Sixbillionethans
Well-Known Member
I've seen multiple posts where people refer to Belgian brews (not sour) and their desire to age them for considerable amounts of time (9-12 months).
My recent experience includes brewing a Belgian Pale Ale, Strong Ale, and 2 Saisons and I have found that while these brews taste excellent after 2-3 months total they do not age well (more than, say, 6 months) and I'm curious regarding the difference of opinion. I spend a good deal of time with my nose stuck in a glass of my saison just inhaling it's aromatic goodness, but I doubt that will last for long.
My experience is that beers that are dependent upon yeast-driven flavors--phenols and esters--do not age well because these aroma compounds appear to be relatively fragile or volatile. After about 5 months, the aromatic quality of the beer degrades and so does the overall enjoyment of the beer. I have not had this experience with porters and stouts that have flavor profiles that are less dependent upon yeast characteristics.
But I've seen multiple posts where people refer to aging times that, in my experience, would be significantly beyond the peak of the beer.
Questions:
1. Do you agree that phenols and esters significantly degrade after 3-5 months?
2. If you don't, and those wonderful aromas in your Belgian brews is lastinf ro years, what could be contributing to the apparently short shelf life of my brews? Oxidation? Hot-side aeration or is it oxidation in the bottles?
Thanks for your inputs.
My recent experience includes brewing a Belgian Pale Ale, Strong Ale, and 2 Saisons and I have found that while these brews taste excellent after 2-3 months total they do not age well (more than, say, 6 months) and I'm curious regarding the difference of opinion. I spend a good deal of time with my nose stuck in a glass of my saison just inhaling it's aromatic goodness, but I doubt that will last for long.
My experience is that beers that are dependent upon yeast-driven flavors--phenols and esters--do not age well because these aroma compounds appear to be relatively fragile or volatile. After about 5 months, the aromatic quality of the beer degrades and so does the overall enjoyment of the beer. I have not had this experience with porters and stouts that have flavor profiles that are less dependent upon yeast characteristics.
But I've seen multiple posts where people refer to aging times that, in my experience, would be significantly beyond the peak of the beer.
Questions:
1. Do you agree that phenols and esters significantly degrade after 3-5 months?
2. If you don't, and those wonderful aromas in your Belgian brews is lastinf ro years, what could be contributing to the apparently short shelf life of my brews? Oxidation? Hot-side aeration or is it oxidation in the bottles?
Thanks for your inputs.