How long do you age your Barleywine or RIS and do you keg or bottle?

[HalfPint]

I think I'm going to brew either a barleywine or a RIS next, and I'm trying to decide if I should keg or bottle it. I'm not sure if I want to have a huge Barleywine on tap and if it's going to need a lot of aging, wouldn't it just be worth it to bottle?

So, how long do you usually age your big beers, and do you usually bottle or keg?

Also, I know this isn't the recipe forum, but any recipe suggestions would be cool too.

Thanks

 

[marubozo]

The last big beer I did I bulk aged for a little over 3 months and then bottled and conditioned those for another 3 months or so. I have a RIS going right now that I plan on aging about 6 months as well. Want it for a good Christmas and winter brew. This time I'm kegging it, but I'll also be bottling a few just so I can tuck them away in the basement and forget about them for a year or something and see how they develop.

If space was a concern I might bottle the whole batch, but since my keezer holds 6 kegs I don't mind taking up the space even if it takes me 3 or 4 months to finish the keg.

 

[HalfPint]

Good point about the space. I only have a two tap mini fridge kegerator, so I don't know if I want to put a barleywine on tap lol. Do you have any good recipes?

 

[SumnerH]

I think I'm going to brew either a barleywine or a RIS next, and I'm trying to decide if I should keg or bottle it. I'm not sure if I want to have a huge Barleywine on tap and if it's going to need a lot of aging, wouldn't it just be worth it to bottle?

So, how long do you usually age your big beers, and do you usually bottle or keg?

Also, I know this isn't the recipe forum, but any recipe suggestions would be cool too.

Thanks

I keg almost everything. In the last 2 weeks, I've bottled up a barleywine and a RIS. I'd also bottle most sours and maybe some other stuff.

I'm hoping that they'll be good in time for Christmas, but I plan on aging some of the bottles for years.

The issue isn't how long they have to age; you could throw a keg in the corner for a year (after purging the headspace) and then tap it when it's ready, no problem.

The issue is that after they've aged, I want to sample them over the course of several more years, and probably won't have more than a bottle a month or so of either one. So smaller packaging (ie bottles) is really ideal.

 

[Shrewd_Alchemist]

I also have a two keg mini fridge and I did not put my last barleywine on tap - I'm glad I didnt. I love the beer, but it's not something that you can drink a ton of in one sitting and it's not something that I'm inclined to reach for every night.

Another plus for bottling is that you can save some of it for a later date. I have about 20 bottles in the closet right now waiting for this winter, I brewed it in Nov '09 so I'm hoping I get a bit more complexity out of it this Christmas.

 

[hamiltont]

I always bottle Barleywine, RIS, Strong Scotch Ale and basically everything over 1.080 OG. I usually drink Barleywines sooner than the others because of the hops. The rest are much better after 6 months and a lot better after a year.

 

[permo]

I tend to bottle my RIS and Barley Wines.....heck most beers that I would like to cellar and are over about %8 ABV I tend to bottle....it's just too dangerous having the high power stuff on tap at my place!

 

[humann_brewing]

My first RIS I bottle conditioned the whole thing and a recent barleywine I decide to keg it and then bottle later if I need to. I am planning on this for the Christmas season but will bottle the remaining for later.

 

[SumnerH]

Oh, the other reason to bottle these is that they tend to be big, special beers and as such they make good gifts--I always do a portion of the batch in special bottles, either caged and corked or with waxed caps. If they turn out well, I print up nice labels for those and give them away.

 

[HalfPint]

Good points everyone. I think I will bottle. How long do you typically secondary a Barleywine? I'm thinking about a month in the primary, then another couple of months in the secondary, but I don't want to secondary so long that I'll have to repitch when it comes time to bottle carb.

Suggestions?

 

[permo]

Good points everyone. I think I will bottle. How long do you typically secondary a Barleywine? I'm thinking about a month in the primary, then another couple of months in the secondary, but I don't want to secondary so long that I'll have to repitch when it comes time to bottle carb.

Suggestions?

Repitching is always a best practice with beers of this gravity. I would reccomend repitching regardless of how long you secondary. You want a beer with this type investment in ingredients and time to carbonate properly.

As far as how long to secondary....as long as you can stand basically. I have a barley wine and a RIS in secondary right now for 5 months and 3 months respectively, and bottling hasn't even crossed my mind.....

good things come to those who wait.

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

I always bulk-age all my big beers in carboys or kegs (depending on what is handy, recently, kegs are just easier to deal with) for 6 weeks for the first 5% ABV, and 1 month for each additional 1% (i.e. 10% ABV gets 6.5 months of bulk aging minimum), then bottle with fresh yeast. I find that with bulk aging, the process goes faster and you get more consistent results in the bottle. I bottle the big beers for the same reason you stated, don't want a 14% beer on tap...would take a year to kill that keg, and in bottles, I am more likely to bring the beer to friends/family and enjoy outside of my house.

 

[chefchris]

Got a barleywine going right now. I'm gonna keg it then bottle using a beer gun so I know for sure it's gonna carbonate. No worries and less hassle than regular bottling.

 

[HalfPint]

Got a barleywine going right now. I'm gonna keg it then bottle using a beer gun so I know for sure it's gonna carbonate. No worries and less hassle than regular bottling.

See, I use my BMBF all the time for quick bottle fills when going to friends houses, but I've found that for long storing, I always get over-carbed beer. I know it's got to be b/c there are just yeast in the keg left over from my 3 week primary ferment, but I just don't trust it any more when it comes to long aging.

Have you ever had this problem?

 

[user 22118]

I primary for 21 days and then age in oak for a month and then bottle condition. If I don't have a barrel then I don't bulk age. I find that a lot of beer that I taste that have been bulk aged are smooth sooner, but they are also more oxidized. Unless you have a full carboy or keg the headspace can possibly be detrimental past a month. To each their own though

 

[HalfPint]

I haven't oaked a beer in a long time, that may be something I want to do with this one. You see, after thinking about what chefchris said about using the BMBF, I think I may bulk age/oak it in the secondary for about a month, rack it off of the oak, then bulk age/carb in the kegerator for about a month or so until I bottle using the beer gun. I think after 2 months in carboys, I won't have any trouble with over carbonation due to most of the yeast dropping out.

What do you think about the amount of oak cubes/chips? I'm thinking around 2 or 3oz of American oak cubes. What do you think?

 

[chefchris]

See, I use my BMBF all the time for quick bottle fills when going to friends houses, but I've found that for long storing, I always get over-carbed beer. I know it's got to be b/c there are just yeast in the keg left over from my 3 week primary ferment, but I just don't trust it any more when it comes to long aging.

Have you ever had this problem?

I've never stored anything long term with the beer gun. This is just my plan for the barleywine that's still in primary. That's weird about it being overcarbed.

 

[ChrisdeRoulet]

I forgot about 4 bottles that I had left in garage to give to a friend. I found them 2 years later (22 oz bottles with oxygen absorbing caps and wax seals).

You would have thought I'd discovered Tutankhamen's tomb, it was among the top 3 beers I've ever had.

Definitely bottle condition...but give to a trusted friend who's waaaay into delayed gratification to hold them for you. This stuff is like liquid crack!