How Old Is Your Oldest Beer?

[tk75]

This thread has inspired me. I'm going to hide a dozen bottles or so of my "finest" in the xmas tree box.
Next december when I unpack it again, I'll get a lovely suprise.

I'm glad I have created some inspiration for everyone...I try to start threads with some significance but alas it is still only early days for me here so I'm sure I will eventually start a crappy thread

Here is an idea...What about a case swap for beers @ 6 months old and 12months old??

 

[chimera]

I keep telling people who'll listen I'd love to do a big stout or barley wine then store it under the folks place for a coupla years..

Yeah one day!

 

[Simon W]

The old can of Duff is no longer my oldest 'cause I forgot I had this!



Real Guinness and a real itty-bitty crown seal!
The seal is pretty rusted but can still faintly see the Harp(Lyre?) logo on it.
Age unknown, has no date on it that I can see, but was saved from my grandad's bar when he passed.
I'd guess atleast 40 years?

 

[troydo]

i have a mate who has one of those on his shelf....

 

[geoff_tewierik]

I have one of those in a Break in case of Emergency glass box.

 

[mark_m]

Oldest on the shelf ATM is a Coopers K & K old dark ale from Feb '04. Still drinking well, smooth but unremarkable.

Previously, I've had "lost" bottles anything up to 5 years old.
Generally Coopers K & K + sugar brews seem to get better & better (smoother anyway).

There is a theory that Sodium Metabisulphide (my steriliser of choice before discovering iodophor) acts as a preservative - provided you can put up with the after taste.

Having moved to kegs & predominantly AG, most brews disappear in weeks rather than months now.

I keep promising myself to brew a big stout or porter & bottle it to put away, but so far the kegs keep calling.

I have found that Coopers PET bottles are not so good for long term storage & somewhere between 6 & 12 months some wierd flavours start creeping in & possibly C02 release by osmosis.

My 2c worth.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[glennheinzel]

I was visiting my parents over Christmas and my dad dragged out an old can of McEwan's ale. Someone gave him the can back in 1983 and he was told that it was 40 years old at that point in time! It even has a stubbie like seal. :wacko:

Unfortunately white ants have trashed the outside of what was an immaculate can.

 

[Ross]

Doesn't time fly.... I've got a Russian Imperial Stout on tap that's 15 months old. Poured a few glasses yesterday for some visitors....pure neck oil :chug:


Cheers Ross

 

[Kai]

I've got a barleywine that I brewed seventeen months ago and bottled fifteen, I think there's still a few bottles of it floating around, out of easy reach.

 

[warra48]

I'm on my last 3 stubbies of a Porter (8%) brewed in Feb 2007, and it is as smooth as a baby's proverbial bottom.
Brewed a couple of batches of amber ale before that, which drank beautifully after a couple of months of aging, but didn't travel well once past about 5 months old.
A much more recent LCPA clone lost all character after about 3 months post bottling.
I've come to the conclusion, IMHO, that unless you have a dark beer or one with substantial alcohol, it is not worth aging them for the long run.
Besides, if I labour mightily for 4 or 5 hours over a brew, I want to enjoy all its lovely malty grain character and hop flavour and aroma while it's at its best.
I'm not being ageist, but how many 80 year olds win Mr Olympia or Miss World?
Having said that, I did enjoy a 30 year old Grange last New Years Day, but that's another story.

 

[Finite]

I have 2 bottles left of my Imperial Indian Pale ale 9.5% :-( I might have them with my mate tonight at new years. They are about 1 year old.

I have about 12 PET bottles of Chocolate porter which are about 18 months old. Delish!

Actually come to think of it. All my beer is almost a year old now because I havnt brewed in so long!

 

[Jazman]

have some kit stouts since 2003 still cant be bothered throwing them out and some hahn 1999 mil. ale

 

[gregb]

Earlier this week I found a Coopers kit Stout from Nov '03 and an ESB 3Kg Stout from Dec '04. Both still really quite drinkable.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[slacka]

On Xmas day we sampled a few homebrews :icon_cheers: including one made in 1972.
Have to say it wasn't the best drop I've tasted.
:icon_vomit:
Perhaps homebrew doesn't keep forever

 

[mattcarty]

hey hey

I started brewing when i was 16, 1998

brewed heaps of the stuff and drank most of it as soon as it was ready, however I put away a few of each brew around 3 cartons all up of long necks to age.

I started studying again in 2003/04 and being a student was strapped for cash on numerous occasions, my dad and mum who live in kadina told me to get that damn home brew out of the shed, oops i forgot about that stuff, found two cartons. drank it tasted awesome (IMHO).

last year I was looking through the old shed back at the folks and happened the third carton of long necks i missed the first time round, now 10 years old

cracked two so far, good carbonation and still great taste (again IMHO), me and my mates liken it to coopers vintage ale.

i have a number of stout, draughts and ale brews still in that collection, i'll drink a few at special occasions and keep some so in ten years time we'll see how the 20y.o. tastes.

all the brews are in the old style pick axe king browns and kept in the back shed for the past 10 years

cheers
carty

 

[earle]

Still have some bottles of ginger beer that I brewed in 1997. Crystal clear now. It was Brigalow so it probably tastes better now than when it was young.

 

[DR.RELAX]

made a k+k real ale last october.tasted crap then and still tastes crap now.
have high hopes for a couple of belgian strong ales that are about a month in bottles and taste like beer concentrate..hopefully they would have improved in a year,fingers crossed.

rob