Turbid brown pour with a level of carbonation that was better than I thought it might be after this length of time.

Somewhat surprisingly, it does meet the taste parameters that one might expect. Not only that, it doesn’t deliver any cardboard either. That seems unlikely at this age, but it manages to do that. What it doesn’t do (unsurprisingly) is bring a lively, fresh feel! It looks, and drinks its age. There’s a little coffee, some vanilla, the cocoa nibs are there, and a mingling of dark fruit too, but obviously the alcohol and other more subtle notes are gone.

Nothing to get upset about here, but the beer is tired at his point in its life. Having said that it still manage to pull off a half-decent experience, so in the end I was pretty happy. Another one that should have been drunk infinitely younger, but I’m not learning anything new in my cellaring journey with this beer.

I wasn’t in love with this fresh, so TBH it doesn’t feel like much of a loss. Chalk it up to experience and move on.