Question about aging...

[aqualung23]

Looking to do a bigger beer than the 4-6% range I've done so far (AG). I know things like Barleywine and Imperial Stout should be aged for a while, but what about a strong ale or stout in the 7-8% range? Do they need extended aging or are they good sooner?

 

[solbes]

My experience with the 6-8% stouts is that they will taste different at bottle carbing vs lettng it age for 3 months. The roast can be pretty sharp just after carbing up, but blends smoothly with the beer after 3 months in bottle.

But everyone's taste buds are different. Some people crave the sharp roasted flavor. I would bottle it up, and taste one at 1 month. If you like it, drink them slowly over the next three months, so you can gage your preference. If you don't like them early, try waiting 2 weeks in between beers so you can save most of it for later.

 

[aqualung23]

Great thanks. I was thinking a similar range. I want to make something that I won't have to wait a year to drink. Once I build up a little stockpile I'll try something like a RIS or maybe even a sour.

 

[scottballz]

I just brewed a chocolate stout that sat on bourbon and french oak for a little over a month. It came in around 8%. I kegged and force carbed it then let it condition for a about a week. This beer is out of this world. every week it gets a little better. I bottled up a six pack, before I racked to the keg, so I can taste it a year from now. If you are bottling everything just try to spread out your consumption time frame and take good notes on when you think it tastes the best for your liking. Good notes=Good beer!

 

[morticaixavier]

If you pay attention to pitching enough yeast and controlling temps in fermentation you can drink even quite big beers in a month or two from brew day.

I am coming to the end of a keg of 11% barley wine I brewing in late november last year. it was tapped in February and was wonderful. I bottled up ~half the batch for ageing but my wife and I have been happily nipping our way through the remainder.

I pitched ~12 floz of pretty thin slurry from a prior batch and added as much o2 as one can expect to add using a balloon whisk. it fermented at ~60-65 degrees for 1.5 months before being kegged. right off the bat, going into the keg, this beer was wonderful.

 

[aqualung23]

Wow that is great to know mort. A lot of things you read would make you think you need to inject pure O2 into a big beer.

 

[morticaixavier]

Wow that is great to know mort. A lot of things you read would make you think you need to inject pure O2 into a big beer.

Yeah, and I'm sure pure o2 is helpful but i have not seen a problem with a healthy whisking. Arm gets a bit tired for sure but then you switch to the left (or right) for a while and it's all good. I call it aerated when the foam is few inches thick on top of the wort.

part of that has to do with pitch rates. yeast need o2 to reproduce, if you start with a larger population you are asking them to reproduce less so they will need less o2.

 

[aqualung23]

I would highly reccomend you to go to the hardware store and spend $7 on a drill powered paint stirrer. It works amazingly well.

 

[morticaixavier]

I would highly reccomend you to go to the hardware store and spend $7 on a drill powered paint stirrer. It works amazingly well.

I have one. don't use it anymore. just an extra thing to get out, sanitize (nooks and crannies), clean, put away. plus if the battery on my drill is caput then I'm at the whisk again. also it's a lot easier for me to control the whisk so it doesn't bang against the side of my bucket and scratch the plastic.

If I was fermenting in carboys or better bottles it would be a different story as the whisk wouldn't fit. but I didn't see significantly more foam using the mix stir than I do with the whisk (I also whip egg whites to stiff peaks by hand on occasion so I've got a strong whisking arm )