Aging Barrel Aged Stouts

Thank you.

 

Oxidation becomes a big issue. Unpleasant notes start to develop. Not in large quantities to start, but become quite noticeable over time. Other than that, flavors like chocolate and coffee fade. I could see some people enjoying this, but I don't really think that's the intent.

 

Who said anything about aging everything dark & malty & over 8%? That's dismissive & irrelevant at best, & not even close to what I or anyone else has said.

Wrong. I hate oxidation with a passion, & it's why there are only a couple of barleywines that I age, because so many seem to develop oxidation fairly quickly. I have not had a similar problem in most stouts, & if I did, I'd never age that particular stout again. And unpleasant notes? Again, one more time, you clearly don't like aged BA stouts. Fine by me, but I just wanted to point out that your sweeping statements are just matters of opinion that you're presenting as written in tablets of stone.

 

Oh, I know, none of those are, just an idea to start a minor aging program to see how different beers age & see if it's one's bag of tea. I'd hate to see someone start "aging" a bunch of $18 bombers right off the bat & decide two years from now they all suck.

 

Responding to this is difficult. Oxidation is going to occur in barleywines and stouts; I'm not sure how you think it occurs in one and not the other.
"Wrong" is *probably* not the right word there. I think you mean that *you* notice oxidation quickly in barleywines and not stouts.

No, I don't like BA stouts. I don't like beer, in fact.

It's really hard to follow what you're saying. Dark and malty and over 8% describes nearly all BA stouts. The point of this thread is to talk about aging BA stouts, which the OP asked about.

I'm not making gospel statements; I'm trying to help correct the common misconception that most beers over X% that aren't hoppy can/should be aged.

 

It's not at all hard to follow. Here's a recap.

You stated "Most (BA) stouts shouldn't be aged much, if at all."

I said, "That's only your opinion."

Now everyone can skip all of our posts.

 

I've had '10 Abyss and B2 Parabola a couple of times this year and while they were still fantastic beers, I think I prefer them fresh...barrel character definitely faded out and they seemed a bit thinner/weaker flavored. I'm not quite sure I could ever commit to letting a beer (that I already know is delicious) sit for 5 years, but I do enjoy reading about other BA's experiments!

 

I disagree - There are many aspects to cellaring. So many beers age very well. Part of the fun is finding those that do.
Thats why this hobby has so many different areas of enjoyment.

 

There really isn't a clear-cut answer as to how long you should age one– I think it's all about what you're looking for. I had thought an '03 WWS was sublime, as well as an '08 BCBS. But I also thought this year's BCBS was also awesome. So, there really isn't a true time period on how long you should hold onto it. Just open it up whenever you feel it's time to.

 

Similar question about Coffee BCBS. I have one bomber left and wondering if I should drink it fresh or cellar it.

 

if things are going as intended, the brewer should be taking the beer out of barrels right around the time when they're best to drink. so, further aging is not usually helpful i think.

that said, i agree with steelersx; it's all trial and error, and subjective on top of that. in my opinion, it's best to use the general rules to avoid wasting lots of beer / being disappointed repeatedly, but it's also best to break the rules occasionally to see what comes out of it.

 

I totally agree for the most part, but would like to add that in many cases I think some barrel aged beers are trial and error for the brewers too. Maybe not Firestone walker or Goose Island who make excellent products but breweries like Victory or Southern Tier who usually dont barrel age wont know what the perfect age is. Maybe Barrel Aged Storm King is going to be amazing in a couple of years, or maybe not. I for one, want to find out.

I have had very few major dissapointments out of a cellar of between 3000 and 3500 beers. An all are selected for aging. I have every confidence that in some way I will enjoy what I pull out unless something sours but that is a whole different problem. I even have a couple experiments like 5 year old hopslam, Devil Dancer 06 and 06 Double Crooked Tree.

Cellaring for me is just a part of my beer hobby and enjoyment of good beer.

 

There can be a lot of different areas of enjoyment but what happens after the person cellars something for two years and wasted all that time and sometimes money and gets discouraged?

Cheers!

 

So would you say my 2011 Abyss will be ready in about four years?

 

I'd say it depends on your personal taste!

With the recipe change for the 2011 (the addition of cherry bark, vanilla, partially aged in wine barrels, less in bourbon barrels), no one knows how it's going to age. I know that the old recipe was great after a year & divine with two years plus, for me. This one...no idea. I did have a glass on tap & didn't have much urge to have a second one, for what that's worth. Be interesting to see how it turns out, & how it's different from previous years.

 

Wasted all that time? - The beer is just sitting there and doesnt need any attention at all. I havent even laid eyes on my 07 Dark Lords in a couple years.

Money? This is a hobby and hobbies are expensive. If you cant afford it then don't do it I say and I dont mean to be sarcastic here.

 

tend to agree that with any significant aging, barrel forward effects tend to taper off & fade - BUT a given example can be too barrel forward for ones personal liking, fresh, not to mention examples that might be too alcohol forward at the jump - so why not let those qualities fade off if they will??

the sentiment that barrel aged stouts across the board should not be cellared more than the minimum of x months to dissipate heat etc. are opinion based on what those individual like - not necessarily based on a discernible decline of quality realized by all/most.

psychologically, i think the issue with people who speak in that tone & probably the broader audience at large takes for granted the terms "cellaring" & "aging" automatically assumes "bettering", "improving" or some process taken for granted that turns less than good into good or good into great & great into legendary. that's ridiculous. cellaring is about giving a beer a chance to change/develop/mend.

likely the same thing that happens to the gent that's heard a bunch about Pliny or Hopslam, finally breaks his arm to get some but doesn't feel the same way about it as those that love it. they move on & learn for themselves. should we be telling those people don't pursue them because we know for a fact they won't like them - even though we don't until they have tried them?

but to reiterate, i'm not saying anyone's opinion was "wrong". i do think it's a bit of an overstretch to say: "Don't even bother to try to find out for yourself because I already know what you'll think". it's not like the question was: "Should I store my Heineken bottles on the window seal in August with the curtains drawn".

 

I agree
The people that speak in absolutes on this subject drive me crazy
They know who they are