol (or eat desserts with any alcohol, or have a soup with any wine in it or anything even slightly resembling alcohol, I was a bourbon and water kinda drinker.

(Benchmark, a Seagrams premium brand, not well known, but mucho good, at least until they sold it out and messed with it. I'm talkin' the 70's vintage 8 year and 14 year old stuff with the almost fudge-like aftertaste.)

Wines are variable with vintage and menu, but the better German Eiswein have been favorites. Champagne? Cristal, but only if someone else with LOTS of money is buying. (I had a 1979 vintage bottle, a good, but not great year, but I held it until my first goddaughter, born in '77, married, and gave it to her at her wedding.)

Yes, Canadians, I know y'all are making some excellent ice wines, but I can't try them anymore...

[Aggie]

Get the brewmaster working on some old-fashioned (and non-alcoholic) Root Beer!

(BTW...  anyone know if Barq's down there is the same as Barq's up here?  It's good here but not the be-all and end-all in root beers).

[Aphos]

Don't know if it is the same, but Barq's is pretty good root beer.  There is a local brand in Tulsa called Webers which is very good.  Their place also makes great hamburgers.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

This whole thread made me very very thirsty...

Anyway, I've been drinking mainly wine lately... Especially these babies:


Tikves Belan (Macedonian wine)

and some other wines from Eastern Europe (especially Serbian and Montenegrin wines), in particular Chardonnays. (unfortunately it's not easy to find pictures of them and I'm too lazy to take pictures, upload them and post them here...)

[Griffin NoName]

There's a tiny alley in the City of London off one of the Inns of Court which contains a tiny cafe which contains 35 of the most awe inspiring Polish vodka's in the Western World.

[Opsa]

Love Stoli!

As for Chimay, it's all excellent. I tend to like darker brews, but if you like the pales, go for the paler ones.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Just a beer update: I'm planning on bottling the ale this weekend.  I've put it off long enough.

The recipe calls for molasses as the carbonating sugar.  It'll take a while to age and mellow after bottling, but I have high hopes for it once it's done.

[Aggie]

Hey, can any of the non-Canadians get Newfoundland Screech rum?  I got given a bottle (and used to drink it in my student days).  It's pretty good if you can get it for a reasonable price. 

Also tried some good beer - a Lithuanian 'lager' called Svyturys Ekstra.  It's thicker and more flavourful than a typical invert lager.  Good stuff.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Another update: the beer is now bottled.

I think the (previously unknown) malt extract I used had a bit more "kick" than I figured it would: the beer's 7% alcohol; I was aiming for 4 - 4.5%.  Oh well... worse things have happened, right?   

But happily, it fermented completely.  I had been a bit worried, since the yeasties never really seemed that active even after re-pitching, but apparently all is well.

I tasted it, too (several times while trying to get the siphon started - don't worry, I swish my mouth out with whiskey first  ), and it seemed pretty good for warm, flat beer.  The molasses I'm using for carbonation will change the character a bit, though.

It'll probably be about a month before it's carbonated properly, and it should take another month after that for the molasses taste to subside to a decent level.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Beer update: almost two weeks and all's well.

The 1-gallon jug/bottle/Kiyoboam  that I used has not burst itself, even though I was a bit suspect of the cap.

Maybe another two weeks and I'll open a bottle.  I need to start working on a label design...

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Beer update:

The beer is ready!



I tried it last night.  It ended up pretty good, and not as thick as I figured it would be... and the molasses taste isn't readily apparent.  A good summer evening beer, I think.

I may have to make another batch.

[Aggie]

Hmm....  if legend says that Augustine monks used the St. Bernard to carry brandy, could Toadfish Siblings do the same for beer with the Greyhound? 





_{(anything from out west that you want but can't get?)}

[Opsa]

Naw, they'd shake it up too much!

Where can we get some little hovering robots with optional refridgeration units to follow us everywhere?

[Aggie]

(better to go open thread for advice)

Lambi, is there any reason nano-brewing (VERY small batches of say 5L) wouldn't work?  I would like to dabble in beermaking a bit but would rather make many small attempts than a few larger ones.  Any good references (book or net) for the novice?

Will probably also be scrounging equipment - what is ESSENTIAL to properly buy?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Lambi, is there any reason nano-brewing (VERY small batches of say 5L) wouldn't work?  I would like to dabble in beermaking a bit but would rather make many small attempts than a few larger ones.  Any good references (book or net) for the novice?

I can't think of any reason why that small a batch wouldn't work.  I think the main reason that most people don't brew in that small quantity is because it would be nearly the same amount of effort for a much smaller quantity of beer.

