Founders Bolt Cutter 15th Anniversary Barley Wine

I've heard conflicting reports and now I'm confused...is this or is this not barrel aged?

From the website:
Bolt Cutter is a cellarable barley wine with an ABV of 15%. Dry-hopped with a mountain of Cascade hops, it’s balanced by a malty sweetness and spicy complexity, resulting from barrel aging some of it in bourbon barrels, some in maple syrup-bourbon barrels and some not at all (standard fermentation only).

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet or not but... a word of warning for those coming tomorrow to the party from out of town, the back parking lot is torn up while they are expanding - and the front lot isn't going to be available because they are using it as an overflow area. The city of Grand Rapids does not charge for parking on Saturdays, but you may have to walk a bit to find a spot. Probably going to ride my bike down early and avoid the hassle altogether, but figured I would pass on the word to those who aren't familiar with the area.

Anybody know when and how much is hitting Chicago?

Have yet to crack a bottle, but here at Founders the Bolt Cutter is drinking very well. This is definitely one to cellar even though it is fantastic now.

I have a Founders questions that isn't worth making a thread for - why did Founders change the recipe of Nemesis in 2010 and why did they stop making it altogether? I think I remember hearing that they were told to cease using the name "Nemesis", but why not just change the name of the beer and continue selling it?

A seasonal/limited barleywine every year would be awesome, I'd love to see one instead of Devil Dancer.

I'm on the waiting list at a local store for next weeks release. Curious to see how much this gets marked up, especially at a certain store close to me.

that seems pretty nonsensical. why cellar something when it's fantastic now?

I'm just saying it's great now and that it seems like it will age very well. Not sure how that is nonsensical. Most folks that went to Founders got 2 bottles and hopefully they at least enjoy one fresh and hang on to the other for a while.

Tons of people cellar beer that is also great fresh. Sounds like you're just trolling.

The same reason most people cellar beers. To see how the beer will change with time on it.

The idea behind Nemesis was that it would be a different beer every year (09 was the -bal wheatwine and 10 the black barleywine). They had to stop using the Nemesis name due to a trademark issue. Wish they would re-release that black barleywine, it was pretty damn tasty.

If their Q&A is any indication, there's a good chance we'll see the '09 Nemesis released next year in some form.

Why cellar a beer that is fantastic now? Example, double bastard is amazing fresh and amazing with a few years on it. It changes but is still awesome for different reasons as it ages.

oh. i thought most people cellar beer to let the flavor drop off while trade value goes up.

barrel-aged beer is already oxidized and has a greater risk of falling off with age than a 'normal' beer; it seems like an unusual risk to me to take a beer that is already a known, wonderful quantity and age it, risking it dropping off into something crappy. it's your right, but i find it a silly thought process.

agreed, there's no possibility that my point went over your head.

Nothing went over my head at all. When trying to make a point, people typically state some reasons behind what they are saying to justify said point. When you post something on BA, you're typically being a smartass. Oh wait... maybe it did go over my head.

Your second post (that included some actual reasons for your first comment) definitely convinced me to go crack all of my Bolt Cutters and chug them immediately for fear they will be an oxidized mess very soon.... just like the rest of Founders barrel aged beers.

Damn... but then I can't wait for the hype and value to build up for all those Bolt Cutters that I'm not even going to trade.

You make very valid points, but even if this 15% barrel aged barley wine is drinking great now, i think it would be a fun experiment to see how it changes with time. I def don't see it falling off within the next year or 2, but to each his own.

Great barleywine, one of the best I've ever had. It is dangerously easily drinkable for 15%

I will look for this in KY,since OH is still one of the backwards states

the last Backstage release (Frangelic) wasnt as wildly popular as CBH and CBS.

do you know anything about cellaring beer?

Thanks for clearing that up for me!

Pliny is fantastic now, why not age some?

start a petition.

Is anyone else disappointed with the Bolt Cutter glass? The one they sold me was already wrapped up and I came home to find some of the S in the Founders logo missing and a section under Bolt Cutter missing.

Think they all are mine and my buddies are the same way

My glass doesn't have any errors on it

i know that cellaring always improves beer, and that you'd be a fool not to do it to everything you buy.

please correct me if i'm wrong. i wish to learn at your feet.

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My watering hole had a founders day with tons of Founders choices. Just so happens when I got off work they still had Bolt Cutter...and lots of it. So good..



As you can see, they still had some options at 2am Great beer.

wow you are a very negative person aren't you guess i'll just add ya to my ignore list, there that was easy!

Just curious what Bolt Cutter sold for at brewery or other retail locations? $19 up here.

$23 at the brewery.

Got a taste of this one at the Map Room's 20th anniversary party yesterday. First, this is not an English Barleywine...to me it's the definition of an American Barleywine. Way too much hop presence to fit into the English category. Second, I could see this being great in a couple years, but I would argue that this isn't really ready to drink yet. Nonetheless, glad I got to try it (nothing stood much of a chance after Bourbon Vanilla Dark Lord) and I'll look to revisit in a year or two.

....and next comes the snarky comment about how he doesn't care that you blocked him.

I guess trolling is far more important these days than contributing constructive input to a conversation about a new beer.

Barrel aged you just wouldn't know it.

you're wrong. i do care. i was devastated, and it ruined my morning. i hid in the stairwell and cried.

then how would you characterize his first post:

as for trolling, all i did was ask why, if a beer is fantastic, you would age it reflexively. that kind of unthinking thought process is causing thousands of bottles to languish in cellars until they are past their prime. it's a damn shame. i think we should challenge these basic assumptions about cellaring.

as is too often the case, you have confused 'trolling' for 'saying something you don't want to hear.'

if it's a great beer now, drink (or trade) a sure thing.

no kidden, guess some people have nothing better to do with their lives then argue on the internet with no clue of what their talking about!

and what do you think you're doing? :facepalm:

fyi, you still haven't said anything other than "do you know anything about cellaring?"

and when challenged, you ran off.

If that is all you were trying to say, your first post would have read much more like your second one. You decided to bait rather than just express your thoughts on cellaring beer that is good fresh in the first place. Classic case of internet trolling and you do it rather frequently around here so it's not too hard to spot.

I am not deciding to age anything reflexively - many of us were lucky to enjoy the beer at Founders this weekend and noticed many qualities that make this beer suitable for aging, just like other barley wines that have a strong hop presence when fresh. I guess Founders must be trying to hoodwink us because they deliberately included "cellarable" in the description and went as far as to say it is suited for long term aging.

I personally drink far more than I hang on to and my tasting group and friends can attest to that. Thanks for quickly lumping me into the crowd that hangs on to beer well past its prime in hopes that trade value goes up when you know absolutely nothing about me. You can go troll some other thread now, you already won this one. Hi 5!

instead of getting kicked off this site like im sure leviathan or whatever his name will be, I will agree that even founders puts on their bottles this is a cellarable beer, if you think its too hoppy maybe in a year or 2 you will like it alot more?

It
It says Barley Wine Ale on the lable that's posted at the top. Maybe he means English or American