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Does anybody have any suggestions or an FAQ on how to age beer? I recently acquired a few bottles that were supposedly very good aged. Also, does anybody have any suggestions on what beers I should age?
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Feb 3, 2013 18:21
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| # ? May 24, 2024 06:03 |
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Someone will blow my lovely post out of the water but: Belgian styles (dubbels/tripels/quads/saisons/barleywines/sours etc.), as well as bottle-conditioned beer with yeast in the vessle tend to age well. Strong touts tend to age well. IPAs are best fresh and are usually not aged. You should age your bottles upright in a cool, dark location, preferably a basement or cellar at 55-50 degrees F. Stronger, higher ABV beers tend to age better than weaker brews because there is a noticeable decrease in alcohol flavor in lots of cases. Only have a few downstairs right now: 1x Boulevard Saison Brett 2x 2010 Ten Fidy 3x 2012 Founders Imperial Stout 4x 2012 BCBS 5x 2012 Westys
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Feb 3, 2013 18:32
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obi_ant posted:Does anybody have any suggestions or an FAQ on how to age beer? I recently acquired a few bottles that were supposedly very good aged. Also, does anybody have any suggestions on what beers I should age? Don't age anything you haven't had fresh. The point of aging, in my opinion, is to see how a beer progresses through the ages. There are some very rare beers or expensive ones that people think are too hot fresh and they may be one to consider aging if you don't have a second, but even then I would rather drink it as the brewer intended. As for what to age, generally barleywines, imperial stouts, and other similarly high alcohol beers. Just remember they won't get better, they will simply change. It may be better or it may be worse, but everyone has a different palate so what tastes better aged to one person might be worse to you. If you want to cellar stuff, pick up things that are common that age well. Many St. Bernardus beers, Victory's Storm King and Golden Monkey, Chimay, and so forth. I pick up a 6 pack of Storm King and Golden Monkey once a year and drink one bottle fresh, and one aged to see how it's progressed. It's a fun project, sometimes better, sometimes not.
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Feb 3, 2013 18:38
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I have a shared basement, so I picked up a tall dorm fridge on Craigslist for $25 and put it in my attic. Set to its lowest setting, it's a constant 50 degrees. Good alternative if you don't want to/can't use a basement, or if your basement isn't cool enough.
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Feb 3, 2013 18:43
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obi_ant posted:Does anybody have any suggestions or an FAQ on how to age beer? I recently acquired a few bottles that were supposedly very good aged. Also, does anybody have any suggestions on what beers I should age? Many good suggestions from the previous replies, but don't forget about (bottle conditioned, unpasteurized) sours, or nearly anything with brett in it.
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Feb 3, 2013 19:04
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Kudosx posted:I really enjoyed Bolt Cutter... but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority on that one. Bolt Cutter wasn't a bad beer, I just felt ripped off with the $23-$25 price tag. Once you pass that $20 price point for a bottle of beer, I have much higher expectations for a beer. The Hill Farmstead Reserve Society is a great idea but it's a tough pill to swallow at $400 for 12 bottles of beer plus 4 glasses. I'm holding out for Cigar City's Reserve Society... obi_ant posted:Does anybody have any suggestions or an FAQ on how to age beer? I recently acquired a few bottles that were supposedly very good aged. Also, does anybody have any suggestions on what beers I should age? It really depends on how often you plan on aging specific beers. Anything without a proven track record I would only hold onto for 1-2 years. Some beers that have been known to age well for long periods of time are: -Bells Expedition Stout -Bells Third Coast Ale -Bells Kalamazoo Stout -De Dolle Stille Nacht -Various Gueuze and Sours (can't really go wrong here, especially sours from Belgium. It's worth noting that fruit tends to fall off) -Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine -Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout -Goose Island Bourbon County Stout -Fantome Saison -Founders Porter -Founders Imperial Stout -Deschutes Abyss -Deschutes Dissident -Trappist Quads -Most Jolly Pumpkin Beers Corb3t fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Feb 3, 2013 |
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Feb 3, 2013 19:26
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For those interested in getting your hands on some really good sours, Cascade Brewing up in Portland ships their beers. Their prices seem to be rising more and more but they're definitely worth trying if you don't have access to many sours in your area: http://shop.cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com/category.sc?categoryId=2
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Feb 3, 2013 19:37
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I started my "cellar" last year with Stone Imperial Russian Stout. It's super cheap and relatively easy to find most places. Buy 4 or 5 of them and try one every 3-6 months and see how they age. It may not be the best example of how well certain beers can age, but its a good place to start. I recently had a bottle of Speedway Stout that I aged for 1 year and loved it and thought it improved a bit from fresh Speedway.
