FT: 50N B2 ISO: Arthur Blue Label

I’m trying to setup a really awesome arthur tasting and have 12-17, and puncheon. I’m looking to trade my 50N for a bottle of arthur blue label and perhaps a small plus or not I havent seen one trade in awhile. If you’ve got a bottle lets work something out. I can expand for art with other vintage loons.

Whats Arthur Blue Label?

Originally posted by GlasgowTAD
Whats Arthur Blue Label?

Whats the date on it?

Originally posted by AtlCarl
Whats the date on it?

There is only one blue label arthur so if you cellar dive and put all of your arthur out on a table and all are green, you don’t have one. Photo (copyright DontDrinkBeer - https://dontdrinkbeer.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/20130102-181225.jpg?w=1120 )

It was never split up as a separate entry at Shaun’s request. I personally have never had it.

Some backstory actually. Paraphrasing.

Art Batch 1 was basically what Shaun wanted Arthur to eventually taste like. Arthur, a stainless steel fermented saison, bottle conditioned and sold at the now crazy low price of $10 (no price increases since it was released many years ago).

When Blue Label Arthur came out, Shaun had started experimenting with fermentation of Arthur in Oak barrels / Puncheons. He at the time had told me and others that this was how he wanted Arthur to taste like once it’s finally perfect. He thought it commemorated a place in the process where he could be happy with the results. Now, a flavor profile of Blue Label Arthur wasn’t reached for a few more years but since 2014, almost every Arthur has been fermented in Foudres (as have all of the other saisons).

Heres a photo of them: https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7108/13449306945_ab5f06966d_b.jpg

At the time, Shaun told me saison limits were about to go through the roof. Prior to getting these installed, Saisons were always brewed often but with low limits. 4 batches of arthur per year, 1-2 of Florence, 3-5 of Anna and 2-4 bottle limits per saison. With the new oak, he could never let the oak dry out so when it’s emptied, cleaned, it’s immediately filled again and thus Saisons started being increased to 12 bottle limits.

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Sorry for the digression.

In short, Arthur today, nearly every arthur batch tastes as good or better than Blue Label Arthur and very close to what Art was originally. Seeking out Blue Label Arthur, a likely oxidized old batch is a moot point except for doing some crazy vertical which if OP is doing one, please invite me. :P

Now, where does Arthur Puncheon (unique entry) come in? This would be an interesting one but essentially, Puncheon is a batch of Arthur like every other that wasn’t quite up to today’s quality of being deemed Art BUT is clearly above the rest of Arthur as it is today. I’d say if you went back in time 5 years, Today Arthur is better than 2012 Art and Arthur Puncheon would go toe-to-toe with 2012 Art. The beers up there have all changed since Shaun opened, a great evolution that keeps things interesting.

tl;dr
Arthur is my favorite readily available HF beer and Blue Label was just a nice milestone in shaun’s efforts to make Arthur very Art-like

"Blue label was a goof by the printer - but it turns out that the blue label is a very different beer - we inoculated it with a different yeast strain. Very tart. -Shaun E. Hill"

well that’s more of a tl;dr than I could muster. Good on Shaun for his brevity.

Thanks for all the info Adam!!! way better than the tldr which is pretty much all we’ve had haha!

i drank a Blue Label Arthur with some friends almost exactly a year ago. it was amazing!!! slightly oxidized but it added to it nicely. my review is in the first link if anyone wants to check it out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGNqLdtrkOS/?taken-by=sick_narlo

Great info! Thanks Adam! Much appreciated.

Yeah I’m planning on doing a 11-17 arthur vert and arthur puncheon. and hopefully blue label arthur, art, and maybe art plum. I’m still in the process of getting the last 3, but I’ve got the ammo so its a matter of time.

This is closed. I’m still looking for an art and art plum. I’ve got bottles of 50N b2, ’12 lpk, ’14 fou, ’13 vig, and other lambic. If youve got either let me know