Advice on aging specific beers

Founders Imperial Stout is fantastic with 1+ year. I've never been able to age one 2 years because they are just so tasty with 1 year. With a year on it, it is very rich, thick and smooth. Any harsh roasts you get fresh are very mellow after 1 year.

I actually prefer expedition at 1 year versus 2 years. Never had one aged past 2 years so I can't comment on that.

 

Perhaps this is the lawyer in me coming out, but,....have you perhaps not asked the right question? Why do you want to age any of these beers? There are a number of reasons for aging, the first being that you believe that some time will improve the beer (i.e., the reason why most wine people age wine). In order to make the determination if you want to age a bottle, you must first taste it! Otherwise, how do you know what you want to change? i.e., why you want to age it? I find this the most important point for myself. And, I've found that while I'm having fun aging (see next point below) I'm ruining a lot of beer! Most of us overage in my opinion. Many pretend that an aged beer is good to justify their conduct or their hobby or their ego. Truth be known, brewers/breweries generally release the beer when they feel it should be consumed. And, while few people seem to really beileve it these days, barrel aged beer IS AGED! We generally don't have to age it; the work has already been done for us. (Again, unless you want to watch a change or believe that there is a change to be made with age that you will, or may, find desireable.)

Another reason, and one which I am also guilty of, is the "collector's mentality." In other words, it's juts plain fun to collect. And, at least for me, it's also fun to watch the change in many beers, although in my opinion very few get better than when released. However, all get different.

Bottom line: Figure out WHY you want to age. Then, taste something before you age it; otherwise, you have no basis for comparison and you'd simply be aging for aging sake. I appreciate this hobby and the efforts of all of our wonderful brewers much more with a greater understanding. I'm developing that understanding by comparing; and, for me, I can't compare if I don't first taste fresh and then taste aged. And, these days, very few beers are going into my cellar.

Just something to think about. Taste all of the bottles you have. Then, get more, or try to get more, of any that you think would be better with change. Or, just screw it - age them and open them whenever in the future and see what you got!

 

I will be far less verbose this time. If you've already tasted all of the beers you mention then, hell, go for it. The fun begins!