I’ve had this beer several times, but I have not had it aged this long. Aging beer is always a slight gamble, a calculated risk that the structure and character of the beer will not only stand up to the test of time, but actually improve. Like wine, there are a few factors that make a beer more appropriate for aging.
Style and Alcohol by volume, or ABV matter the most. Don’t age hoppy beers they just loose the fresh florals flavor. Stick to stouts, browns. Spurs and porters. Now that we know the styles consider the ABV. A stronger beer, that’s at least 7 to 9% or above, has a better shot at maintaining some of its character (if not developing more) as it ages (higher alcohol beers tend to have more complex flavors, if only because high alcohol requires more fermentation, not to mention would be also registered as imbalanced in the final brew without other flavors).
Underground Mountain Brown starts coffee forward fresh, but has a bit more chocolate now.
The aroma still has those nice roasted coffee notes. It smell like a coffee house mixed with a bourbon cellar. There’s that vanilla and wood notes from the bourbon.
The flavor is smoother now with a bit of that fresh alcoholic bite now gone. I get a fresh roasted coffee that transitions to more of a bitter espresso. I get malt, chocolate, bourbon and sweet vanilla notes in the middle and finish.
The beer feels a bit thicker as I think we lost some of the carbonation, but I like the aged version more than the fresh version. Everything feels a bit more complex and developed.