LONG term cellaring

So if you already saw the other post, why didn't you just continue the discussion in that thread?

 

I would go with Bigfoot, Old Stock, and maybe seek out J.W. Lees Harvest Ale. I've still seen 2012 of that lying around, a 2013 shouldn't be too hard, and I can attest to it regularly tasting amazing out to 12 years. I'll be cracking a 2000 over the holidays.

I've got some older bottles of Expedition but so far I've only had it fresh and at 1 year so I can't really compare. It hadn't changed much. I've noticed little change in 2-3 year Third Coast, that might be an option. I wouldn't bother with Curmudgeon personally.

I have no experience cellaring Founders Imperial or Trois Pistoles.

 

To make this short, find or trade for a reputable gueuze (ie 3F, Cantillon, etc). I think they will have a much better chance at lasting that long without oxidization which is what I have encountered even after 4-5 years with most of the beers you mentioned. You can thank me in 2034

 

Seconding the recommendation for a good gueuze. I know Mikkeller Bar in SF (when they opened) had a number of 10+ year old bottles and they apparently held up well. Not sure the beer will still be in its prime 21 years down the road, but it should be drinkable.

What I wonder more is whether a 21 year old will like a gueuze

 

Curmudgeon will not reward long or even short term ageing.

Old Stock Ale should but my impression is that it doesn't have enough core strength to last a decade or two.

 

Right? Those are beers you enjoy now with a 1-5 year quality and half of those might not hold without perfect cellar conditions, even though people push Bigfoot and Old past that. In my opinion, get something with some ABV behind it like Black Tuesday, a super base or Pugachev's Cobra, break the bank a little bit, if you're a fan of Sierra Nevada, catch a Narwhal or Maple Stout at least! You could grab some miscellaneous Avery barrel series beers here and there, they pop them out all the time and with time and an existing barrel presence, it may be something special.

Then again, I had a twenty year old sweet stout that had been to more states than myself and lived in a storage unit a few times in between that stretch and it was delicious, still. It was somewhere between 11-13% ABV originally. It drank like a J.W. Lees.

 

Alaska Smoked Porter might do the trick too. Lee's Harvest Ale is also likely to go the distance too as others have suggested.

 

I'd personally only cellar lambics for that long. I've never had a good stout, barley wine, old ale, etc. that has been good even after five years. They become oxidized messes.

 

So just out of interest, and apologies for slight thread diversion, I've got some De Molen Imperial Stouts and Barleywines that have "best before" timescales of up to 25 years. For the OPs sake, would something like the De Molen range be something he could use for his son? Or would it succumb to the same problems as you mention? (ignoring the fact De Molen seem to change their beers so much that you'd be lucky to have a vertical of any one type!)

 

I am sensitive to oxidation, and Thomas Hardy's Ale (2006) was great when I had it last september.

 

Drawing from all my personal experience and all the research I have done on aging beer, I would second the idea that only Lambic/Gueuze will last that long and still taste good. If Thomas Hardy's was still being made it to the original recipe, it seems to be able to stand up to that sort of aging, but of course it isn't an option. J.W. Lees might not be bad after that much time. I don't think any dark beer would be anything other than a watery/meaty mess at 20 years. Autolysis is a major problem in acidic dark beers, which is what contributes to the meat/blood/ink flavors in very old stouts and porters. I think your best options are:

Samichlaus (especially large format bottles stored cool/cold and/or below lager fermentation temps)
Any of the highest rated Belgian gueuzes (protect those corks!)
Samuel Adams Utopias
J.W. Lees (store it fairly cold as well to extend its life)

OR

Forget beer and get a bottle of vintage port (assuming a vintage is declared for last year, which is not a guarantee), not a blend or late bottle vintage. True vintage port is almost guaranteed to be incredible in 20 years and would be an investment as well.

OR

a vintage dated bottle of whiskey like Evan William Single Barrel

OR

All of the above and bury the whole lot in a stainless steel treasure chest below the frost line and make them solve a treasure map full of riddles and clues to find the location (best option)

 

bump on this thread. I am actually in the same boat as the originally poster (but with a baby girl). I just started cellaring around the time she was born so i am learning more and more every day. I had initially put away a chimay grand reserve that was bottled near her birthday but am now thinking its going to turn into a thin garbage water.

@glass_house have any luck/what did you decide on?

 

note to my above post, the Chimary GR is stored at 55 in a wine fridge with a waxed cage and cork

 

I've heard Alaskan Smoked Porter ages amazingly - Greg Koch from Stone said in an article he doesn't believe it has reached its penultimate flavor yet, his opinion I guess. (first production was 1988)
Rochefort trappists, de Molen, most Lindemans products, St. Louis Gueuze ages fantastic

 

someone opened a 40 year old RIS at a bottle share I was at yesterday, still carbonated and wasn't oxidized according to the people that drank it (i didn't have any)

an easy bottle to age for that long would be DFH 120 minute, and they linger on shelves in most places long enough you could do a vertical of it. I think they make 2 batches a year? the abyss holds up really well also there was a 2006 bottle at the same share that was solid.


OP just get something with high alcohol content, wax it and make sure it stays in a temperature controlled spot away from light. holding anything above 5 years things start to become questionable. part of aging beers is nothing is necessarily guaranteed to hold up/drink well when you open it so it could be the best thing since sliced bread or it could turn out absolutely horrible..

 

As previously mentioned, Gueuze is the way to go. That said, and also as previously mentioned, Samichlaus ages amazingly. I've had a 15 year old bottle and it was amazing. Cellar at a lower than normal temp to help prolong things and make sure to protect it from light.

 

Courage RIS is a bit of a different beast than typical RISes given that it was conditioned with brett. I don't believe the newest batches (i.e. since they started rebrewing and selling it after a hiatus) use brett, but I could be wrong.