20 yr old beer aka baby beer

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Gunslinger711

Gunslinger711

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So I just became an uncle for the first time today, as well as a god parent. This got me thinking, how could I involve beer in this (as everything does).

I've heard of this before, but never got specifics. I want to plan a brew that will be ready around his first birthday to drink/taste test that will stand the test of time in my cellar until he's ready to drink it legally. What are some good beer styles that age gracefully to 20 years? (Bonus points for recipes, extract preferred but not restricted to.)
 
Meads, Wines and Barley wines come to mind first. There's probably hundreds of like minded posts where this topic has been discussed a lot.

You'll need something with high enough alcohol content to be able to age out over that much time.
 
Mead can easily go the distance. If you want a beer, barleywine is about your only choice. High alcohol, very high hops. I am guessing when I say 12+%abv and 150+ibus. They both help it stand the test of time, but they will both mellow with time.
 
Take $100, put it in the bank, add $5 to it every week. After 19.5 years, take out $100 and make a kick ass beer, with help from your barely legal nephew. Money won't spoil.
 
I made some apfelwein just before my son was born.. plan to start drinking it on his 1st birthday. At only 8.8%... Im not sure it would go 20 years though.

Id also vote for a mead.. I think 20 years is a bit long for a barleywine.. but im by no means an expert.
 
jeepinjeepin said:
Mead can easily go the distance. If you want a beer, barleywine is about your only choice. High alcohol, very high hops. I am guessing when I say 12+%abv and 150+ibus. They both help it stand the test of time, but they will both mellow with time.
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This...but I'd also say that barleywine may not be the "only" choice...I'd add a really high ABV imperial stout to your list.
FWIW, you might also consider buying a couple of vintage bottles of really special beer for the aging. As an example, I have bottles of DFH's worldwide stout (18% ABV) from my kids' birth years...plan on keeping these until they're each 21.
 
Another thing to worry about is storage, if it was me i'd feel more comfortable bottleing the beer in wine bottles with corks, than trusting bottle caps for 20 years.
 
Not to be one to judge, but does anyone think that a Barleywine is a good first beer for someone?
 
phenry said:
Not to be one to judge, but does anyone think that a Barleywine is a good first beer for someone?
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First (or one of the first) LEGAL beers, i personally dont know anyone who waited until they where of legal age to have a drink.... however more in line with the general tone of your post, I don't think a barleywine would be palatable for most 21 year olds.
 
FYI, I just came back from Belgium, and at the Kulminator (Antwerp), I had a 1992 Westmale Dubbel. I would call it "good," but drinkable, and that is at 7%. If you want classic, go with the Westvleteren 12 recipe on this site (do a search). It will withstand the time and be fantastic.

Point being, that these boyz do survive the time (hmmm, I have that Chimay Bleu clone from 2001 to try again...)
 
I am doing something similar for my kids. 1 is 9, the other is 5. I made a 16% Pyment Mead that I kegged up 5 gallons of, and bottled up 10 pints (2 bottles for each of the two, and 6 for me to have along the way). Each year I plan on bottling up 2 bottles each of ageable beer/mead/cider. By the time the oldest is 21 she will have a 12 year old mead, an 11 year old Belgian Dark Strong aged in 10 months in a syrah barrel with Brett B, etc etc... each year will get progressively smaller in ABV.

Best thing about this is, if they don't want these "gifts" they will be mine for the drinking!! WIN, WIN!!
 
Inhiding said:
I am doing something similar for my kids. 1 is 9, the other is 5. I made a 16% Pyment Mead that I kegged up 5 gallons of, and bottled up 10 pints (2 bottles for each of the two, and 6 for me to have along the way). Each year I plan on bottling up 2 bottles each of ageable beer/mead/cider. By the time the oldest is 21 she will have a 12 year old mead, an 11 year old Belgian Dark Strong aged in 10 months in a syrah barrel with Brett B, etc etc... each year will get progressively smaller in ABV.

Best thing about this is, if they don't want these "gifts" they will be mine for the drinking!! WIN, WIN!!
Click to expand...

That is a really cool idea and something I will probably be doing when I have children (god willing). A vertical tasting representing their life to that point! You could make labels and name all of the beers/wines/meads based on life events that happened in that year.

Too bad you'll probably forget what happens on the night of the tasting.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions so far, anyone have experience with long term aged lambics or eisbocks? I heard lambics were good for aging and I'm thinking the high ABV nature of eisbock lends itself to aging.

WWS is a good call, I already picked up a bottle of that. And a few bottles of bigfoot.
 

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