Curious if anyone has aged a canned beer. I have some Ten Fidy and Lower De Boom I was thinking of putting aside for a little while, but I don't know if the canned beers lend themselves to aging like bottled beers do. What are your thoughts?
I have aged Ten Fidy from 2009 and 2010 and I cracked open a 2010 not that long ago and it tasted great. I keep my brews in an unfinished crawl space and it has worked out pretty well so far. Not sure how long a Ten Fidy will last in general so in the next couple years I will crack the rest open. IMO I think as long as the can is sealed well it should be fine to cellar. Cheers!
Agreed. Ten Fidy only gets better with time. Since most breweries use lined cans now there's little risk of contamination from the can, and you're gold on light issues. Oxidation is also near impossible so they're actually better overall than bottles. That said, I hate canned beers, something in my psyche swears they taste metallic.
Yes you can. A store I frequent put together a 5 year vertical when this years batch hit. The 2009 was fantastic.
I want to age Wizard Burial Ground which is a Bourbon Barrel Aged Quadrupel from Vivant, it's in a can. Any reason I shouldn't?
Lets open this "can" of worms. You "can" (ok I will stop) age cans but do so at your own risk because BPA's... http://tablematters.com/2013/02/07/canned-answers/ "This isn’t the only decision being placed on the world’s craft beer lovers. A multitude of different beer styles are finding their way into aluminum. Just as in the wine-world, certain beer styles capable of developing over years of aging after being packaged. Imperial stouts, barleywines, and wild-fermented ales are frequently placed into cellars for years and years to allow the flavors to mature. For canned examples of these ageable ales, this means years of direct contact with can-liners. To date, no studies have been undertaken to determine whether or not the aging of canned beer is safe."
On a personal note, I would never age cans as it's just not worth the risk for me. Not saying that I'm gonna get cancer from my 3 year old Ten Fidy's but why push my luck when there are so many other great beers to cellar in bottles?
Ten Fidy in a can always Tastes funny to me. On tap, totally different beer. Maybe I've had bad luck.
Yes you can. A beer that is unfiltered is best, in effect you are continuing cold conditioning, or lagering. I've done it with Creemore Kellerbier and found the taste cleaner and smoother after 6-9 months. You can do it with any unfiltered ale, too. If you do it with a filtered beer, you risk oxidation because not enough yeast to mop the oxygen. However, some people claim strong or hoppy filtered beers can improve from storage. A can of unfiltered beer is just a small, covered conditioning tank.
I feel exactly the same way. I first noticed it last year after having it in a can for the first time. Tried it again recently on draft and a few days later from the can and the draft seemed so much better. I've only noticed it with Ten Fidy too. Dales and Old Chub seem to be just as good canned as they are on draft.
