Matilda v. Matilda

The biggest problem I have with beer is keeping it around.  As I alluded to at the last Brew Day, I want to keep my Imperial Stout until the fall...and it's currently January!  Thankfully, I still have the last 3 years of Stone's Vertical Epics tucked away and until the other night, a '09 Goose Island Matilda.

Now the Matilda came out of hiding only because I picked up a 2010.  One of the neat things about cellaring beers, outside of having a constant supply, is to see how it changes.  That is, of course, if you can keep them around long enough.

The Matilda is a belgian style pale ale and although these two bottles are separated by only a year, the difference in taste was fairly dramatic.  The '09 had a much stronger hop, spicy pepperish profile whereas the '09 still had those hints, but stronger notes of dark fruit and the belgian yeast.  Both were excellent, but in different ways.

It is a lot of fun (for me at least) to try this vertical tasting.  Beer...well good beer, can really change with age.

Goose Island suggests holding these for five years.  I was lucky to keep them for 5 months and that included hiding them from my friends.  Next time you have the chance to attend a vertical beer tasting, or are lucky enough to stash your own away, give it a try and experience the difference of a couple years. You will be glad you did.