As for books, I suggest "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by George Papazian (note: they change the title slightly every edition, so it might be "The Super Duper Ultra-Complete Joy of Homebrewing" or similar by now).  That one's pretty well the established standard for books that cover beginner-to-intermediate brewing.

Will probably also be scrounging equipment - what is ESSENTIAL to properly buy?

Hmmm... to start off, it'd be good to list what equipment you'll need:

- brew pot
- airtight fermenter (glass carboy and plastic bucket with snap lid are both common - I use the glass)
- airlock for fermenter (the normal ones you buy at the U-brew store are fairly cheap, but IIRC, there are instructions in Papazian's book on how to make an airlock from plastic tubing and a jar)
- bottles (either crown cap style - not twist-off - or swing-top e.g. Grolsch)
- crown caps and capper (if not using swing-top bottles)
- a means of transferring beer between the brewpot and fermenter
- a means of transferring beer between the fermenter and bottles

Now for what you can scrounge and what you should use the "proper" things for: any pot of adequate size will work for your brewpot.  Mine is a 20 L spaghetti pot I got at the Bay, IIRC; if you're making smaller batches, you can probably get by with what's in a "standard" set of pots and pans.

For the fermenter, a glass carboy is best, but you can scrounge a plastic bucket provided: (1) it's food-grade, (2) it's in good shape (no nicks or scrapes where bacteria can hide, and no residue of whatever was in the bucket previously) (3) it has an airtight lid that you can punch a hole in for your airlock.

For the bottles, it's likely easiest to re-use commerical bottles (after drinking the contents  ).  If you don't have enough, you should be able to buy extra bottles at a u-brew shop; I'd suggest you avoid the plastic bottles if you do.  I used them once and got a pronounced plastic taste.

Assuming that you use crown cap-style bottles (which you'd probably want to do unless you can find a homebrewing relative with a stash of swing-top bottles), you'll need to buy a capper.  You won't be able to kludge anything to substitute.  My hand capper was under $20 (IIRC).

When transferring beer from the brewpot to the fermenter, I just use a funnel in the mouth of the carboy.  If you're using a wide bucket as your fermenter, you may be able to get by without one.  Any food-grade funnel will do, though for a full 20 L batch, a u-brew shop's probably your easiest place to find one that's large enough.

Transferring from the fermenter to the bottle is usually done by siphon. You could probably make do with two pieces of equipment: a food-grade hose of the proper length, and one of those plastic clamps to shut off flow (hopefully you know what I mean).  There are a few pieces of gear that may make the process easier (but more expensive), though:

- a J-tube.  It's a long rigid plastic tube with a fitting on the end to make it easier to siphon right down to the top of the sediment while minimizing the amount of sediment that gets sucked up.

- a bottle wand.  It's a short rigid plastic tube with a valve on the end.  It only opens to let the beer flow when it's pushed into the bottom of a bottle.  Makes bottling less messy.

- a siphon starter.  It's a little doodad with a check valve in it.  You stick into the fermenter and shake it until the siphon starts flowing on its own.

So... there's not a lot that you must buy from a beer supply store.  However, it's probably most practical to get at least the following there:

- fermenter
- funnel (if needed)
- airlock
- crown caps
- capper
- plastic tubing (unless you've got a better source for food-grade tubing)

[Aggie]

As for books, I suggest "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by George Papazian (note: they change the title slightly every edition, so it might be "The Super Duper Ultra-Complete Joy of Homebrewing" or similar by now).  That one's pretty well the established standard for books that cover beginner-to-intermediate brewing.

Then name of the book hasn't changed, but George apparently goes by Charlie now. 

- a siphon starter.  It's a little doodad with a check valve in it.  You stick into the fermenter and shake it until the siphon starts flowing on its own.

So... there's not a lot that you must buy from a beer supply store.  However, it's probably most practical to get at least the following there:

- fermenter
- funnel (if needed)
- airlock
- crown caps
- capper
- plastic tubing (unless you've got a better source for food-grade tubing)

Can scrounge some doodads from work to round out the list (esp. for the siphon starter, & probably can manage a airlock with a little effort), and am thinking of garage sale-ing for the carboy or appropriately sized glass jug.  I could probably borrow the capper from a buddy for the first couple of batches, then invest in one (or garage sale it).

