Long-term aging questions

Hi,

My wife and I just had our first baby and I'd like to brew a beer for him now. I don't want to drink it until he can drink it with me.

So, to start, is this a feasible idea (18-21) years? If so, what style of beer would be best for that kind of time?

I see AHS has an Oaked Imperial Whiskey Stout kit. Would that be a good choice? I'm open for any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Rob

That's a cool idea and I was considering the same thing for my next child. Think I will do a mead though considering its going to be 20 years old. You could always do one of each.

There is a better chance of a sour holding that long. Or a big Barley wine. Have fun and let us know what you do.

Buy a box of nice cigars, God of Fire, Man O War Armada, maybe a few cubans like Cohiba Siglo IV. With proper temperature and humidity control, cigars can last that long, especially full-bodied ones.

Or a bottle of wine.

But beer? No way it'll last that long

rstev39147 said:

Hi,

My wife and I just had our first baby and I'd like to brew a beer for him now. I don't want to drink it until he can drink it with me.

So, to start, is this a feasible idea (18-21) years? If so, what style of beer would be best for that kind of time?

I see AHS has an Oaked Imperial Whiskey Stout kit. Would that be a good choice? I'm open for any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Rob

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Congrats! there was a post here not long ago about someone finding 19yo home brews. If i remember correctly. Dont know if he tried them yet.

I see no reason why you could not age a big barleywine for this long. I had a buddy that was at the sierra nevada brewery and supposedly the guide stated they had barleywines, bottled from the late 80's. I would love to get my paws on one of those.

xmacro said:

But beer? No way it'll last that long

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i've had over 20 year old beer, it can definitely last

For a beer to last that long, it is definitely going to have to be an ABV monster. Do you want your son's "first" beer to be a 14% Barleywine?? It may just dissuague him from ever drinking again

A friend of mine got a sip of a beer that was 105 years old at an exclusive dinner a couple weeks ago. He said it was amazing.

Can definitely be done.

its nice to think about, but you can't just pick a style that will age well and store it 21 years.
whats your storage capability, have you done any long term brews?

I have trouble getting and keeping a consistantly good 4-6 year old product.

Why do you have to store it 18-20 years? My daughters enjoy my beer with me and have been since they were old enough to ask for a taste. They don't get very much but they enjoy it with their daddy just the same.

I agree, if you are going to do this then you have to be spot on with your sanitation and bottling practices. Any oxygen or "bugs" that are introduced would be magnified overtime.

Thanks for all the replies!

av8er79 said:

That's a cool idea and I was considering the same thing for my next child. Think I will do a mead though considering its going to be 20 years old. You could always do one of each.

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You should do it! Yea maybe I'll try a few options just in case...

Darkness said:

There is a better chance of a sour holding that long. Or a big Barley wine. Have fun and let us know what you do.

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Thanks I will

xmacro said:

Buy a box of nice cigars, God of Fire, Man O War Armada, maybe a few cubans like Cohiba Siglo IV. With proper temperature and humidity control, cigars can last that long, especially full-bodied ones.

Or a bottle of wine.

But beer? No way it'll last that long

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All good ideas too. I've got some Ashton VSG in my humidor, those will do just fine. But I'm hearing some beers will last that long so I have to try...

brewhaw said:

Congrats! there was a post here not long ago about someone finding 19yo home brews. If i remember correctly. Dont know if he tried them yet.

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Thanks , I'll see if I can track that thread down...

BradleyBrew said:

I see no reason why you could not age a big barleywine for this long. I had a buddy that was at the sierra nevada brewery and supposedly the guide stated they had barleywines, bottled from the late 80's. I would love to get my paws on one of those.

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I actually looked at some barleywine options. Oh man I want one of those!!

dcp27 said:

i've had over 20 year old beer, it can definitely last

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Optimism, thank you!

