This is why you clean out your fridge...

I had a batch of home brewed oatmeal stout. I should say "have"... I thought it was long gone. Little did I know...lurking underneath my beer table amidst the pile of empties I find a six pack that is almost two and a half years old. OK, it took three months before it tasted good...how bad can it be? Tasted fine...finished 'em off...

Or so I thought...six months later, I find three more bottles in a six pack sleeve with three empties. Ahh..the self-perpetuating stout! I guess the moral of the story is make sure the empties are actually empties? Maybe they were in camouflaging themselves to escape their fate?

That's the worst "accidental" aging. I do have a bottle of Mystic Three Cranes that I think is 2 maybe three years old. Otto in Oak that is a couple years old, but that one is on purpose. There's some ancient Golden monkey hanging around as well.

 

I was going to say drink it now and see how the years have been to it. But I like the 2015 comparison. And you have to document it here for us.

I saw on a homebrew forum once where a fellow found a 50 year old beer!

 

My brother in law found a small bottle of 1994 Sam Adams Triple Bock in back of his cabinet the other day (a small bottle with wax cap still intact). He said it was given to him as a gift from an old Navy buddy, and never thought anything about it at the time. He's not sure whether we should drink it or sell it. Seems to be going for over $100 on ebay currently.

 

Another option- blend it with something else you find laying around.

 

I had some Hoptimium, Dreadnaught and Artic Panzer Wolf from 2012 in my basement. An old friend was doing did some work on my house. I've know him since the 1970s and he's been consistently a Bud, then bud Light drinker for almost all those years. As he would finish a room or some windows I'd give him a few bottles of these " vintage" IPAs.

He noticed the moral equivalent of two beers abv and seemed to enjoy them , and even passed on one to another AAL drinker I've known as long who mentioned enjoying the "strong beer" when I saw him.

The beer was not wasted, but I did not have to drink it. Pretty close to Pareto Hopimality.

 

Well, since it's a 10% abv beer, it could be good with some age. A lot of the fresh hop flavor will be long gone though... but I vote wait until 2015 release, and compare the fresh to the old.

I've heard of people cellaring 120 min IPA for years and years, so why not Hopslam, right?

 

Drainpour

 

I went through my fridge and seriously found a year old bottle of Pliney AND Heady back there. Also have a hopslam that I found in my cellar from this past years release.

Yup, I suck

 

I bet it tastes great. Granted, it won't taste like a fresh, piney IPA; more like a uniquely vinous barleywine. Some of the more malty DIPAs do really well with a couple years age on them. I inadvertently cellared a bunch of 90 Minute for 4-5 years and I've been really enjoying them lately.

 

Procure the yeast and make your own batch of brand new Hopslam.

 

I didn't vote for any of those, I would make a soup with it or a hot cheese dip for a pretzel.
I would definitely sip it first.
And I too have this problem between collecting and home brewing I think im sitting on over 300 beers, all are dark and high ABV so the worry is less.
Have fun!!!

 

Where is the 'crush it with a forklift' option?

Also I would just drink it. Or make a hot sauce.

 

Put me in the minority that has no problem drinking old properly stored hopslam It is a 10% abv beer that is brewed with a crap ton of hops and honey. Hops and Honey are natural preservatives. Hopslam will go for years, but it will turn into a tasty maltslam

I waxed capped two last year and put them in the cellar. I plan to crack one in 2019 and the other in 2014

 

I suggest that there is no misery involved. I like old Hopslam. Like a BW kind of. I have a few from last year still, all stored cold.

 

How were the Pliny and the Heady? If I were to guess, the Heady would taste better but neither would be great.

 

I would try to drink them.I had a stone IPA that got lost in the fridge and aged a year and it was ok.

 

Drink 'em.

I don't have any stories myself because:

1. I just "upgraded" to an 800 sq foot apartment a year ago, but point is that in NYC, unless you're a multi-millionaire, there's not a whole lot of cellar space floating around in the city.

2. I don't have the patience or self-control to sit on things. Last year I was lucky enough to get a 4 pack of BCBCS. I tried my hardest to space them out. They lasted about 10 days...... Currently have one Vanilla in the cupboard - waiting for my wife to get back from a work trip on Friday so I can split it with her. Even this will be a challenge.

 

Like maybe a radler or shandy ...

 

Beer cheese dip.