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Feb 3, 2013 19:37
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Cervixalot posted:Gene's Sausage Shop in Lincoln Square.. Was very impressed by their selection! Why have I not gone here yet? I live really close. Also, if I want my bottles of Saison-Brett to get really funky, should I just let them go for years and years? Or is there some sort of time when they peak that people seem to agree upon?
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Feb 3, 2013 19:43
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Noni posted:You both have very good points. Thanks. The comments about cost and the Pepsi Challenge Effect made me wonder: if I looked at only "professional" reviews, would that ABV correlation start to disappear? Eh, I'll try doing one sample, quick and dirty: It would be interesting, but for the purposes of setting a beer neophyte loose on their own, suggesting high ABV isn't a bad route. I only started really seeking out session beers once I was further into the hobby.
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Feb 3, 2013 20:31
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Does anyone have trouble finding Victory At Sea? My local Costco has at least 200 bottles at $5.99. Wasn't sure if it was something people had difficulty tracking down or not.
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Feb 3, 2013 23:27
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Bag of Sun Chips posted:It really depends on how often you plan on aging specific beers. Anything without a proven track record I would only hold onto for 1-2 years. Some beers that have been known to age well for long periods of time are: buy a bunch of Bigfoot and forget about it for ten years. seriously. at six-odd percent ABV, i don't know if that porter would age well, and my experience with FIS much past a year old has been really disappointing, because it is one of my favorite beers. ShaneB posted:Also, if I want my bottles of Saison-Brett to get really funky, should I just let them go for years and years? Or is there some sort of time when they peak that people seem to agree upon? i recently had both 2009 and 2012 and much preferred the 2012. there may have been a slight gain in funkiness, but i don't think it was a fair trade for the loss of the bright, crisp saison qualities of the fresh bottle.
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Feb 3, 2013 23:32
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funkybottoms posted:buy a bunch of Bigfoot and forget about it for ten years. seriously. at six-odd percent ABV, i don't know if that porter would age well, and my experience with FIS much past a year old has been really disappointing, because it is one of my favorite beers. It doesn't really fit the profile of a "beer that ages well", but I've had Founder's Porter with 2 or 3 years of age on it and it is really delicious.
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Feb 4, 2013 00:27
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funkybottoms posted:buy a bunch of Bigfoot and forget about it for ten years. seriously. at six-odd percent ABV, i don't know if that porter would age well, and my experience with FIS much past a year old has been really disappointing, because it is one of my favorite beers. My bad, you're right - I haven't heard anything about aging them any longer than a year or two. I've had Founders Imperial Stout and Porter with a couple years on them and they were great, however. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Feb 4, 2013 |
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Feb 4, 2013 01:08
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wattershed posted:Does anyone have trouble finding Victory At Sea? My local Costco has at least 200 bottles at $5.99. Wasn't sure if it was something people had difficulty tracking down or not. $5.99? It's not that cheap even at Ballast itself. That's kind of nuts. I did get Yuseff to tell me that they are working on the possibility of going with 4 packs of 12 oz. bottles on next year's batch.
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Feb 4, 2013 01:49
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I'm probably going to be hung for this, but I'm drinking a Big Eye IPA and I think it's better than Sculpin. Assuming a 6 month best before date, the Big Eye is a month old while the Sculpin was 2 months. I'm guessing that may be part of the reason why. The only way to know for sure is to hope Sculpin comes fresher next time.
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Feb 4, 2013 03:33
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Midorka posted:Assuming a 6 month best before date, the Big Eye is a month old while the Sculpin was 2 months. I'm guessing that may be part of the reason why. The only way to know for sure is to hope Sculpin comes fresher next time.  I know that hops degrade over time, but I doubt a month is going to be enough to completely change your opinion about an IPA. You might be giving age a bit more weight than it's worth.
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Feb 4, 2013 03:53
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Midorka posted:I'm probably going to be hung for this, but I'm drinking a Big Eye IPA and I think it's better than Sculpin. Assuming a 6 month best before date, the Big Eye is a month old while the Sculpin was 2 months. I'm guessing that may be part of the reason why. The only way to know for sure is to hope Sculpin comes fresher next time. To be honest I am not a huge Sculpin fan even though everyone around me loves it. I will give Big Eye a shot and see how I like that.
