Crazy aging idea - aging bottles at the bottom of a lake over the winter?

[dangerbrew]

Hi all,

Had an awesome time at my friend's lakehouse this past weekend and we got the crazy idea of letting a few bottles of beer age at the bottom of the lake over the winter and then diving down and getting them in late spring. This is our plan:

Make a big beer, either a barleywine or double IPA (something to that effect) and ferment it out, bottle it, and let it age for at least 3 or 4 weeks in the bottle in the basement. After the 3 or 4 weeks of basement aging is done, we're planning on taking some bottles out in late October, early November, and putting them in a heavy-duty military-cloth-type bag tied up very well and with the bottles protected by padding. We'll jump in, take the beer down in the bag (which will sink at that point), and then tie it to a cinder block or 2 directly under the edge of my buddy's dock. The water's about 12 feet deep or so at that point and we definitely won't have a problem with it freezing.

At that point we're just gonna let it sit there for several months and then fish it out for a tasting the next year.

The best part? We've already got an epic name for this one:

Jimmy Hoppa

Anyway, anybody got any thoughts, comments, or advice in terms of this idea? Just something crazy we thought we'd try with a 12 pack or so.

 

[mtnagel]

You are correct, that is one crazy idea.

I'm pretty sure beer in bottles floats due to the air bubble at the top, so you will definitely need to tie it to something like you planned.

Also, I don't know where you are located, but I'm going to assume it's somewhere cold. While it may not freeze at the bottom, it will be very cold I'm guessing so the beers probably won't age much more. I'd also plan to give them a thorough cleaning as they might be pretty gross when they come up. Other than that, cool idea.

 

[mikeoholic]

Sounds fun. You might want to dip the bottles in wax just for some insurance that nothing's getting in.


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[Barley_Bob]

My worry would be the caps rusting. But I think this would be a fun way to lager.

 

[solbes]

Cool idea! Must not be in one of the northern states b/c it's COLD water to be swimming in late october/early november. Like 45F. Also not sure if this is a lake that ices up or not, but make sure you know where to find it. Lakes around here have all kinds of sediment that get moved around as the ice forms and over the winter.

 

[Homercidal]

It would probably be ok. I'm not sure there is any advantage to doing it this way, but if they are capped properly, there is little chance they will leak in a couple of months time. Make sure you fasten them in place somehow. A surface marker might be handy as well.

 

[NTexBrewer]

I say go for it.

I do know that some of my caps have rusted just from soaking them in iodine solution when I'm bottling. I would think this would be a potential problem. Not sure if they make a cap that is rust proof.

Maybe use oxygen barrier caps, seal with wax and then seal in ziplock or food saver.

When your sinking your beer, just make sure it does not look like you are trying to hide a body. Police may wonder why you are swimming in October!

 

[pigroaster]

My daughter and I went ice fishing and she was fishing on the bottom 70 feet down with a spreader for white fish and caught a full bottle of beer by the cap with one of her hooks!! Someone had dropped on in on a previous ice fishing day. They definitely sink!! I like the idea of wax to protect your caps. You could use other types of bottles (flip top)to do this experiment. Brew on.

 

[Hello]

I see no advantage except the fact that you can say you did it. For that alone, I'd do it.

 

[dangerbrew]

You are correct, that is one crazy idea.

I'm pretty sure beer in bottles floats due to the air bubble at the top, so you will definitely need to tie it to something like you planned.

Also, I don't know where you are located, but I'm going to assume it's somewhere cold. While it may not freeze at the bottom, it will be very cold I'm guessing so the beers probably won't age much more. I'd also plan to give them a thorough cleaning as they might be pretty gross when they come up. Other than that, cool idea.

I can assure you, beer bottles sink, even with the air at the top. Believe me, we've dropped a few while floating around in tubes and have had to dive down for them.

 

[dangerbrew]

Cool idea! Must not be in one of the northern states b/c it's COLD water to be swimming in late october/early november. Like 45F. Also not sure if this is a lake that ices up or not, but make sure you know where to find it. Lakes around here have all kinds of sediment that get moved around as the ice forms and over the winter.

Nah, we're in WV. Doesn't get miserably cold and the water won't freeze that deep, even if the surface freezes over.

The cinder blocks will be our insurance to make sure it doesn't get moved around much - it'll be right under my friend's dock.

 

[dangerbrew]

My daughter and I went ice fishing and she was fishing on the bottom 70 feet down with a spreader for white fish and caught a full bottle of beer by the cap with one of her hooks!! Someone had dropped on in on a previous ice fishing day. They definitely sink!! I like the idea of wax to protect your caps. You could use other types of bottles (flip top)to do this experiment. Brew on.

Yeah we may end up using flip-tops, but I also like the idea of waxing the bottles to keep the caps from rusting and whatnot.

I mean heck, they've found full wine bottles sitting on the bottom of the ocean inside the Titanic - I don't see why we can't age a few beers at the bottom of a lake for a few months, right?

 

[ram5ey]

Is it possible to fill from a keg? Might be the best way to be sure everything is completely carbed and inactive before their long voyage under the sea. But I say why not...sounds totally weird and a great story.

 

[mtnagel]

I can assure you, beer bottles sink, even with the air at the top. Believe me, we've dropped a few while floating around in tubes and have had to dive down for them.

