Trappist/Belgian Beers on Shelves

For most beers fresher is better but there are some exceptions...

As long as they are protected from a lot of light, several Belgian beers age quite well. For example you mention Rochefort. I'd not hesitate to buy a Rocefort that is a few months old.

If you look a beer up in the database here and and follow the link on its home page to the page of the style it represents, on the right hand side of the page you'll find a general recommendation for the style as to whether is a candidate for aging.

So with most beers on the shelf, the lighting conditions are often more critical than the age. Also, age and temperature interact in that the warmer the beer during storage, the more quickly it ages, relative to its expected shelf life.

Bottom line, there isn't a single either/or answer that covers all possible Belgian beers or all possible styles of beer.

Personally, my basic rule of thumb is that I don't buy undated beers. Period.

For shelf life when there is a date, my rule of thumb is that I generally check the aging guidelines for beers I don't already know before making a decision to buy or not to buy.

 

First, I applaud your decision to try Belgian beers and not get stuck in the IPA rut that so many seem to these days.

Second, I also applaud you correctly referring to them as Belgian beers and not Belgium beers.

As for what to look out for... First, I always try to avoid ones that are sitting in bright light if possible.

Try to find ones that are refrigerated if possible.

Check the dates. Some beers can age for quite a while on the shelf and still turn out fine, others not so much. The darker ones usually (but not always) fare the best.

Check the bottle for leakage. Once in a while if they've been sitting around they tend to seep.

Enjoy!

 

The 11th Commandment.

 

A properly aged St Bernardus Abt 12 (quad) is one of the best beers in the world, IMO of course.

 

The darker, more malty beers, such as the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Chimay Grande Reserve (the blue label) get better with age. I've had some fresh (I call them "young") Chimay Grande Reserve and it actually tasted raw. I know that sounds weird, but once you've had a properly aged Grande Reserve, you'll notice the difference immediately. I store mine in the darkest, coldest spot in my basement for at least a year. Putting a piece of masking tape on the bottle, with a date, helps greatly.

Quite a few Belgian beers are bottle-conditioned. Which means that a little bit of brewer's yeast is added before the bottle is capped/corked. This lets the beer ferment a bit more in the bottle. Such beer almost invariably get better with a little age. So if you see sediment in the bottom of the bottle, or the label says Bottle Fermented/Conditioned, you can be confident that a little age won't hurt it.

Lighter Belgian beers, such as a trippel, don't age quite as well, but even with those, they don't have to be fresh. If the beer is not bottle conditioned, then freshness counts much more.

I see that the OP is in Illinois. If you see Delirium Noël on the shelf, you need to check the date. There's been some old bottles released into circulation the last few years in the Chicago area. Since Delirium Noël is not bottle-conditioned, it should be drunk by June or July. Anything past that, it starts to go bad.

 

Fantastic fresh, even better with a little age. Cheers!

 

Honestly I never had a bad one. I often try and check dates but most I cannot figure out or they are missing. But regarding quality I never had a bad bottle, they always hold up well and if stored correctly seem to get better with age least some anyway. I would just try what you think you will enjoy, most likely it will taste great.
Cheers

 

I have never had a higher gravity (higher ABV) Belgian Trappist/Abbey style beer that tasted old/stale. The combination of higher alcohol and bottle conditioning results in a beer that very much resists staling.

I have a bottle of Rochefort 8 that I bought 6+ months ago. It has a best by date of 9/3/20. That is over three years from now.

My advice: buy those beers!!

Cheers!

 

Like some others have mentioned, the darker beers, like Dubbels and Quads, age very well (mostly) as long as they're not in direct sunlight. I personally prefer Tripels and saisons fresh. I think that age takes a bit of the brightness and spicyness off.

 

The exception to the rule is Orval, where I check every bottle when I go into the store looking for old ones. Can't seem to keep one around my house long enough to get some age on it

 

Don't worry to much. Higher ABV beers last longer on the shelves, especially Rochefort, Unibroue, Westmalle, Chimay...

Cheers!

 

Rochefort 10 will improve for at least 10 years, unless it's been really maltreated. Bier Koning in Amsterdam used to have 5-year-old Rochefort 10 that was at least double the price of the fresh version. The Rochefort 10 I forgot about in my cellar for 10 years is one of the best beers I've ever drunk.

 

If you like IPA's and find you like the Belgian yeast profiles, give Belgian IPA's a go. That is one of my favorite styles now. This is a solid one Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

 

Only thing to worry about is capped beers, sometimes the cap will get bumped around, the beer might not be flat at all, but it just won't have the same great flavor.

A few months on the shelves won't do anything but make it taste better. Bottle conditioned beer is awesome...real bottle conditioned ale always taste more complex even after a few months.

It's true the youngest bottles of Chimay don't quite taste right. I mean a few months really helps.

 

So... im not sure if anyone's really hit this nail on the head yet, but...

Belgian strong darks - buy at any age and enjoy. You do NOT need a date on the bottle. Just buy and if u want to age enjoy it.
Lambics - again, really up to you. Date doesn't matter all that much. When you find one you like, it should be good once it's bottled because it's aged for a time before bottling.
The rest of the styles --> increasing abv, maltiness, and darkness = better/same with age = you really don't need a bottling date.

That said I used to love belgian strong darks and lambics. I've honestly burned myself out on the mostly due to hype propagated by "experts", some of which were objectively qualified and some who weren't.

I guess my main point is try everything. Decide what you like. Belgian beers are in many ways a happy medium where most are good fresh and either stay the same or get better with age. We're not talking double ipas, east coast pale ales, or imperial stouts here.

 

Agreed. However, if you think the bottle has been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years, i.e., THICK layer of dust, check for a date, if possible. At room temperature, a very old bottle can go bad. A thin layer of dust is fine. I consider that a good sign of aging. That's how I discovered that Chimay Grand Reserve needs aging. When I was first buying it, before Belgians became popular, the bottles would always have a thin layer of dust. Once the Belgians became popular and moved off the shelf more quickly, no more dust. And the beer started tasting raw. I mentioned this to a beer rep and he recommended aging the bottles.

One has to be careful here. The lower ABV lambics, like most of the Lindeman's, should be drunk relatively fresh. The lower alcohol beers shouldn't be aged that much. Don't obsess over the date, just drink it in a reasonable amount of time.

Generally yes, but within reason. Your own taste buds and experience will best guide you. As I noted earlier, Delirum Noël, while high in ABV and maltiness doesn't like to be aged. It should be drunk by Memorial Day or so. On the other hand, I've still got a couple of bottles of 2014 N'ice Chouffe that are beyond delicious.

Fully agreed!