Freshness of double/imperial IPA question

The higher alcohol content of a DIPA doesn't prevent those precious hop aromatics/flavor from dissipating, unfortunately. For me, freshness is more critical with DIPA than it is for IPA since a double is more of a showcase for delicate hop character.

 

It is only a matter of time before Pliny the Elder (a DIPA from Russian River) aficionados chime in; they think that if Pliny the Elder is more than a few weeks old it is too old.

Cheers!

 

I had some FW Double Jack last week that was bottled in late August, and it was still fantastic.

 

I think if you had a five month old Union Jack and a fresh one they'd come across as totally different beers. I love UJ, but once it has some age on it the Munich malt (which is liberally used in the recipe) totally take over. It's still tasty but not at all like a fresh batch.

Firestone Walker does date their bombers, but it's in black ink on the neck of the bottle and can be nearly impossible to see unless you hold the bottle at just the right angle. I swear they are messing with me and only dating every other bottle, because often I can't see the date at all until the bottle is empty.

 

FW recommends 120 days from bottling for their beers.
I personally recommend no more than 60 days from bottling for any hop forward beer.

You can report old beer on FW's website and they'll replace the stuff on the shelves.
http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/fresh-beer.php

 

My $.02 is that typically with DIPAs they are more highly malted to balance the more robust hop presence. If they are too old, the abundance of malt totally takes over. The beers are still "good" just different honestly. Dark horse for example says that their Double Crooked Tree "ages well" on the label. Bottom line. Drink one as fresh as possible so you have a good baseline. You might prefer one with a little "age" on it.

Bring on the PtE trolls .

 

23 hours

 

All IPAs fall off immediately up leaving the fermenter. The optimum freshness period is before the beer is even brewed.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. I don't have the decerning palate that some have on here. I know what I like and what I don't; but I don't necessarily pick up as well as others on the details of a flavor complexity. However, where I do notice is the flavor drop off of DIPA in particular. Examples being getting Heady by trade twice with the second being much fresher and another being Abrasive, where I got a 4-pack within a week of can date, tried it that night and in the 2 weeks that passed before the last was drank, I could clearly taste a difference.

 

One additional thought. Since hops is what fades, it stands to reason that hoppier beers where the hops are more at the forefront of the flavor will comparatively experiences a more profound impact to the overall characteristic of beer over time.

 

The sooner the better when talking about IPA's/DIPA's. I don't pick up on all of the complexities of flavors like others here either, however if you want to enjoy the style as it is intended, drink sooner than later.

 

Sounds like a malt bomb to me... ;-)

 

A DIPA can still be very tasty after four months in many cases. But there is no denying that something less than a month old is going to be in tip-top shape.

 

It is. I would keep it in a dark, cool place. Chill when you're about to drink it. Those sorts of beers hate light.

 

As soon as the hops are cut off the bine, it turns to shit.

 

A few weeks?
once it gets 10 blocks from the brewery it is too old!

 

I recently did a side by side with a 6 month old a Dreadnaught and a just pourchased one and the older one smalled and tasted better. Here in Indiana Dreadnaughts don't stay on the shelf.

 

Depends on what you're buying it for. If you're a hophead and what it to be bright and bitter, drink as fresh as possible. If you like what happens to hops as they fade, become less obnoxious and the alcohol melds more with the malts, then age it.

I personally like pilsners because they're pilsners, barrel-aged RIS for being just that, and DIPAs for being DIPAs. If I want an old hoppy beer I'll pop open some 2008 bigfoot or the like.