I need a beer that can stay in carboy for a long period

Im deploying next month and was wondering if there is anything i can brew before i go and leave in the carboy for a year. This would only be my third brew but I want to brew one more time I leave and have something tasty when i get back. Was thinking a barley wine but didn't know if i can survive in the carboy or if it would need to be bottled first.

apfelwine

Northern Brewer has a Lambic kit (it's a partial mash) that's supposed to stay in secondary for 1-3 years.

I love weizenbock, or russian imperial stout, or baltic porter, or belgian tripel. Pretty much anything high gravity will benefit from long aging. The only thing to be sure of is that you don't have much surface area exposed to air - if you are using a glass carboy, make sure it is filled up to the neck. Make sure your primary ferment has completed. You could also consider aging in a barrel to get some wood flavors going.

motobrewer said:

apfelwine

Click to expand...

+1

I would love to age a batch for a year, unfortunately it tends to get a shelf life in our house around 3 months then down the hatch it goes.

Brew a nice strong barleywine this weekend, and the weekend before you leave rack it to a secondary. It will be amazing when you get back and be ready to bottle.

ANy of the high ABV beers... Russian Imperial (with some nice bourbon soaked oaked chips), a braggot (also with bourbon oak chips), a Wheat Wine, Barleywine, Old Ale, a mead. Anything high in alcohol but very low in hops.

Keg it. If the keg holds pressure (and it should), it should keep nicely since all O2 will have been purged.

If you are going to leave it in the carboy unattended for a long time, make sure to use a silicone bung for the carboy. no worry of the air lock drying out.

Im trying to rationalize letting a carboy sit for a year with NB's Oud Bruin kit in it. Butnif you arent in to sour beers then a big RIS or Barleywine would def. be something to try.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Think I will go ahead and go with a barleywine. Maybe i talk one of my friends in to bottling it for me a bit before i get back, that way it's done when i return. No beer for a year, it's gonna be rough.

I wouldn't worry about bottling it. It isn't a bad thing to let it sit in the carboy as long as it is in a dark, reasonably cool corner somewhere.

My HBC does a "big beer" group brew every year and we never bottle until it is at least a year old.

Stay safe out there, brother.