Good to know!

 

[cheezydemon3]

IIPA would lose a ton of flavor with that method.....a lagered barleywine? Odd, but a possibility.

Just from a recipe standpoint, I would think that an imperial Helles Munich or the like might be more suited.

 

[BBBF]

I'd vacuum seal the bottles in a bag, just to make sure they don't leak.

 

[markstache]

I vote for sinking an entire depth-charge (corney keg). They're stainless, right?

 

[Homercidal]

The bottles won't leak. Think about it. Bottles with with beer, creating a positive pressure greater than the force of the water trying to enter. If you can keep beer in the fridge at near freezing temps (or slightly lower), they aren't going to leak. The worst case is that they decide to rust and eventually the rust works it's way under the seal. That is going to take a lot longer than a couple of months in my estimation.

The worst part will be if you brew up a tasty beer and you run out of the remainder. You will have to think about those beers sitting there in the lake, just out of arms reach.

Oh, and of course the other worst part is the crud that is going to grow on the outside of the bottle while they are down there too...

Waxing is starting to sound like a very good idea...

 

[lowtones84]

Do it! Waxing the caps definitely seems like a good idea, as does tying them to a cinder block.

 

[Homercidal]

I once buried a couple of beer bottles in Lake Michigan while camping on North Manitou Island. I only buried the bottoms and left the tops out of the sand. There is no electricity or ice available out there and that was the only place to cool the beers down.

Overnight the bottles got covered up with sand when the wind picked up. It took a while to find them! I should have thought to mark the spot on the beach with a stick or something.

 

[solbes]

If I had SCUBA equipment, I might try sinking a Chest O' Various Beers for 5 years at our lake place and see what happens. Like in the 20-25 foot range. The water temp is so constant and cold there that we have virgin Red and White pine logs cut down over 100 years ago that are almost perfectly preserved.

Of course our DNR would flip out if they ever learned of such an idea.

 

[FourSeasonAngler]

This would be a great way to lager a Maibock.

 

[KegWrangler]

Maybe put them in a milk crate then fill with rocks to keep the bottles from getting scattered by currents.

 

[dangerbrew]

Maybe put them in a milk crate then fill with rocks to keep the bottles from getting scattered by currents.

That's the great part about where we're doing this - we're in a backwater section of the lake that is a no-wake zone by law and there is no current and little traffic. In fact, his house is the only one in the entire backwater area, and since we're doing it right under the dock there shouldn't be much concern of it getting moved around or anything.

Since I've proposed this idea, I've gotten two more brewer friends that want to get in on it. I'm thinking we're going to pool our resources and do 10 gallons of a big-a$$ Barleywine later this summer/early fall and sink at least half of it for a season or two. I'll try and remember to follow up on this thread and let you guys know what happens when we finally find "Jimmy Hoppa" again...

 

[ltwhiskers]

I love this idea.

 

[troy2000]

Sounds like fun. Maybe you should sink a lager while you're at it?

 

[insanim8er]

Yeah we may end up using flip-tops, but I also like the idea of waxing the bottles to keep the caps from rusting and whatnot.

I mean heck, they've found full wine bottles sitting on the bottom of the ocean inside the Titanic - I don't see why we can't age a few beers at the bottom of a lake for a few months, right?

The titanic? That's cute...

http://news.discovery.com/history/shipwreck-230-year-old-champagne-discovered.htm

Trust me... They found older... And those sold for a lot of money.

I remember many years ago when I was young, I was headed to a lake near mt hood with my aunt and uncle and cousins. Randomly my uncle stopped the car and gets out. He walks to this small natural waterfall that had formed on the side of the mountain. It had a pool at the base. He reached in and grabbed a 6 pack of cans out. Then he heads back to the car.

I remember it to this days but I never learned the details. I assume he stashed it there during the trip last year.

 

[dangerbrew]

Come to think of it, I'm going to be brewing a 10 gallon batch of Munich Helles around late September, early October... Might send some of those down to the depths as well!

 

[The_Nid_Hog]

Sounds like a great idea, but I think that the suggestions about doing a lager are the way to go. Get full value out of having that brew down in the chilly depths.

 

[timos]

A really cool idea. Around here the lakes drop atleast 6 feet during the late fall winter months, Of course water levels are all managed with dams around here. I would just double check where you arethat the depth will be deep enough all winter.

 

[TommyTbar]

Yes! this is a great idea, thinking of aging a couple of various styles at my buddies cottage on Lake Charlevoix in Northern Michigan. Age half in the lake and half at cellar temps and seeing the difference. Lager would be ideal.

Cheers for the intuitive thinking

 

[solbes]

So did this ever happen? Even as its snowing today in MN, I'm dreaming of open water again. Beers that slept through the winter on the lake bottom would be awful tempting come fishing opener in May.

 

[BBBF]

I forgot all about this thread. I hope someone tried it!

 

[NickTheGreat]

I hadn't seen this either. Intriguing to say the least!

 

[Conman13]

Say, you should post a picture of where you submerged them and let us all know what lake it is once you finish up. I haven't been fishing in a while...

 

[BGBC]

It's not a lake, but as usual, when in doubt, read the Tonsmeire:
Buried Treasure

 

[sudbuddy]

did this happen? awesome idea, I'd love to know how it turned out