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I sent Oregone, cause he can't get none in Oregon, some Old Charter 12 YO and he sent me some Oregon beer. He sent two Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout 22 oz bottles that are BOURBON BARREL AGED for 10 months. They weigh in at 10.5% alcohol and I am athinking just one of those will make me break out in a smile.

One of the other beers is Old Boardhead Barleywine, and the last is a 10% IPA.

Now, Oregone, how long do these need to fester in the bottle before they are prime? The Imperial Stout you sent is '06 vintage, while the BW is '05.

I 'spect the IPA is good to go now.

I am having a hard time waiting to drink the BB Stout, so I told Barleycorn (my dog) to hide them from me for a while. He was reading the label on the Boardhead and now wants to change his name from 'Barleycorn' to 'Barleywine'..............that dog is so much like a human that I feel sorry for him!

BTW, I had a Sierra Nevada Porter for lunch today. First time I have had that Porter in a long while. I have always liked it a great deal...........I still think it is my favorite Porter and there are some very good ones out there (Bert Grant, Anchor, Rogue.........etc, etc). SN Porter is very flavorful and rich.........suits my palate just fine!!

I am not sure how much age Full Sail put on the Imperial Stout prior to bottling, but hell I sent two bottles . . . drink one now and save the other.

I think ten months in bulk is sufficient. The barleywine was aged for about 12 months in bulk before bottling and it's definitely ready to go. The original batch was aged for 18 months, but they haven't been able to keep that up over the last few years. Very few barleywines or Imps get anywhere near that much time in the tank/barrel and require a little time in the cellar, IMO, but the Full Sail beers seem to be fine from day of release.

I'm blanking here, but I think the IPA was actually from south of here: the 10th year special bottling of the Stone IIPA. At least, I think that's what I put in the box. It's definitely ready to drink and surprisingly subtle for a beer that is actually pretty huge.

I'm happy with my Old Charter, but (long story) since you had to send it in different bottles, I'm sad. Because one of the bottles was my old friend Eagle Rare before they softened up the alcohol content. I grabbed the last five bottles I could find in Oregon, but they evaporated in no time! Maybe it was my dog Ralphie, come to think of it. Hmmmmm.