Was at Kuhnhen last week and enjoyed their Fourth Dementia old ale, most likely my favorite non-barrel aged old ale. What are your favorites?
The best I've ever had was Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Fourth Dementia. That stuff is just amazing. Founders Old Curmudgeon is probably my favorite non-barrel aged old ale (as well as regular 4D). I hear a lot of great things about Adam from the Wood too... but I haven't had the chance to try it.
Cherry Adam from the Wood is my highest-rated old ale on this site. But considering nothing really distinguishes an old ale from a barleywine besides what the brewer decides to call the beer in the end, I have higher-rated barleywines.
The Bruery's anniversary beers are categorized as old ales and I personally think that those beers (at least cuir and fruet) kick some old ale ass.
Old ale is old ale because it's aged, right? Like Thomas Hardys was an old ale because it spent 9 months on oak before bottling, right?
Aged Founders Curmudgeon and North Coast Old Stock are magical. Miss me some Thomas Hardy's as well. Also have a soft spot for Old Tom and Theakston's Old Peculier. The accidentally-Brettified 2011 (enjoyed late 2012) Figgy Pudding from Block 15 was stellar as well, though the beer was perhaps not what was intended upon release.
Adam is really good. But I think Billy the Mountain is my favorite. I wish I could get some more of that.
'Probably not' is the best answer to your question, although historically this style was aged, thus its name. I think some examples in this style are aged nowadays, but many are 'probably not' in the brewer's haste to get the beer to market. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/79 To the OP: I'll add Arcadia's Big Dick's Old Ale to the list. It's not widely distributed, but worth seeking out.
4d is my favorite by far. I have had better cellared old ales, but I can't wait 5-10 years everytime I want a beer.
Olde Suffolk and Olde Peculiar. Both are on my all time favorite beer list and I wish more breweries would emulate them. Cooper's Vintage and Haverstion Old Engine Oil gets honorable mention.
Knocked back a 2011 4D over the weekend and it was fantastic - though not nearly as fantastic as Fruet.
Best one I`ve had so far is Smuttynose`s Really Old Brown Dog, but then again there`s a lot of supposedly really good old ales that I haven't had yet.
For something entirely different, I very much enjoyed Nissefar by HaandBryggeriet when I had it on tap about a year ago.
It's been mentioned. But Bruery's Fruet by far exceeds every other old ale I've tried. I enjoy the occasional Old Ale but it's not a go-to style of mine. That said, Fruet is one of the best 5 beers I've ever had. Phenominal.
The first time I had Kuhnhenn's regular 4D it was from the 2004 batch. It was phenomenal, the beer that got me into looking for Old Ales. For the past few years though the normal version has been too sweet in my opinion. I love sweet beers, really for an old ale or barleywine I feel like the beer needs the sweetness, but recent 4D has been too much, like cloyingly sweet and hard to drink. I disliked past years enough I didn't even try any of the normal variety this year. The BA 4D on the other hand is an almost perfect beer. I love Bell's Third Coast Old Ale... but it's listed as a barleywine on this site... To me Curmudgeon is overrated, I don't think it's that great of a beer.
Kuhnhenn is king. HOTD, Bruery, and Founders are all capable of making good Old Ales, but they're just not in the same league as Kuhnhenn.