TopherM said:

For a beer to last that long, it is definitely going to have to be an ABV monster. Do you want your son's "first" beer to be a 14% Barleywine?? It may just dissuague him from ever drinking again

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Well the recipe I'm looking at now would be ~9.8% before adding the whiskey, so the ABV looks good. Haha, I'm sure it won't be his first beer but either way I'm sure he'll drink again .

vwbrewer said:

A friend of mine got a sip of a beer that was 105 years old at an exclusive dinner a couple weeks ago. He said it was amazing.

Can definitely be done.

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WOA. That's insane. What was the price on that sip??

amandabab said:

its nice to think about, but you can't just pick a style that will age well and store it 21 years.
whats your storage capability, have you done any long term brews?

I have trouble getting and keeping a consistantly good 4-6 year old product.

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Very true, that's why this thread was created! I have a temp controlled room on my first floor and a cabinet that lets no light in. I have a whole bunch of craft beer aging there now. My buddy and I have an Imperial Stout that's been sitting in the secondary for almost a year now so I guess I'll find out if I can hack it pretty soon.

jonny_crash said:

Why do you have to store it 18-20 years? My daughters enjoy my beer with me and have been since they were old enough to ask for a taste. They don't get very much but they enjoy it with their daddy just the same.

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Haha, that's nice but I want him to appreciate it. Or at least know what he's drinking and why it was made.

BradleyBrew said:

I agree, if you are going to do this then you have to be spot on with your sanitation and bottling practices. Any oxygen or "bugs" that are introduced would be magnified overtime.

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Agreed. Thanks again for all the replies!!

rstev39147 said:

Haha, that's nice but I want him to appreciate it. Or at least know what he's drinking and why it was made.



Agreed. Thanks again for all the replies!!

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so do it
brew it, see how its working in a year. make some changes if you think its neccesary and do it gain around the 1st birthday mark. Do it again. in a year test the 1 year old stuff vs the 2 year old stuff and just keep the experiment rolling and the early batches getting older.

you may never have 21 year old stuff, but you will end up with some very old and very good stuff for the occasion.

rstev39147 said:

Thanks for all the replies!


All good ideas too. I've got some Ashton VSG in my humidor, those will do just fine. But I'm hearing some beers will last that long so I have to try...

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Eh, a lighter-bodied cigar like Ashton VSG's will lose a lot, pretty much all of their flavor profile, and definitely all of their body, over that type of time span. Even a full bodied monster like the Punisher, the most full-bodied cigar available that make even seasoned herfers sick with nausea, will turn into a mild cigar as well, given 20 years.

The more full-bodied, the more resistant it'll be to age; you could even set up a fun experiment and age several boxes, sorted mild through full-bodied, and see how they age over 20 years

I'd go with a big Russian Imperial Stout, like 12% at least. And DEFINITELY a mead too. If you've got the willpower to age something that long it would be a crime not to do a mead as well.

Just to throw in my $.02. Iv'e had some Barleywines that were well over 10 years old at some some of my brew club's meetings and they were truly awesome. I'd think by 10 years they'd have used up any residual oxygen in the bottles.

First off congrats on the baby !!! I really like the idea and I'm kicking myself I didn't do this. I can tell you with 100% certainty that it can be done and it can be great. At my last brew club meeting we drank a 18 year old barley wine that was ridiculous it was smooth as hell and held up great !! The guy who brewed it only drinks one bottle per year so do the math he will have that beer appx. 48 years !! The key is high high gravity I would not consider doing anything under 14%. Let us know what you do.

Instead of brewing a beer and aging it for 20 years and hoping it's good, I'd brew the beer every year for 20 years to perfect the recipe and then when he's old enough, it'll be great. He can even help you brew it for his 21st birthday.

My kids didn't need to wait that long, though. All 3 of ours loved beer until they were 1 and now won't touch it at ages 5, 4 and almost 2. I can't believe they're mine!

And congratulations on the baby. Cherish every second of sleep!