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Feb 4, 2013 04:23
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Kraven Moorhed posted:
No. I'm part of the contingent that says if your IPA loses that flavor much in a couple weeks, you didn't make a truly great IPA. But the fact is that these beers exist and the difference in a few weeks can be significant. Re: Aging and Bigfoot. Going to a 10 year Bigfoot vertical on Saturday. Excited.
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Feb 4, 2013 05:27
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wattershed posted:Does anyone have trouble finding Victory At Sea? My local Costco has at least 200 bottles at $5.99. Wasn't sure if it was something people had difficulty tracking down or not. Yes yes yes yes yes yes please! I've been trying to find it since I bought the last bottle at my local shop.
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Feb 4, 2013 05:51
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Midorka posted:I'm probably going to be hung for this, but I'm drinking a Big Eye IPA and I think it's better than Sculpin. I have always felt the same way, it's not just you. Mahoning posted:Yes yes yes yes yes yes please! I've been trying to find it since I bought the last bottle at my local shop. PM me if you'd like to set something up. Probably no hurry though, I have no clue why one location has so much of one beer, and especially sold as singles. It's goofy. Interestingly enough, the Costco had a sign saying they've temporarily stopped carrying a lot of BMC beers because they weren't getting the lowest price in California, therefore negating Costco's competitive advantage. That's some quality Superbowl weekend hardball.
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Feb 4, 2013 06:52
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Jack Skeleton posted:Heads up SoCal/NoCal. Firestone Walker Invitational tickets on sale gently caress. I forgot to set a reminder to buy tickets and it's sold out. I really wanted to go to that.
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Feb 4, 2013 08:07
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On the topic of aging, has anyone had issues with temperature changes through the seasons? I've been storing a couple bottles in my basement, which is typically between 50 and 60 degrees, but this winter it has dropped down to almost 40 at certain points. Would it be better to store them upstairs where the temperature is more constant but warmer or will they be fine in the basement?
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Feb 4, 2013 15:09
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lifts cats over head posted:On the topic of aging, has anyone had issues with temperature changes through the seasons? I've been storing a couple bottles in my basement, which is typically between 50 and 60 degrees, but this winter it has dropped down to almost 40 at certain points. Would it be better to store them upstairs where the temperature is more constant but warmer or will they be fine in the basement? It'll be fine, it will just slow the process. Most people recommend 50-60 degrees because it's a moderate temperature where the beer can age along at a moderate rate. Lower will slow the aging process, while higher will have it happen quicker. A month or so in 40 or 65 isn't going to hurt it at all.
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Feb 4, 2013 15:27
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i think as long as the temperature changes are gradual and not getting down to freezing, you're fine (beaten, should've hit "post" twenty minutes ago!)
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Feb 4, 2013 15:39
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lifts cats over head posted:On the topic of aging, has anyone had issues with temperature changes through the seasons? I've been storing a couple bottles in my basement, which is typically between 50 and 60 degrees, but this winter it has dropped down to almost 40 at certain points. Would it be better to store them upstairs where the temperature is more constant but warmer or will they be fine in the basement? They'll be fine in the basement. Temperature cycling is overrated as a hazard and that degree of change isn't a big deal. Light's far more of an issue.
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Feb 4, 2013 15:42
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I had a dark Belgian in a cork and cage bottle from Trader Joe's last night and it was pretty good for $5. It said it was brewed by Unibroe. Any idea which of their beers this was?
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Feb 4, 2013 19:36
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Captain Shortbus posted:I had a dark Belgian in a cork and cage bottle from Trader Joe's last night and it was pretty good for $5. It said it was brewed by Unibroe. Any idea which of their beers this was? It's one they brew specifically for Trader Joes.
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Feb 4, 2013 20:07
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Well then I shall gather a few more. It drank really well. It's like a $5 Delerium Nocturnum.
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Feb 4, 2013 20:24
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That reminds me, I see Delirium Tremens every time I got to my local shop but I've yet to try it. Nothing against it or the type but I suppose I keep putting it off in favor of other brews. Anybody else have that one beer that has evaded them for whatever reason?
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Feb 4, 2013 21:38
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I remember ignoring Two Hearted for a while because of the generic fish label. Then I got one on a whim and it became my favorite beer.
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Feb 4, 2013 21:59
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Mine was Stone Ruination. How wrong I was to ignore it.