Bottles are never an issue (and some buddies and I have done u-brew kits using crown caps on twistoff bottles - might have lost a couple to pressure, but it generally works); I drink lots of pry-tops, so the only problem is finding ones that match!  I might even look at getting a champagne corker (more $$, though) and use my Unibroue bottles.  I do like the concept of corked beers, and it'd allow for cellaring up exceptionally good batches.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Then name of the book hasn't changed, but George apparently goes by Charlie now. 

Yes - apparently I was caffeine-deprived when I did my last post.

Can scrounge some doodads from work to round out the list (esp. for the siphon starter, & probably can manage a airlock with a little effort), and am thinking of garage sale-ing for the carboy or appropriately sized glass jug.  I could probably borrow the capper from a buddy for the first couple of batches, then invest in one (or garage sale it).

Yup, garage sales are good.  I got my 1-gallon jug at a garage sale.

But if you do have a friend who's into homebrewing, it'd make sense to team up with him in any case.  I did that myself: my "brew buddy" and I split the cost of a lot of our equipment, especially the extra gear we needed for all-grain mashing & brewing, and we'd brew together.  It makes things cheaper and more social.

Bottles are never an issue (and some buddies and I have done u-brew kits using crown caps on twistoff bottles - might have lost a couple to pressure, but it generally works); I drink lots of pry-tops, so the only problem is finding ones that match!

You need matching bottles?   

You're right, though: from what I've heard (only ever used non-twistoffs myself), you can use twist-off bottles, but expect that some of them will get their threads cracked during capping.

I might even look at getting a champagne corker (more $$, though) and use my Unibroue bottles.  I do like the concept of corked beers, and it'd allow for cellaring up exceptionally good batches.

Hmm... that's an idea.

I've got some sort of capper/corker thing that belonged to my grandfather.  Maybe I should test it out to see if it would do the job.

Still, I think I'd have to save that for a tripel or something fancy like that.

[Aggie]

Ever experimented with 'native' yeasts (i.e. leave the bastard out and hope the right organism gets in there?).

Not an option where I'm at (don't trust the ambient microbial population, except what survives in the kimchi), but I'd like to try it later, once I've got a handle on the rest of the process.  The other option is to keep a grooved wooden 'brew stick' which gets put in each batch and then recovered and dried, to allow the yeasts to carry over between batches.

In any case, you're right - brewing with buddies is more social, but I'm an experimenter and want to do some fiddling around with smaller batches (all my brew-buddies currently use kits, anyways.  I might even start all-grain; have to check out some shops to see what's available for supplies, though).  I would ideally like to do a batch a month or so, in the aforementioned small amounts.  And then I'm going to go oddball with the recipes. 

*remembers to put a request in for Sacred and herbal healing beers : the secrets of ancient fermentation *

Heh, I'm also going to try to line up a lesson in making maekkoli when I go back to Korea - the good stuff is halfway between rice milk and Fin Du Monde.    If that actually happens, I'll post the method. 
(the cheap stuff makes me ill)

Health and Makgeolli

Although Makgeolli is an alcoholic drink, it is, at the same time, good for your health. There are two reasons for this. The first is because of Makgeolli's relatively low percentage of alcohol. If a person drinks an alcoholic drink that has a high percentage of alcohol, it harms the liver and stomach. However, Makgeolli is only 6%, a percentage that does not harm the body but only relieves stress.

(bold my emphasis - good philosophy!)

Definitely check out the full article - especially the last section!
http://granite.korea.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=99

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Ever experimented with 'native' yeasts (i.e. leave the bastard out and hope the right organism gets in there?).

No, never.  When it comes to beer, I'm an insane clean freak to the point that it's almost an affective disorder.

The other option is to keep a grooved wooden 'brew stick' which gets put in each batch and then recovered and dried, to allow the yeasts to carry over between batches.

You know, it is possible to culture your own yeast from the leftover sediment from the previous batch.

I don't brew often enough for it to be worth the bother, but it's a fairly common practice, and it saves you from having to re-buy yeast.

In any case, you're right - brewing with buddies is more social, but I'm an experimenter and want to do some fiddling around with smaller batches (all my brew-buddies currently use kits, anyways.

Still, it may make sense to split expenses with your friends.  Even if you're each brewing alone, what are the odds that you'll all need a capper or a sparging bag on the same weekend?

I might even start all-grain; have to check out some shops to see what's available for supplies, though).  I would ideally like to do a batch a month or so, in the aforementioned small amounts.  And then I'm going to go oddball with the recipes. 

