Can I age (condition) my Russian Imperial Stout for a second year without ruining it?

[msa8967]

I have a high gravity (10.2% ABV) Russian Imperial Stout that I brewed a year ago. It has been kegged for the last 10 months and is conditioning in our cool basement. I made this RIS for my wife and we just learned that she will not be drinking any alcohol for the next 9 months until the stork arrives. I am not a fan of high alcohol beers so I would like to know if it is possible to condition this another 9 months in a sealed keg w/o doing any damage to the beer. Thoughts?

 

[RhodySeth]

I don't have any advice but congrats! If it's a boy you should name him Vlad as it's a fine Russian name.

 

[cantrell00]

I have a high gravity (10.2% ABV) Russian Imperial Stout that I brewed a year ago. It has been kegged for the last 10 months and is conditioning in our cool basement. I made this RIS for my wife and we just learned that she will not be drinking any alcohol for the next 9 months until the stork arrives. I am not a fan of high alcohol beers so I would like to know if it is possible to condition this another 9 months in a sealed keg w/o doing any damage to the beer. Thoughts?

The longer the better. I'd think you could go ahead and bottle it

 

[Gavin C]

If it's kegged carbonated and no leaks you can leave it indefinitely I would say.

congrats on the kiddo.

 

[msa8967]

The longer the better. I'd think you could go ahead and bottle it

This has been in a well sealed keg for the last 8 months.

Will the taste be altered at all with extra conditioning time?

 

[cantrell00]

Yeah. For the better.

And yeah, congrats. Good times.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Age that MFer. Never saw an Imperial Stout that didn't improve with age (even if it's damned good fresh).

 

[CJ-3]

Congrats on the incoming little one!

Yes you can age this for years if you like.
Stouts get better with age, the bitterness fades a bit but the underlying fruits really come out.

 

[msa8967]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I also discovered that I brewed a regular porter (5.4% ABV) for her. It is still in the primary on week 2. Can that be saved for 9 months or should I just keg it and fill my friends growlers? Having a third kid at 48 makes me wonder if I will ever retire.

 

[CJ-3]

A 5.4% porter for 9 months won't be an issue. Again though there will be a loss of some bitterness.
But I wouldn't go 2 years at that ABV.

 

[LostBoyScout]

2 years on a RIS can be good, neutral, or bad depending on the particular beer but it's not going to ruin it for sure. It might have gotten a bit thinner bodied, but also might have smoothed out nicely too. You might find the malts are producing a nice fruity note they wouldn't have been previously. I wouldn't worry about it!