2/26/2016

My crown jewel has been consumed.  I brought the 2014 Assassin (to a Super Bowl party at the Baders' house and shared it with several friends, including Shaun, Beau, Tony, Tap, and of course Christa. I may be forgetting one or two folks who were there...it's been a few weeks now.

This beer is undoubtedly the greatest non-sour beer that I've ever had, and might be #1 overall.  I regrettably did not take detailed tasting notes, but the aroma and flavor were incredibly rich and complex with "enourmous bourbon" and plenty of sweet chocolate and roast, with exactly the right amount of subtle fruit esters.  Christa noted tobacco The mouthfeel was the most impressive part, maintaining a thick viscous motor oil consistency after about 20 months in the bottle. 

An interesting note, this was a second consecutive 5-star Untappd check-in for me, after having just sampled Goose Island's 2013 Bourbon County Backyard Rye aged on three kinds of berries.  That beer was wonderful and unforgettable more for it's fascinating uniqueness, and despite being a perfect 5 in itself, the Assassin outshone it by a sizeable margin.


The other cellar selection I contributed to the Super Bowl party was the Brau Brothers Bancreagie Sour Peated Ale.  My notes were simply "Very little peat, if any.  Tartness is soft & nicely balanced."  I recall hearing from friends prior to drinking this that it was not very good at all, and even a couple of friends at the SB party didn't care for it much, but I really enjoyed it - 3.75/5 stars.


Updated Cellar List:
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout '12
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout '14
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout '15
Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio '15
Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic Bio '15
Deschutes Abyss Imperial Stout '13
Engquist Homebrew Gingerbread Imperial Stout '13
Engquist Homebrew Perpetual Propagation '15 (x5)
Engquist Homebrew Smoked Robust Vanilla Porter '13
Goose Island Matilda Belgian Style Pale Ale '13
Hardywood Gingerbread Stout '14
Hardywood Barrel Aged Gingerbread Stout '14
Mother's Foggy Notion '13
Mother's Raspberry Imperial Three Blind Mice Brown Ale '15
Odell Friek '15
Southern Tier Creme Brulee '13
Southern Tier Creme Brulee '14
Southern Tier Crème Brulee '15
Summit Old Blaggard Barleywine '15 (x4)
Surly Darkness Imperial Stout '15 (x2)
Two Brothers Bare Tree Barley Wine Style Weiss Beer '13
Unibroue Don de Dieu Triple Wheat '14
Weyerbacher Tiny Imperial Stout '13
Weyerbacher Tiny Imperial Stout '14