January 21, 2001 -- One of the by-products of being related to me is that you get a lot of beer info and tasting opportunities thrust your way. Some in my family listen and sample indulgently, knowing that it's easier to grin-and-bear-it than to try to shut me up once I get going, while others embrace the opportunities. My brother-in-law, Shawn Laari, definitely belongs in the latter group.

So it was with pleasure the other night that he and his wife, my sister Cathy Beaumont, joined me and Christine for a vintage beer tasting. For Shawn, it was a belated birthday present. For the rest of us, it was just plain fun.

We began with a variation on what has become an annual tradition at World of Beer Central -- the vertical tasting of Eisbock from the Niagara Falls Brewing Copmpany of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Mindful that we had a number of beers to get through, I opted to open only three out of the six or seven vintages in the cellar -- 1993, 1996 and Eisbock Gold, the 1994 vintage that was aged for an extra year at the brewery and further concentrated to 8.6% alcohol rather than the brand's customary 8%.

As I suspected in advance, the Gold fared the worst of the lot, having started its slide some years earlier. The 1993, which had surprised me a year or two ago with a return to form after a period of decline, showed a nice but very subdued and lightly minerally flavour, with notes of bitter chocolate in the finish. The 1996 fared the best, demonstrating a firm character, good complexity and notes of orange, brandy-ish alcohol, light perfume and a hint of roastiness. Its finish was soft and coffee-ish.

The following trio was much more impressive. The 1994 Anniversary Bock from the Brick Brewing Company of Waterloo, Ontario, led off with an intensely licorice-y nose and a flavourful body holding notes of prune, fennel and roasted walnut.To my surprise, it impressed me even more than the second entry, the 1996 vintage of the famed Kulmbacher Reichelbr„u Eisbock, a less complicated beer with a curious combination of licorice and roasted cereal in the nose and a nicely developed body holding a mild roastiness and flavourful alcohols.

The star of this group, however, and indeed the star of the night, was the 1990 Samichlaus, brewed back when Brauerei Hurlimann of Zurich, Switzerland, was still responsible for the brand. For a decade-old beer, the nose was stunningly intense, with notes of charcoal, licorice, prune and even light florals. The body was likewise quite remarkable, with concentrated notes of raisin and other dried fruits, roasted and burnt nut, anise and the darkest of chocolates. Licorice lingered on the finish of this astounding brew.

The ale portion of the night began with a 1994 Maudite from Unibroue of Quebec, Canada. While it did appeal to everyone at the table with its spicy-fruity character (emphasizing coriander, I thought), I felt that it was merely a shadow of its former self. Save for an unexpected rose petal flavour on the finish, my impression was of a muted version of fresh Maudite.

Next up was the very first brew of Adam from the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company of

Portland, Oregon, USA. That dates it to 1994, folks, and this beauty sure did carry its age well. The very big aroma held notes of tobacco, prune, fig, blackberry and even a bit of tar(!), while the almost viscous body offered more dried fruit on a winy character with some smokiness rising in the finish. I had been warned that perhaps this beer wasn't aging as it should, but I am now convinced that my last remaining bottle has lots of life left in it yet. I'll see this one again in perhaps five or six years.

Our final flight was a trio of Thomas Hardy's Ales from Eldridge, Pope & Co. of Dorchester, England -- vintage 1994, 1993 and 1992. As I suspected, the youngest of the lot was still too young, with a sweet nose that reminded me a bit of 20-year-old balsamic vinegar and a sweet, cloying body with intense notes of fruit and treacle. The 1993 fared much better -- more developed even than its extra year of age would seem to warrant -- and demonstrated some good complexity of fruit, wood and leather notes. Still, I thought that this, too, had many more years in it.

The oldest Hardy's offered proof that this beer must somehow be continued. (Currently, the Hardy's brand is in limbo after being discontinued by the brewery that developed it.) Somewhat similar in flavour and aroma to the 1993, it showed a drier and more developed character and brandy-ish warmth. Even so, the complexities of this truly great ale have only begun to show and a decade or more of aging potential should not at all be considered out of the question.

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