[TN]

I had two 'vintage beers' this weekend both were fantastic.

The first was a 2007 Goose Island Bourbon Stout. This was by far the biggest beer I have ever tasted. It was aged 10 months in Bourbon barrels then bottle conditioned. It was really too big for what I was in the mood for but I could appreciate it none the less. It was loaded with charred oak & vanilla flavors & had a good bit of bitterness to it. The body was so heavy the beer felt like it stuck to my ribs. I am thinking this is a great bloody steak beer or a post dinner sitting by the fireplace beer.

The other was this years bottling of Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale . This was what I was in the mood for Sunday with my lunch. This unfiltered, bottle conditioned ale was full flavored, with a nice maltiness that was not too sweet (I hate sweet ales BTW). This beer had more of a nuanced flavor profile as opposed to the Stout, which is a trait I like in beer (instead of the big powerful in your face beers). It poured cloudy with a thin head & left some nice lacing on the sides of my glass that dog licked clean after I emptied the glass.

Aging beer is a new concept to me but seems to make sense. Has anyone tried any cellared beer or have any thoughts on them?

 

[Damo]

I found some beers in my bike workshop from when we shifted in 3 years ago...

 

[SkaredShtles]

Beers too valuable to be allowed to sit around in a cellar.

YMMV.

 

[narlus]

i've had some (Young's, i think) bottle-conditioned ale which was nice.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

One of my bro-in-laws has a few bottles that he's got in a cellar. Not sure how long they've been there or what kinds they are, but he's into the niche beer scene worse than even me...

My other bro-in-law and I can't seem to keep enough beer on hand at any one time to be able to keep any unopened...and I see that as a good thing.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I find that beer ages best in my belly and in large quantities.

 

[Damo]

Niche beer is for poofs.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Niche beer is for poofs.

I don't even know what "niche" beer is...

 

[Damo]

I don't even know what "niche" beer is...

Oh yes you do...

 

[SkaredShtles]

Oh yes you do...

If you say my Titan is a niche beer I'm gonna come over there and kick you right square in your yambag.

 

[TN]

Niche beer is for poofs.

meh....it is what it is.

after having drank mostly wine for the last few years I have been enjoying tasting some of the micro-brews available. and just like everything else, you can geek out on beer as much as you want. I just like tasty adult beverages.

I find the idea interesting though. I could never 'lay' any bottles down. It makes me wonder what's next...single origin barley & hops beers?

 

[Damo]

I don't even know what Titan is...

..or a yambag for that matter...

You talk funny.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I don't even know what Titan is...

..or a yambag for that matter...

You talk funny.

STFU sheep shagger.

 

[Damo]

 

[narlus]

I don't even know what Titan is...

..or a yambag for that matter...

You talk funny.

a Titan is the nickname that BV adopts in his 2nd line of work.

a yambag is accosted as part of his fluffing duties.

 

[Westy]

I made some barley wine a few years ago that was a little too harsh when it was first bottled. It mellowed out nicely after about 6 months and was in it's prime after a year.

 

[Silver]

I just had a 2008 Goose Island. Huge beer...I'm thinking it would be great in about 3 years. It's a bit rough around the edges now.

If you like Belgian beers, aging can make a huge difference. Chimay Blue, for example, is a good beer, but if it's been sitting for 5 years, it's amazing.

It also depends on the beer...aging something that is really hoppy is kind of stupid.

 

[Serial Midget]

There will never be another Billy Beer!!!

 

[BikeGeek]

A lot of the aged stuff I've had has been "cardboardy" from oxidation, except for the beers containing brettanomyces. They get more wine-like as they age. We have a tripel ready to bottle that spent over a year in a wine barrel with brett. lambicus. It's funky to say the least, but has a lot in common with an oaked white wine.