I'd suggest starting out brewing from extract.  For one thing, all-grain brewing needs a fair bit more equipment, and therefore more expense.  On top of everything you need for malt extract brewing, you'd also need:

- grain mill
- mash tun/lauter tun (can be the same vessel, and can be homemade, but still expensive in either time or money)
- bigger everything (all-grain uses much more water than extract brewing to get the same volume of beer)
- wort chiller (not strictly necessary, but a really good idea)

Also, all-grain takes much more time: you might be able to finish a malt extract brew in about 3-4 hours (including prep time and cleanup), but all-grain usually ends up being a long full day.

Definitely check out the full article - especially the last section!
http://granite.korea.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=99

Interesting.  Next time I'm pukey-drunk in public, I can claim that I'm making a political statement!

And I think I've figured out where I'm going to do my Masters degree:

Korea University (KU) is known for its drinking habits. In Korea, many people recognize KU as one of the schools where the students drink vast amounts of alcohol. Moreover, also known for drinking Makgeolli, it is sometimes even called the Makgeolli University as written in the song, 'Makgeolli Changa'.

[Aggie]

You know, it is possible to culture your own yeast from the leftover sediment from the previous batch.

I don't brew often enough for it to be worth the bother, but it's a fairly common practice, and it saves you from having to re-buy yeast.

Now that sounds right up my alley.  Incidentally.... is the sediment left in the bottom of a beer bottle (end product) totally dead, or just dormant?  *eyes the Unibroue*  Wouldn't take much to test it...

Still, it may make sense to split expenses with your friends.  Even if you're each brewing alone, what are the odds that you'll all need a capper or a sparging bag on the same weekend?

Yeah, good point.  One of my buddies is pretty well set-up (his parents also do wine) and I could borrow a capper for sure.  They might even have a champagne corker (out of my price range from first glance).

I'd suggest starting out brewing from extract.  For one thing, all-grain brewing needs a fair bit more equipment, and therefore more expense.  On top of everything you need for malt extract brewing, you'd also need:

- grain mill
- mash tun/lauter tun (can be the same vessel, and can be homemade, but still expensive in either time or money)
- bigger everything (all-grain uses much more water than extract brewing to get the same volume of beer)
- wort chiller (not strictly necessary, but a really good idea)

Also, all-grain takes much more time: you might be able to finish a malt extract brew in about 3-4 hours (including prep time and cleanup), but all-grain usually ends up being a long full day.

You're probably right re: starting out.  Need to look into bulk extracts (I just don't want a kit); there will be some learning involved.  And it'd only be remotely viable to start all-grain because I'm planning on doing very small batches.  Grain mill = 16 lb granite mortar and pestle (and about 6 hrs of grinding).  Wort chiller = -30^oC Calgary winters. 

And I think I've figured out where I'm going to do my Masters degree:

Korea University (KU) is known for its drinking habits. In Korea, many people recognize KU as one of the schools where the students drink vast amounts of alcohol. Moreover, also known for drinking Makgeolli, it is sometimes even called the Makgeolli University as written in the song, 'Makgeolli Changa'.

Drinking with Korean university students is trouble, and it doesn't have to be KU.  The last time I did, we started drinking beer at the University (in the Drum room - yay band geeks!) then hit a few bars before ending up in 'Dog Street'; so-called because of the state one ends up in (I actually managed to keep up, but only because of extensive pre-training and anti-hangover drinks).  Apparently it's not uncommon for really plastered students to sleep in the gutter.  And then get up the next day and go to class. Maybe after another drink. 

Hmm....  Kiyo should transfer to Korea....

The first time I drank with Korean university students, I almost died of alcohol poisoning, I think. 

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

New news from the cellars: there is a Scottish Ale happily bubbling away in my basement.   

Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be a bit low-alchohol.  The starting potential alcohol was around 3.5%.  I had a bit of a conversion dilemma, and it looks like I was a bit off in my guesswork - the quantity of malt extract in my recipe was by weight, but my new ingredient supplier sells by volume.  With no suitable scale available, I had to guess at a density.  I think I got it a bit wrong.  Ah, well.  It'll make a good session beer, I hope.

Aggie: I brought some Blanche de Chambly and Chambly Noir back from my New Year's excursion to Quebec, and I'm starting to think the same thing.     I think it should be just dormant - if it were completely dead, then I don't think that bottle-conditioned beer would age the way it does.  Hmm.

[Aggie]

Not sure on that.  I ran a little test with some sugar one time, but it wasn't conclusive.  You'll have to give it a go and see what happens.

[anthrobabe]

where is Kiyo anyway?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Not sure where Kiyo is.  I've been neglecting the Monastery lately, so it's hard for me to keep track of when people appear and disappear.  Hasn't he been around?

