How long do people hold on to special beers? Dependent on style when i buy a limited release i try to get two, one for drinking and the other for ageing. The problem i have is that once i get down to a single bottle i'm reluctant to drink it as i know i'll never get another one, The oldest beer i have is a 2007 barrel aged imperial porter (only 800 bottles made) that i wouldn't mind cracking open at the weekend but for some strange reason i also feel a reluctance to do it.
Cellaring Beer
- Thread starter ricardo
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davedoran
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I understand this dilemma. I also used to feel that way with some of my beers. Even some of my brews i was hanging onto with the hope they would continue to improve with age. For a lot of beer styles this isn't true. I was told by a head brewer at a big brewery than beer is not like wine and is best drank fresh to get maximum taste characteristics. This is most likely to be different with your barrel aged porter and the likes.
For my standard brews beer will oxidize over time ive found so i try get rid of my brews within 6 months of bottling.
For my standard brews beer will oxidize over time ive found so i try get rid of my brews within 6 months of bottling.
Yeah oxidization is a big worry.
Regarding the advice that beer is best drunk fresh i guess that it is definitely dependent on style. A few of my Imperial Stouts even have best after dates instead of best before, off the top of my head i believe one says 2016
Regarding the advice that beer is best drunk fresh i guess that it is definitely dependent on style. A few of my Imperial Stouts even have best after dates instead of best before, off the top of my head i believe one says 2016
Depends on the style, doesn't it? Sure wheat beers don't cellar very well and are best drunk fresh, but the bigger beers can last years in the same way wine can. I'm guessing your 'cellar' also has something to do with it - if your 'cellar' is the shed which gets up to 40 degrees in summer, your beer isn't going to travel too well. As for the oxidising thing, I don't see why beer is any more susceptible to oxidisation than wine? In fact, given the natural presence of CO2 in beer I would have thought it may even store better. I think the problem is when you only have a single bottle of a good beer or wine, it's obviously impossible to determine if it's past it's best until you drink it. At least that's the good thing about being a home brewer - you can have multiple bottles and open one or two a year and see how they are ageing.
To the OP - what does the brewer say about how long the beer should store for?
To the OP - what does the brewer say about how long the beer should store for?
Not sure about that but just had a look at Ratebeer and it seems to be holding up well with a slight oxidization that is offset by the barrel ageing. The brewer is Alesmith here's a link.WitWonder said:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/alesmith-barrel-aged-decadence-2007/97137/
