Aging Hopslam and other DIPAs

Two to three years, they become world-class barleywines.

 

Not to ruin anyones fun but an old DIPA is an old DIPA. If it did not start as a Barleywine, its not going to end up a Barleywine. The reason 120, Devil Dancer and Double Crooked Trees age well, taste like Barleywines with age is because they start out straddling the line of DIPA and Barleywine.

If the lines are blurred when it comes to DIPA and Barleywine, go ahead and try your hand at aging the beer. If the beer is a no questions asked DIPA, does waste the beer by sitting on it. Hopslam does not blur the lines when fresh, while I have had some reasonably enjoyable "less than fresh" Hopslam, it certainly will not improve with age.

 

That hopslam is going to be a malty mess by this point, imo

 

This is, has been, and will continue to be discussed over, and over again. A little searching will yield a ton of results.

 

I saved 2 hopslams from last year and drank them with this years to see the difference. I could not even drink last years and poured them down the sink. lesson learned......

 

I agree - lost a few hopslams in the back of the fridge and drank it about a year later - not good. definitely a beer best enjoyed fresh

 

d o n o t a g e i p a s

 

I've recently aged Hopslam, Devil Dancer, and Double Crooked Tree at least a year, maybe two. Accidentally (one of those "so that's where that bottle got to in the back of the fridge" type things). They were all drinkable but I didn't particularly think any had gotten particularly better in the process. I'd say the Double Crooked Tree probably turned out the best and the Hopslam wasn't particularly that good at all. DFH120 on the other hand I've had aged a couple times and liked it so have a couple bottles in the fridge now from different years.

 

I would recommend staying away from aging everything you asked about except the 120. Double Crooked Tree turns in a complete disaster from my experience and Hopslam is so much better fresh.

 

The only "old" DIPA that I have had that holds up INCREDIBLY well after a year on it was SN Hoptimum. Still boozy, hot and had a decent hop bitterness left to it.
I can't stand the sweetness from Barleywines, it's that caramel almost cloying sweetness I can't stomach.
Keeping D/IPAs to age them is not a wise move, it just defeats the purpose of the style and how it was intended to be enjoyed by the brewmaster.