How long to age imperial stouts ?

Forever.

 

2nd that....Especially FIS....

 

Allright, I couldn't go anymore knowing this poor guy asked a legit question and I answered all snarky like.

Really, this is all a big experiment. You'll have to try a lot of things fresh, then sit on a second bottle and taste them later. I like espresso oak yeti fresh, but I love it with a year on it. I like fbs fresh, it loses a lot of coffee notes quickly it seemed. They're both coffee stouts that I treat completely different. I can't answer what's going to be best for you, you just gotta find out on your own. I had a 2012 succaba earlier this week and it was sublime, but I never tasted it fresh, so I can't say if it was better or worse. Just remember that time doesn't help every beer, you'll just have to figure out the ones that you feel like it does and lay a few down for another day my friend.

 

How long is a piece of string?
Some Imperial Stouts are ready to drink immediately, some take a little longer in the bottle to be at their best. Part of it does come to personal taste.
The best is to take a couple bottles of a given beer. Drink one fresh, and put the other down for 6 months or so. (obviously best practices for cellaring apply: keep in a dark, cool [50 - 60 degrees F] place, do not disturb, and so on) and see what the differences are.
To me, ones like Founders Imp Stout need at least a year, if not 2 to be at their best, others, like Weyerbacher Tiny are delicious both fresh and aged. There are still others that are best fresh (but still more than passable aged), and still others that are coffee or bourbon / oak varieties that need to be fresh since the coffee or other flavors fade out.

 

I agree, the more I've tried aged imp stouts, the more I've found that it's a total crap shoot. Try to read up on the ones that age well (like Yeti and Ol Raspy) and experiment if you have the budget. On a mild tangent, Bourbon Barrel stouts sometimes need age to cool off and also tend to hold up well because the whiskey masks some of the oxidation.

 

I find the imperial stout that are not barrel aged and are "hot" fresh do well with at least a year on them.

The barrel aged stouts that are "hot" do well with at least a year, but for me 1.5-2 years. I also like these fresh, as I enjoy the bourbony burn.

 

There's no right answer to this question. It's all subjective. What flavors do you enjoy in your imperial stouts? If a fresh one has flavors you enjoy; by all means, drink it fresh. If it doesn't, start aging it and try one every 3-4 months until you hit the sweet spot.

Unfortunately, sometimes fresh is the sweet spot, and in that case, you'll end up with a lot of beer you're not going to be drinking ever. Anyone want my last 3 bottle's of Bells Cherry Stout?

 

Anyone note any differences in fresh vs. cellared Speedway Stout? I've never had one fresh and have one that has been cellaring for 4 months now and plan to drink it sometime in next few weeks. Maybe 4 months isn't enough to note any difference.

 

I like Speedway fresh but that's because I don't mind the heat and I prefer my coffee notes on the brighter side. I have put a few away and have had them at most 3 years aged and though they are good I still prefer this one fresh. The biggest difference you will probably notice after that short of a period is a slight fading of the coffee but I don't feel that is enough time for that alcohol heat to back off much.

 

Just had a '13 Speedway Stout. First time having and I honestly think it is over rated with that little of time on it. Maybe it is like an IPA and has to be fresh, but for a stout that isn't typically the case. I was very disappointed and I'll be making sure to drink my other ones very soon and not aging 1-2 years as I initially planned.

 

I love IS's but honestly I perfer the ones that are don't have that burnt coffee taste as much (wasn't that crazy about Terrapin's Wake and Bake because of that burnt coffee taste), so perhaps if there is a strong coffee flavor fresh then maybe it will be a little more sweet/chocolatey with some age and less burn from alcohol.

I've had fresh Founders Breakfast Stout, and some after about 6 months age on it, and 3 of us that sampled both ways thought it was better with age. Seems contrary to many opinion on the forums though that prefer it fresh.

I'm going to pop the Speedway this weekend I think, and just keep moderate expectations.

 

This is so wrong it hurts. BA beers have already been aged. Brewers release 99% of beer as is intended to be drank.

 

Explain Bourbon County Brand Stout please. kthxbai.












Seriously though, I've increasingly found the "barrels=don't age it" wisdom to be very hit or miss. BCBS is an extreme example given how strong it is but I've even found weaker ones to taste better with a year or two, even though they weren't that hot to begin with. Central Waters BBS is the perfect example, it tastes like chocolate vanilla fudge with whiskey on top with a year on it. The barrel flavors on that one got stronger in the first year.

Fun fact: there are an awful lot of wine aficionados who recommend aging barrel-aged wines more. The wood tastes kind of rough when fresh. This can happen with beer too. It ultimately just comes down to individual beers.

 

Start with a year. Then try 18 months and 24. You'll see a big difference compared to fresh.

 

As others have said, it's sort of a crapshoot. Most of the stouts I have aged for two years ended up being worse than fresh because of oxidation. If you think a stout is too harsh or hot fresh, I wouldn't wait more than a year before trying it again.

In regards to barrel-aged beers, I don't particularly enjoy drinking bourbon by itself. Almost every single bourbon barrel-aged beer I've drank fresh has contained too strong a bourbon flavor for me. I think it overwhelms the beer's other flavors. So perhaps the brewers did intend for me to drink it fresh, but we don't have the same palates. I can appreciate wine a bit more than bourbon by itself, so I don't tend to age stouts or other beers aged in wine barrels as long.

 

I fully realize that BA beers are aged (that's what the A part stands for). I never said that they weren't aged already, my point is that sometimes Bourbon beers are too hot fresh, even if the brewer doesn't think so. It's personal preference on the consumer end.

Look at people who salt their food. The chef obviously thought it tasted perfectly when he/she sent it out of the kitchen, yet people add salt to get the taste they want.

 

So I should probably go ahead and crack open the Stone Odd Year Esspreso RIS I've had since March...

 

Not that I disagree with the whole personal taste thing, but lots food comes from line chefs with the mentality that you can add salt, but you can't take it away. So, food is under-seasoned by design

I'm guessing some beers (even in craft beer) follow that lowest common denominator thinking. Not every brewery is sitting there meticulously blending their barrels (which is apparently 90% of what makes barrel-aged beer good).

 

Yeah, I guess; if you're a wuss. Stick to Oak Aged Yeti if you can't handle some bourbon, son.