When the Bier Baron first opened over a year ago, the previous owner’s private cellar sat untouched, stacked from floor to ceiling with unopened cases of beer just waiting to be dug up and consumed.  Most of the stuff I had never even heard of.  And that’s what made digging through all those dusty boxes in the freezing cold so much fun. It wasn’t really hard work.  It was more like a treasure hunt.

I’ll admit.  We found some pretty gnarly beers that we had to pour down the drain.  But we found some pretty good ones too. I jumped up and down like a little girl who just got a pony for her birthday when I found a Westvleteren 12.  (No, we don’t have anymore.  We drank it, obviously.  We have a solemn obligation to sample all beers before serving them to the public.)

Whenever we cracked a beer open, we had no idea what to expect. Had the years been kind to it? Was it cared for properly?  What the hell is this even supposed to taste like anyway? After we had finally gone through everything, the question became, what are we gonna do with all this beer?

Turns out that drinking it all yourself is frowned upon by both the owners who apparently have bills to pay, and by my parents who already think I’m an alcoholic.  Besides, what’s the fun in keeping it all to yourself?

So we decided to put it all out there so that you can share in the excitement too.  We assembled what is, to the best of my knowledge, the largest collection of vintage beers in the city. And we’re going to throw a party to celebrate. A big one.  The Bier Baron’s First Annual Midsummer Night Barley Wine Festival will be held on August 17th 2012 at 7:oopm. 

Click below to get your ticket and come taste three vintages of Anchor Old Foghorn side by side.  Be the first to see the Cellar Reserve List. Crack something open and see what the years have done to it.  We hope it will be something of a treasure hunt for you as well.