Why release a beer if it needs more age to be optimal?

I would have aged one if I had not gotten the very last bottle from Total Wine.

 

$$$$$. Got to pay the bills. You may want to wait a year to crack that big incredible imperial stout, but I doubt the bill collectors want to wait that long to get paid.

 

Every brewery owner, brewery executive and brewer that I've spoken to has indicated that when they release a beer they expect it to be consumed. Period. Many of these same people also express frustration at we consumers who insist on aging "barrel aged" beer. Their position is that they've aged it for us for a period of time that they believe to be optimal. Therefore (again) when they release the beer they expect it to be consumed. Just my experience; others may have gotten different stories.

And, I suspect that the "best after" dating is a marketing ploy as has been indicated in many of the above posts. In my experience few breweries engage in that practice. I don't criticize capitalism. However, it's also our responsibility as consumers to be at least somewhat knowledgeable consumers. JMO

 

If I could not whale a beer, age it in my cellar, and post a pic about it, I would not be nearly as cool as I am.

 

It is about space, some breweries release when ready others don't/can't. KBS was better fresh this year than with a few months on it, and IMO I doubt it could get better than when fresh. I do have an Abyss sitting around and I won't open it for awhile as I am finding most West Coast BW's and Stouts are too hot at release. FW is a big culprit as was Northcoast BA Rasputin, anything from here on out will be aged from them. I hear Central Waters BBBW is nice fresh though I haven't had it yet.

 

I think it's the same thing with Dark Lord

 

For the same reason vineyards press grapes and sell the bottles immediately.

 

Yeah, that beer is seriously good right now. I still have a sixer tucked away. Hoping I'll be able to keep my hands off of this until April.

 

If it is amazing now, I would say you should drink another just in case they are wrong.

 

You're encouraging a Collage addict right now. I hope you can sleep tonight.

 

Never had it and I may sleep fine, then again I don't need much sleep. Notice I am on the East Coast? Just poured another an O'fest after a sixer of a Rye IPA, yep I like beer.

 

Maybe I should trade for a Collage, I have heard it is a nice beer a few times.

 

False. Only a good recipe and technique could help this beer. The beer is a mess up front, and lacks the depth to mature appropriately.

Note: I've only had '10, '11, '12. I've been told the older vintages had more attention to the beer, and less attention to the event...

 

It's not speculation - I can tell you in fact that no brewery wants to store bottles of product for months unless absolutely necessary. And before you ask the next question - no brewery wants to waste tank space to store a finished beer any longer than necessary.

Time and space are money. If CCB held onto all their MZ for 4+ months it would cost 10x (or more) in price.

I'm sure they were pouring it fresh at the release, so everyone there had a chance to sample it and decide for themselves if they ought to keep it around or drink it now. Just because a brewery recommends aging a beer doesn't mean it is unsuitable for consumption now. I'd wager that at least 50% of their customers drank at least one bottle fresh, likely much more.

DFH, SN, and many others advocate aging their bigger beers. Honestly I prefer most of them fresh despite what the bottle, you, or any online forum tries to tell me. Others will refuse to drink those same beers for a minimum of years.

Quite honestly you're making way to big of a deal over a line on the back of a bottle. If you have a cellar than you know what to expect from aging this beer. It's no different than any other big syrupy stout you have in your cellar. The others may or may not recommend aging, but age will generally cause the same changes in them all.

If a 3F gueuze is best after 12 years of age, or if a WWS is best with a minimum of 5 years on it, why don't those breweries just sit on their bottles before selling them to the public, too? Whether the bottle says so or not, if the brewery knows age improves the beer, shouldn't they all age their beers for us all the time?

Isn't this saying exactly what you just said?

They are telling you that it will improve and the amount of time to age it.

I don't see where they say not to drink it now...

 

Like any other business, they need to focus on their P&L. When premium beer sits on the warehouse floor, no revenue is being generated, and it's probably safe to assume that these folks are operating on tight margins. It's great that there are people out there that have a passion for producing great beer for their customers, but if CCB stores Zhukov in their warehouse for 4-6 months, do they have the working capital they need to brew Hunahpu?

 

Many answers so far are good, esp. Spider889, but another, obvious one regarding the specific timing of MZ release is because Stout traditionally is a cold weather seasonal. It is put on the market when it is for the same reason you can find pumpkin beers in July and find Christmas advertising in September. First on shelf arguably is as important as best on shelf. If you want to time a beer, or any product, time it for when the competition is thin.

 

Harry, I'm telling you, the 08' with a year on it was stellar...drank the bottle to myself on New Years Day. For what it's worth, haven't had it since. We've got a few different vintages at the shop though, might be time to give it a go...

 

To build on this right now its hot as hades in florida. the beer tastes great, but could definitely be improved by some colder weather. releasing it early also ensures that it is in the hands of the consumers when it reaches its peak and isnt still sitting on a store shelf. this year it has sold really quickly, but in years past you could easily find it in stores into november and december and quite possibly later than that.

 

One other thing that just dawned on me is that while marshal Zhukov is a great beer on its own that is not all it is. It is also the base beer for hunahpu as well as many other barrel treatments. This means from a logistics stand point it makes more sense to release the base beer early so the more special releases come out at a more appropriate season.