Ageing

[davester]

How long do you lot age your beer for before enjoying it?

I am probably referring to the bottlers.

I have tried it after two weeks and it tastes/is muddy creek water.
I age mine for 3 months and it is fine.
It is aged in a specially converted old wardrobe (dark, dry etc).

How long do you age your beer and do you notice a difference?
Where do you age it?

 

[Trev]

I've got most of mine (all 200 bottles!) sitting in darkened cupboards built in underneath some stairs. It's dark, relatively constant temp' and being a bit anal, I have little labelled dividers between the various brews

I have been trying (not always successfully) to age everything for at least 3 months and most definately it does improve them.

Elsewhere here you'll probably also see some comments from Ken about storing them in the fridge, particularly to lager, but it also works well with ales. I tried one a couple of weeks ago that I gave to a mate that he had left in the back of his fridge for about 8 weeks. It was a dark ale and tasted great IMHO.

All I need now is a fridge that will fit 200 bottles!!!!!!!!!!


Trev

 

[RegBadgery]

I haven't been deliberately storing, though have ended up keeping bottled brews for a few months and longer. The old ones have survived this long because the new ones are better - ie as my technique has improved, so have the results.

My newest ones are lucky to survive to full carbonation (that's where my pocket beer engine comes in). At some stage I'll try longer term storage for some beers.

Anyone have any recommendations on best styles to drink fresh and which to store?

cheers
reg

 

[Doc]

I used to get stuck in after 3 weeks, but keep six bottles from each brew for tasting at 3-6-9-12-18-24 months.
Well that was the plan, until we sold up and moved house.
Ended up giving a lot away to family etc, but kept three from each brew.
I've recently been trying them after 12 and 18 months and they taste great.
IMHO it comes down to how much room you have to store your beer.
As for aging of styles, I find darker ones are better aged.

Cheers,
Doc

 

[Armstrong]

Not only do the darks mature well but also those of high alcohol ... better still, dark that are high alcohol!!

As a general rule, I always believe that the paler coloured beers will improve up to 4 -5 months and store quite happily up to 12 mths ... while the darks & stouts will improve 18mth to 2 years plus!!

One thing I've noticed with longer storage is that you do lose some hop character ... SO ... when you make that perfect "Little Creatures Pale Ale" clone, I'd get stuck into by 3 months!!!

You should try Beavis's "Creatures" clone Doc! (That's if there's any left!)

:chug:

 

[Snow]

I store all my dark beers (stout, porter, dark ale, etc) and 'complex' beers (ie. those with weird adjuncts such as maple syrup, honey, ginger, coriander, molasses, golden syrup, etc) for at least three months before drinking them. Yes, it hurts, but it's worth the wait...

All my pale beers I usually store for three weeks before tucking into them but try to spare them for a month or more, if I can.

With all my beers, I put four tallies away in my secret place under the stairs where I plan to keep them for a year before drinking one, then the next at 18 months, then the next at two years, etc. Though after reading earlier posts on this subject I maight drink all my pale beers at the one year mark. oooh..I've been brewing for 11 months...nearly time to start on the first vintage (or is it 'maltage'?)!

 

[GMK]

Beer Aging

As a general rule the darker and or the higher the alcohol...the longer the beer needs to/can be aged.

Wheat beers, lagers, hoppy Pale ales.....should drink by six months....while the hop flavour/character is still there.

Barley Wines, Imperial stouts...min of 12 months.

As the beer ages ..the hop flavour/profile diminishes while the malt flavour accentuates.

At some point the beer will be in balance...hop flavour - malt etc....that is when it should be drunk.....