21-years of aging?

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Bobby_M

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So my second child, but first son is going to be born sometime in the next 7 days or so. I'd really like to brew something that will age well, really well. I want to name it something like First Born Son, 21 year ______. I'm thinking the only thing that might work is a mead or maybe a barleywine. Would anything taste decent after aging 21 years?

I thought I heard of some folks doing this before... can't find the threads.
 
First off, CONGRATS!!! Welcome to the club.

Here's one thing to consider: where will you age it?

My dad went out and bought bottles of wine when my sister and I were born, and he kept them for about 20 years (I ended up drinking them one night, not realizing the significance. Big debacle.) They were horrible. Over 20 years of climate shifts, light exposure and other unstable conditions.

If you want to age something, buy a nice bottle of wine that's meant to age and rent some cellar space in a professional facility. Otherwise you'll end up with a crappy product that will disappoint.
 
Congratulations, Bobby!

Vermicious is making a 21-year mead, IIRC. That's the direction that I would probably go - I'd have a lot more confidence that the mead would hold up than any type of beer. Be real nice, if he gets married, to be able to crack a bottle of mead that you made when he was born.
 
Hrmm, yeah Barleywine...Mead...good candidates. Whatever it is (if not making Mead), I'd suggest it be of quite a significant strength, loads of hops (even consider buying some debittered and just go nuts) and look into either the Belgian (large) bottles with a cork, or maybe oxygen barrier caps if you can't do the big bottle/cork.
 
I'd go for the still straight mead. I don't think a fruit flavor will hold up that long.

I have a bottle of mead that's 12-13 years old now. I wonder for what occasion I'll be opening that one?

I've never had a barleywine that I'd ask for a refill (Thank God they were small cups). Just not my "mug of brew" (cup of tea). ;)
 
I still have some bottles of barley wine we did as a benefit at ZEA's in Metairie, La. about 4 years ago.
Last time I tried, 3 months ago, it had gotten really smooth.
ABV is a tad over 13% from what I remember.
Better get a poop load of dme unless you have a huge mash tun. Or, you could batch sparge 3+ times with 2.00 gal/# and use new grist for 3 times - expensive though.
 
Cheesefood said:
If you want to age something, buy a nice bottle of wine that's meant to age and rent some cellar space in a professional facility. Otherwise you'll end up with a crappy product that will disappoint.


That is a very good consideration.
 
I straight up haven't even tasted a barley wine, but I'm not much into big beers anyway. The project is certainly a little more of a sentimental gesture moreso than creating a wonderful drinking stash. I bet my (now 2.5 years old) daughter is going to kick my ass when she finds out I didn't have the forethought to do something cool like that for her.

I've got a 48qt MLT and I'd only be doing a two gallon batch so I don't think it would be a problem. I'd probably sparge a while then boil it down for 2 hours.
 
He kept it in a wine rack in the kitchen. 20+ years of temperature shifts. Think about how many times your go on vacation for a week and turn off the AC in the summer time. Or power outages that last for a significant period of time. Or lights turning on and off. Or doors opening in the winter, windows being left open, humidity changes, etc etc. Unless your house has a wine cellar, you'll ruin your wine in a few years.

Plus, no one turned the bottles at the appropriate intervals. My sister and I played with the bottles when we were kids.

I too would go for a mead. Beer isn't meant to age that long.
 
Bobby_M said:
I straight up haven't even tasted a barley wine, but I'm not much into big beers anyway. The project is certainly a little more of a sentimental gesture moreso than creating a wonderful drinking stash. I bet my (now 2.5 years old) daughter is going to kick my ass when she finds out I didn't have the forethought to do something cool like that for her.

You can run out and buy at 2004 wine.
 
I recommend the Barkshack Ginger Mead in Charlie P's TCJOHB if you like ginger. If I have any left of my 2006 batch I could bring a bottle with me to Jersey if you want to sample (OK, we'll drink the entire bottle). ;)

Dang, just remembered, I have 8 oz of ginger in the fridge right now...ummm, mead!!:D
 
That article really sums up what it takes for beers/meads/wines. You need a constant temp, it can be 50 degrees or 65, just as long as it doesn't vary. Anything with a cork and no wax needs humidity, about 85%. Still meads are nice because you can fill to the top and not have to worry about headspace/carbonation. However, bottle conditioning just about guarantees that all your oxygen has been scrubbed out by the remaining yeast.

Currently, I am using a small insulated box to store aging mead/beer. At some point I may add a "U" shaped tube with a cap to introduce water and keep the humidity up.

For those that have not tried it, an aged Thomas Hardy is probably the best aged beer available commercially. In my opinion, anyway. 5 years is okay, but still very bitter. If it all possible, try one at least 10 years old, the results continue to surprise me.
 
If you're going the buying route, I'd suggest Madeira. Vintage Madeira(like sherry, but different(better) and from a small island off Africa's coast that is part of Portugal) is intentionally heated and oxidized and aged 20 years before bottling/release. The point is, because its gone through this process you won't mess it up by not storing it in a wine cellar. I have had a glass from a bottle from 1897, my oldest bottle is from 1910(waiting till 2010 to open it so its a full century old). However, fortified wines aren't for everyone - but neither is mead. Also, once open it will not suffer from oxidation - so you can keep a opened bottle for years w/o any worries.
 
Congratulations, Bobby.
My son's about the same age as your daughter.

Don't know what you should brew or buy, but it's a nice idea.
 
Congratulations Bobby.

My first son (second child) is due in late October.
I really like this idea and I may do something similar.

I've heard Samichluas can hold up to 20 years of aging although I don't know of any actually aging that
long plus it's a rather potent brew and you said you're not a fan of big beers.

Whatever you decide keep us posted and good luck!

:mug:
 
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