 

[Silver]

A lot of the aged stuff I've had has been "cardboardy" from oxidation, except for the beers containing brettanomyces. They get more wine-like as they age. We have a tripel ready to bottle that spent over a year in a wine barrel with brett. lambicus. It's funky to say the least, but has a lot in common with an oaked white wine.

Weird question: Do you know if they've been stored with the beer touching the cork? With a slight downward slope like you'd store a wine bottle to make sure that the cork didn't dry?

 

[04sgsdh]

I think I've lost track of what's in my cellar at home. My parents coal cellar was perfect for storing beer. So far everything that has come out of there has been great. The 1998 Fantome Saison was by far the top of the list. This Saturday I opened a bottle of Kulmbacher Eisbock from 1996. We had a fire in the middle of the pump track(well on its way) and chilled w/ some cold ones. Well, some were cold.
I guess some beer gets better and some.......well.......were never really good to begin with.

 

[TN]

A lot of the aged stuff I've had has been "cardboardy" from oxidation, except for the beers containing brettanomyces. They get more wine-like as they age. We have a tripel ready to bottle that spent over a year in a wine barrel with brett. lambicus. It's funky to say the least, but has a lot in common with an oaked white wine.

Does brett take on the barnyard aromas in beer like it does in wine?
I am intrigued.
I love a little brett in my wine.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I think I've lost track of what's in my cellar at home. My parents coal cellar was perfect for storing beer. So far everything that has come out of there has been great. The 1998 Fantome Saison was by far the top of the list. This Saturday I opened a bottle of Kulmbacher Eisbock from 1996. We had a fire in the middle of the pump track(well on its way) and chilled w/ some cold ones. Well, some were cold.
I guess some beer gets better and some.......well.......were never really good to begin with.

This is truth.

 

[BikeGeek]

Weird question: Do you know if they've been stored with the beer touching the cork? With a slight downward slope like you'd store a wine bottle to make sure that the cork didn't dry?

Don't know, but I've had good ones and bad ones with corks or caps. I'm pretty sensitive to certain aromas and flavors now that I've learned to identify them in beers. Oxidation is a big one, as are meat (autolyzed yeast) and butter (diacetyl).

Does brett take on the barnyard aromas in beer like it does in wine?
I am intrigued.
I love a little brett in my wine.

Yes, and there are tons of beers that are using it intentionally as another layer of aroma/flavor. There are certain Belgian styles where brett is one of the defining characteristics. Try a gueze lambic or Flanders red ale. Russian River Brewing in CA and Victory Brewing in Philly have been fermenting beers using only brett with good results. We currently have 10 oak barrels inoculated with brett. lambicus.

To bring it back on topic, brett was discovered in 1908 in a bottle of vintage English ale.

 

[Silver]

Don't know, but I've had good ones and bad ones with corks or caps. I'm pretty sensitive to certain aromas and flavors now that I've learned to identify them in beers. Oxidation is a big one, as are meat (autolyzed yeast) and butter (diacetyl).

I've heard long ago that the composite corks that beer bottles use shouldn't be damp because of the glue that holds them together.

I've always stored my bottles upright, and I've not had any problems. Of course, the high alcohol stuff I age probably masks a lot of negative aging issues.

 

[TN]

We currently have 10 oak barrels inoculated with brett. lambicus.

To bring it back on topic, brett was discovered in 1908 in a bottle of vintage English ale.

That is funny. Some wine critics see it as a flaw & some vintners struggle to keep it out of their wine.

 

[xy9ine]

If you like Belgian beers, aging can make a huge difference. Chimay Blue, for example, is a good beer, but if it's been sitting for 5 years, it's amazing.

i picked up a few rochefort 10's that were 3 yrs old that were pretty amazing; much better than the last one i had that was this years vintage. while i appreciate the benefits of cellaring, i never have the patience to let good beer sit around for that long.

 

[valve bouncer]

The other was this years bottling of Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale .

For a fairly big brewery Coopers makes some fine beers. It's that hard South Australian water. I'll seek that one out when I'm back home in a few weeks TN.