Not sure on that.  I ran a little test with some sugar one time, but it wasn't conclusive.  You'll have to give it a go and see what happens.

Yes, I think I will.  I've got a bit of malt extract left over from the brew that would be ideal.

I suppose that you'd be taking your chances with trying to culture yeast from the bottle.  For one thing, there's no guarantee that the beer hasn't been handled in a way that killed it all off.  I imagine that beer might occasionally freeze on the trucks if it's being shipped in winter.

Also, if you don't sterilize your equipment and your fermentables (e.g. at least boil or pasteurize the sugar water for a while), the yeast can be overwhelmed by bacteria; that could prevent fermentation as well.

Hmm.  You've got me curious now.  I'll have to go buy another airlock so I can test this out.

I may need more beer as well.   

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

FYI all: I'm going to be once again ushering in the New year by brewing a beer.

I'm planning a Viennese spiced porter.  I'll have to find somewhere around me where I can buy a whole vanilla bean. 

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Update: New Beer's Day was a success.  The beer is now happily bubbling away in the cellar.

The vanilla bean (which I found at my neighbourhood grocery store, BTW - I thought it'd be harder to find) gets added when I transfer the beer to the secondary fermenter in a few days.  The almond extract will get added during bottling.

Potential alcohol was 10%, which means the finished product will probably end up being around 8%... I think.  This is my first beer recipe that uses oats, and I'm not sure what effect they have on the specific gravity.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Well, I think I found the effect of the oats: they increase the viscosity of the beer, which means that the bubbles of foam that are produced as the yeast creates CO₂ don't break.

On Saturday, I went down to the basement and found that a fair bit of the beer had... um... enthusiastically left the carboy.  From what I can gather, the foam built up on top of the beer, carrying the bits of hops and grains that were floating on top of it.  Some of these little bits clogged the airlock until the pressure built up and then went blooey as they dislodged, expelling about a litre of beer and munge, and blowing the top off the airlock.  I got to spend a good part of the afternoon cleaning the evidence off the walls and ceiling.

Everything's back together now and the foam's gone down; hopefully the beer didn't get infected while the airlock wasn't in place.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Why do I recall what happens when you freeze a bottle of coke and suddenly open it... (had you ever cleaned coke foam from the ceiling?). 

[Sibling Chatty]

Vanilla? Almond extract? Oats?

COOKIE BEER!!

[Aggie]

Cheers to Chatty!  She is missed.

Well, this thread is certainly well-aged...  almost a shame to open such a good vintage, but it's the appropriate place for the topic, I think.

Last year, I started a cellaring experiment with five bottles of Truth, Dare, Consequence, and imperial stout from my local brewery.  Very good, very dark, and at 10%+ very dangerous stuff... (named after equally excellent and extreme ski runs... see photo).

The plan is to open a bottle every year and see how it improves with age, probably with the brewmaster and the owner(s) of the brewery, assuming they keep brewing it!  I've had good results holding onto dark, high-alcohol beers in the past...  Brouwerij de Molen's Kopi Luwak beer had a best-before date of 5 years, but I think it was into it's 6th before I finished my last of the stash, and it was excellent.  Right now the new batch should be out, and I've got a year-old bottle that will probably get tasted somewhere around St. Pat's day.

Not recommended for eurolagers in green bottles!

[Griffin]

Good luck with that. It seems such a long time ago when Chatty left us.

[Aggie]

It's been too long, but always was...

Good timing, I'll be cracking the 1-year bottle with the brewmaster this weekend.

[Pachyderm]

There is a little brewery (compact but bijou) which is gaining some traction. Called Stewart Brewing, in Edinburgh. They did a collaboration with another company, Electric Bear Brewing, and produced a Canadian breakfast stout called "Not Your Buddy, Guy". I filled the growler and stuck it in the fridge. Very, very good indeed. Highly recommended....

[Aggie]

Canadian breakfast stout, eh? Does it involve back bacon?  I'm more partial to a coffee porter for the morning...  or ISA with grapefruit juice.

I can report that the TDC aging was a thorough success...  brewmaster noted that the oxidation was notable, which to me came through as more chocolatey than the fresh batch.  In any case, it's worth continuing the experiment.  Now I suppose I need to get some more bottles set aside so that I can compare fresh vs 1 year vs 2 year next year... which will require more tasters.   The stuff does set one to slurring incredibly quickly.  Brewmaster says he regards is more as a port than a beer.

[Bluenose2]

Yes, and I still miss her...    <3