I find I have a problem. When I set a beer aside in my cellar for aging, I have a hard time finding the right moment to drink it. The off-shoot is that sometimes and I can over-age the beer an miss its prime time for consumption. I have been trying to get better at it. I have implemented two rules. First, one beer in, one beer out. If I add a new beer to my cellar I must remove one beer for consumption in the near future. Second, I am trying twice a year to go through my cellar inventory and make a conscious decision of whether a beer is ready to be consumed or not (if I remove a few I temporarily suspend rule #1). It has helped to some degree.

However, I still get hung up on beer that are particularly rare or special. I just have a really hard time popping the cap on those ones. I keep telling myself I should wait until a more appropriate event or time.

A recent case in point. I was fulfilling rule #2 a few weeks back and got to my stash of Westveleteren, the rarest of the Trappist Monastaries. I mostly have their 12, the quadrupel, and so am content to leave those around a little longer. However, I stumbled across a 2010 bottle of the 8, the Dubbel. Oops. Didn’t plan to leave it that long.

Now, at 8% it is on the big end for a Dubbel, but likely five years might be a bit of a stretch. But there was absolutely NO way I was wasting the beer (as hard to come by as it was), so I opened it recently. What I found was an interesting lesson.

The appearance is dark deep brown with a slight haze. There is no head to speak of. I get some fizziness as the beer pours, but it drops away almost immediately, giving it a fairly lifeless look. The aroma offers up raisin, molasses, cola, some dark fruit and a hint of earthy spiciness. Not unpleasant, I must say.

The sip reveals caramel, toffee, molasses,  and some dark brown sugar sweetness upfront. I also pick up a notable plum and blackberry fruitiness which stands off from the malt sweetness. The middle opens up a rustic earthiness and the beginnings of a light sherry note. The finish has a mild spiciness that reminds me of coffee cake. The beer has a soft velvet texture to its mouthfeel.

The years have mellowed the beer. The alcohol is almost imperceptible and the spiciness quite subtle. However the sherry and fruit add an interesting dimension to the beer. The beer is smoother and quieter than its fresh version. I find it still holds a remarkable flavour profile.

Likely I should have opened this a year or two sooner, before the spiciness dropped off too much. Still, it was a pleasant and complex experience. World class still shows itself through, even five years later.