Ageing a homebrew

[rgrim001]

I am very new to home brewing. I am currently on my second batch (a black IPA). I am very curious and have a lot of questions so please bear with me as I will be posting when I have a (most likely, simple) question.

The question on my mind right now is about ageing. Specifically, ageing a couple bottles of my first batch. Could I successfully age a batch of stout that I made or would it go bad due to lack of preservatives?

 

[Hang Glider]

Nope, if you performed a good sanitary technique, beer does not need "preservatives" - you added hops, right? Natural preservative.

While pale ales taste better when a bit fresher - (1-6 months old IMO) stouts, porters and other bigger beers not only do fine with a little time on them, but improve.

So, yes, age that stout! let it sit 6 months or more! But that Black IPA might be enjoyed a little sooner, or the hop characteristics will fade.

 

[pericles]

One fun technique is to brew the same batch at specific intervals, say once a month. Save a few bottles of each batch and then, after six months or a year, have a "vertical" tasting by comparing each vintage. That way you can figure out exactly when your beer peaks.

 

[CTownBrewer]

I just bought the SWMBO a wine refrigerator. I thought, since there's so much space left over in there, I might as well age some stouts in there too! The temp stays in the upper 50s F constantly.

If you decide to age your beer, make sure to keep it between 55-60 F for best results. It seems like most people recommend that temperature range from the research I've done.

I've got a chocolate peanut butter stout aging in there to try again next winter, not to mention my barleywine currently in the primary. I plan on setting aside 5 bottles after my 6-7 month secondary is complete. I'll have one every winter over the next 5 years to see how the flavor matures.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Personal recommendations:

Weizens: NEVER age. The fresher the better.
Pilsner/lagers: Don't age.

Pale Ale: You can age a bit, but I wouldn't go over a year.

IPA: Up to 2 years

Porters/stouts: 2-3 years

Bocks/doppelbocks/heavily malted beers: 2-4 years.

Barleywines: sky's the limit.


M_C

 

[Grinder12000]

mY OWN EXPERIENCE IS THAT OOPS caps lock - is that I used to save a 6 pack for at least 6 months in my 60 degree basement to see how it help up.

After 10 batches of doing this i realized I was wasting a 6-pack out of every batch! Mine all taste best after 2 or 3 months and are going down hill drastically by month #6.

 

[cg17]

Personal recommendations:

Weizens: NEVER age. The fresher the better.
Pilsner/lagers: Don't age.

Pale Ale: You can age a bit, but I wouldn't go over a year.

IPA: Up to 2 years

Porters/stouts: 2-3 years

Bocks/doppelbocks/heavily malted beers: 2-4 years.

Barleywines: sky's the limit.


M_C

Where do browns fit in?

 

[msarro]

Personal recommendations:

Weizens: NEVER age. The fresher the better.
Pilsner/lagers: Don't age.

Pale Ale: You can age a bit, but I wouldn't go over a year.

IPA: Up to 2 years

Porters/stouts: 2-3 years

Bocks/doppelbocks/heavily malted beers: 2-4 years.

Barleywines: sky's the limit.


M_C

I'd have to disagree on the IPA's. The hop characteristic fades so fast! I know some places to still get vintage IPA's but I can't imagine they're even remotely as nice as fresh. Reading through beer advocate on Pliny the Elder (just an example), people note that after as little as 6 months the hop flavor starts to degrade a lot.

 

[dinertime]

I recently opened a 2-year-old bottle of porter made with extract and it was fantastic! It had lost all of the tangy extract taste. Am planning on saving a dozen bottles next time I make that beer.

If you are going to age them, think about using larger bottles (22 oz or 750 mL). Things age very differently (but slower) in larger bottles, usually for the better. And keep them away from light and heat!

