Yep, and they are good. I have bought OLD stock that sat on a shelf 3-4 years and it wasn't bad. I have stuff I bought fresh, cellared at 50ish, and opened a year later and it was great. For some reason it tends to sit here, maybe no one can get past the lack of English names.
Interesting. I can find a few JP's, which are from year 2011. Probably I should buy those and they are still good? How they usually change with time? Do you think, that those lower ABV (~ 4,5 %) are also still good?
The only low ABV one I have had old is Calabaza Blanca, which, becomes more wine like. It had less hop with spice, more of a combined flavor, like it was all there at once subdued, not in shifts. I hope that makes sense. If you can get an old La Roja try that out first. See if you like it, go from there. I like the Bams fresh, and Maracaibo Especial I have sitting to age more now, but I expect it to be good next fall.
I've read a few different things about bottles exploding when stored for extended periods. Given how every fresh(ish) bottle I've opened has gushed foam, I believe it.
I had a bottle of Cinco Anos explode this weekend. I just slightly clinked it with another bottle and BOOM
Never had one break. Many of the bottle conditioned I have only had fresh. La Roja, I don't believe, is bottle conditioned.
How it differs from fresh one? I have had Oro de Calabaza only once. It was about 6 months old. And yeah, it was awesome!
I think the Brett character becomes a little more forward after some time. A little mustiness, very nice. Excellent at any age but I particularly like this one with some age. I've never done a fresh vs aged of this beer side by side but I'd love to.
I aged the La Roja 3 years and it was amazing. Best to buy in pairs or more and try over a period of time. Take notes so you know where your sweet spot is.
I bought 2 bottles of la roja, drank one fresh and didnt love it. I dont like the vinegary notes. I still have the other bottle. Does the vinegar charactristic go away when aged, or become more pronounced? I'm still getting used to sours...
I personally prefer most of the jp beers I have had when they were a year or older, a little time allows the yeast to develop and a certain barnyard funkiness develops. It is not for everyone but I really enyoy the extra funk that age brings to their brews
stoked to find this thread. I just drank my first ODC two nights ago, and have a couple others including La Roja that I was wondering if I should sit on for a little bit or not. I might pick up a few more because i almost instantly fell in love. It didnt destroy my wallet and I really enjoyed how it was drinking.
I found a May 2010 bottle of Luciernaga at an off the beaten path liquor store last night. It exploded like a shaken bottle of champagne before I even had the cap half off. I poured a glass and it still continued to foam out the top. Probably lost 1/4 of the bottle. The bottle was dusty on a shelf and took a car ride less than two miles before sitting in a fridge for two hours. I've never seen a bottle go so crazy. When I had it fresh I remember liking it but it being near the bottom of the Jolly Pumpkins I had tried. This time however I really loved it. The tastes seemed more intense rather than mellowed and it had more of a sourness to it. We had it right after a fresh Noel de Calabaza (which I had previously really enjoyed) and found that the Lucy blew it away.
I find most bottle conditioned beers benefit from a day or two in the fridge, see much less over the top foaming etc that way.
I prefer JP beers with a year+ on them. More Brett, more lactic, flavors a bit more rounded. That being said 2 years on la roja and two on fuego del otono are pure bliss in a bottle