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Feb 4, 2013 22:01
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Went on vacation with some friends, got to see some snow and drink some good beer. Thursday: Avery Eighteen - wow, I would have said this was aged in rye whiskey barrels. Huge rye nose and flavor, which dominated everything else about this beer. It was drinkable, but very one note. Friday (these were all split 3 ways with some buddies, so I wasn't blitzed by the end): 2012 Foothills/Olde Hickory/Duck Rabbit Olde Rabbit's Foot - big dark chocolate bomb on the backend. I found it almost unpleasent at first, but over the course of a glass, I started to warm up to it. I think I'll plan on sharing the bottles I have left, because I don't think I could drink a full 22 ounces at a go. 2012 Mother Earth Silent Night - still kind of hot, the body didn't stand up to the alcohol very well. I have fond memories of last year's version, but I wonder now if it wasn't the time and place more than the beer, because I thought it fell well short of great this year. 2012 Olde Hickory Event Horizon - on the other hand, this beer completely lives up to its hype and blew everything else away. Balances everything so nicely and is incredibly complex. I could hold a sip of this in my mouth and spew out a BA-level list of adjectives. Really glad I have 5 of these left, although I don't know that I'll actually age them very long, because they are loving delicious as of right now. Saturday: 2012 Olde Hickory The Bean - stout with vanilla and coffee. A rare miss for Olde Hickory, and really suprising given how good their base stout is. This was very watery, with chemically notes of vanilla and coffee which just got more overpowering as it warmed up. Hard to finish a bottle of, but not bad enough to just pour out. Weird limbo of "meh". Also drank a bunch of homebrew, Lagunitas Sucks (great) and Bell's Smitten Golden Rye. I really liked Smitten, but it was polarizing among my friends. They either loved or hated it, with nothing in between.
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Feb 4, 2013 22:25
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Tonight I went out to Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood, OH. It's rated as one of the best beer bars in the country pretty consistently, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It had a really awesome atmosphere, it kind of felt like a hole-in-the-wall bar, without being one entirely. They have around 30 beers rotating on tap, with around 5 of them being from Buckeye Beer Company. Buckeye Beer doesn't make my favorite beer around, but it's not the worst either... so it's nice to have a beer from them for a low price. Every single beer they have on tap you can get in samples, and you can also get a growler of any beer they have on tap. They also have a huuuuge bottle list, which apparently has Cantillon on it from time to time. Tonight they didn't have too many things on their draft list which called out to me, so I decided to try something new. I went with Evil Genius by B. Nektar, a mead, that iirc is dry hopped with Amarillo and Chinook hops. It was one of the most interesting beverages I've had in awhile, and it was my first ever mead. It was unbelievably sweet up front, tasting just like honey, and it had a nice bitter finish from the hops. I almost wish it had an even more bitter finish than what it had, because the upfront sweetness from the honey was almost overwhelming. I'm really glad to have tried it, but I don't think I'd get something like that again. I definitely think meads would be better with a fruity finish instead of the hoppy, bitter finish that Evil Genius had.
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Feb 5, 2013 03:52
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Nugget Nectar has hit shelves. Get it before it's gone.
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Feb 5, 2013 04:21
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Hey wattershed, if you find out when Exponential Hoppiness is releasing, let me know. Its getting tiring trying to get any information directly from the brewery.
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Feb 5, 2013 05:07
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Angry Grimace posted:Hey wattershed, if you find out when Exponential Hoppiness is releasing, let me know. Its getting tiring trying to get any information directly from the brewery. Will do. I've had their brewery webcam site open in a browser but that page went down today and didn't come back the rest of the day. I've gotten pretty good at being able to read what's on their whiteboard from the cam. I doubt they'd start selling it strictly via word of mouth so hopefully the webcam comes back up and I can get the jump on it from there.
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Feb 5, 2013 05:51
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Midorka posted:Nugget Nectar has hit shelves. Get it before it's gone. Wait, really? The Wegmans on 422 had their big display of it set up two weeks ago.
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Feb 5, 2013 13:42
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Retemnav posted:
I had the same reaction to The Bean. What Olde Hickory do I need to try? I'm assuming I missed the boat on Event Horizon for this year, and the only ones I've had besides Bean were Black Raven (liked) and Piedmont Pilsner (wouldn't buy again).
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Feb 5, 2013 14:55
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| # ? May 24, 2024 06:03 |
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Manky posted:Wait, really? The Wegmans on 422 had their big display of it set up two weeks ago. Jersey seems to be slow to get things sometimes. The one I got was bottled 1/23/13, so two weeks ago. I'm not sure how long it's been in the warehouse but the distributor just released it this week.
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Feb 5, 2013 15:23
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