 

[SumnerH]

I'd have to disagree on the IPA's. The hop characteristic fades so fast! I know some places to still get vintage IPA's but I can't imagine they're even remotely as nice as fresh. Reading through beer advocate on Pliny the Elder (just an example), people note that after as little as 6 months the hop flavor starts to degrade a lot.

+1 on this. IPAs should be consumed fresh. Indeed, the label for Pliny says:

Respect your elder. Keep Cold. Drink Fresh. Pliny the Elder is a historical figure, don’t make the beer inside this bottle one! Not a barley wine, do not age! Age your cheese, not your Pliny! Respect hops, consume fresh. If you must, sit on eggs, not on Pliny! Do not save for a rainy day! Pliny is for savoring, not for saving! Consume Pliny fresh or not at all! Does not improve with age! Hoppy beers are not meant to be aged! Keep away from heat!

Even a 3-month old Sculpin or Pliny is nowhere near as good as it is fresh.

Also, lagers generally do age well. RISes and sours (along with barleywines) age great.

 

[dos_perros]

So where does an Apfelwein fit in the aging? I would imagine its like a barley wine and the sky would be the limit, I am planning on making a batch of Ed's alpfelwein on my wife and I's anniversary. My thought was open a bottle every year, so how long do you think it would keep?

 

[Hang Glider]

So where does an Apfelwein fit in the aging? I would imagine its like a barley wine and the sky would be the limit, I am planning on making a batch of Ed's alpfelwein on my wife and I's anniversary. My thought was open a bottle every year, so how long do you think it would keep?

the wife or the apfelwein?

 

[dos_perros]

the wife or the apfelwein?

Touche sir, that actually made me LoL at work. So thanks for the laugh brother I needed it! The wine, the wife is good!:rockin:

 

[remilard]

So where does an Apfelwein fit in the aging? I would imagine its like a barley wine and the sky would be the limit, I am planning on making a batch of Ed's alpfelwein on my wife and I's anniversary. My thought was open a bottle every year, so how long do you think it would keep?

Apfelwein as in from Frankfurt is served very young with yeast in suspension.

Apple Wine as in apple juice with a bunch of sugar fermented to dryness is served with at least enough age to clear.

 

[Bubba]

If I have any beer leftover more than a year it must not be worth drinking or it would never have lasted that long apart from a BarleyWine or something in that style.

 

[jtkratzer]

As we're past the holiday season and I have 2 cases of holiday beer that wasn't quite ready on time, I'm going to see how it does next year. The LHBS staff said a lot of the holiday beers do well with some aging as does a number of the recipes for that style in Beer Captured.

 

[SumnerH]

Apfelwein as in from Frankfurt is served very young with yeast in suspension.

+1; a traditional apfelwein is served very young and still hazy. Aging it loses some of the booziness, but looses a ton of the fresh apple flavor.

 

[user 19629]

I think it depends more an ABV and ingredients then style.
A 4% dry stout not much "aging" needed
A 8% Imperial stout with coffee, oak, bourbon, vanilla beans, and/or whatever else, yea age that one for a while.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I agree on the Pliny... But, Pliny is not a traditional IPA for one bit.

Hop characteristics really do diminish with age in IPA, but the basic bitterness, not as much.

I'd have no problem aging a standard IPA for 2 years.

M_C

I'd have to disagree on the IPA's. The hop characteristic fades so fast! I know some places to still get vintage IPA's but I can't imagine they're even remotely as nice as fresh. Reading through beer advocate on Pliny the Elder (just an example), people note that after as little as 6 months the hop flavor starts to degrade a lot.

 

[SumnerH]

I agree on the Pliny... But, Pliny is not a traditional IPA for one bit.

Hop characteristics really do diminish with age in IPA, but the basic bitterness, not as much.

I'd have no problem aging a standard IPA for 2 years.

M_C

Up to you. The "hop characteristics" are what give most IPAs their distinctive taste, though. To me, whether it's Bell's Two-Hearted or Ballast Point Sculpin, you lose a ton in the first 2-3 months after bottling.