| Author |
Message |
    
Ted Hausotter
New Member
Username: Lagerman
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2008
Posted From: 71.222.65.177
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 05:36 am: | 
|
I am collecting information for one of my longterm projects, old beer, as in years. From tasting many beers I have found some age gracfully and others do not. Please post your experience on beers over 5 years old.
What yeasts work, which do not.
Which yeasts are more prone to sherry production?
What do you like better a sweet beer or a dry finish?
What gravitys have you kept for years with good results?
Please don't limit yourself to this short list. I have kegs at 5 years and just started last year on a 5 year project where the keg will be full at 5 years. |
Joe Perrigoue
New Member
Username: Joe_perrigoue
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2008
Posted From: 216.101.54.39
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 10:16 pm: |
|
I just opened a bottle of Nut Brown Ale that I brewed back in 2000. It was delicious. No off flavors, just a slight staleness on the finish and no hop aroma. It was so long ago that I don't remember the recipe and that was before I started keeping records. |
Josh
New Member
Username: Jojox
Post Number: 6
Registered: 07-2008
Posted From: 208.116.141.34
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 03:18 pm: |
|
I just have one that has lasted this long - a barleywine where I did a 4 hour boil and the final gravity was much higher than I expected - probably due to caramelization leading to unfermentable sugars. I believe it was around 9% ABV, FG around 1.030, but I have lost these notes, so that's just by memory.
Anyhow, because of the high FG, the batch turned out way too sweet, and over time it became a bit better, but was always a malt bomb. It didn't have a bad taste, but was not balanced. It probably peaked around 3-4 years, and it's probably 6 years old now.
The last bottle I had (2-3 wks ago, around 6 yrs old) indicated that it was really falling apart. The same sweetness levels, but the background malt complexity (which was always interesting) just seemed to be coming apart and changing in a negative way.
Aside from this single beer, the criteria for long term aging seem to be high ABV, high hop bitterness, and dark malts seem to help as well. Barleywine, RIS are best IMO. Alternatively, a pLambic/Brett/sour beer, and mead, seems to keep a good long time. For all styles your brewing technique - sanitation, aeration (lack of), bottle procedure (or kegging), etc, will have a big effect on the lifespan of your beers. |
Ted Hausotter
New Member
Username: Lagerman
Post Number: 10
Registered: 07-2008
Posted From: 190.166.66.21
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 02:50 am: |
|
Thanks for the info. Hard to find much about old beers. I do have 2 beers on now for longterm. One is my retirement beer, should be 15 years old when I get to it. |
Mike Mayer
Advanced Member
Username: Mmayer
Post Number: 826
Registered: 12-2002
Posted From: 68.76.109.206
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 02:26 pm: |
|
Beer over 5 years old???? Not possible in my house. The longest I had anything sit was about 1 year and it was quite smooth and tasty at that age. |
Joakim Ruud
Senior Member
Username: Joques
Post Number: 1031
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 92.32.95.88
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 02:40 pm: |
|
I've started doing RIS, barleywine and old ale once a year and printing the year on the label. The idea being that in 10 years time I'll have a vertical tasting. I very rarely drink strong beer, so they should keep nicely. |
Carrie Wolfe
New Member
Username: Seawolfe
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2008
Posted From: 71.107.155.209
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 03:51 pm: |
|
We just returned to homebrewing after a 5 year hiatus  . We found a keg of the Sweet Hitch-Hiker Steamer that we had upped the hops a bit. We have no temperature control in the garage, so Im sure its been up to 95 deg F a couple of times. Its good! Maybe the slightest witbeer tang? But very very drinkable.
The yeast used was our house "beserker yeast" that I think started as a Burton ale? and that we reused a LOT. We've also found jars of it, (5 years old) that is fermenting a stout right now.
(Message edited by seawolfe on August 16, 2008) |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 9127
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.150.192.193
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 05:17 pm: |
|
Carrie, welcome back to homebrewing and thanks for stopping by here. Feel free to stay around. |
Carrie
New Member
Username: Seawolfe
Post Number: 2
Registered: 08-2008
Posted From: 71.107.155.209
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 06:43 pm: |
|
Hi Bill! I was here ages ago - I can see a post from me about spent grain bread from back in '02. I have very fond memories of your kindness  |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 9128
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.150.192.193
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 11:51 pm: |
|
The name seemed familiar, Carrie, but you know what they say about getting older (myself, not the beer): the memory is the first thing to go, and I forget the second.  |
Brews and Views Archive 2008 
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page