Aging Creme Brulee Question

I just put one in my fridge a few days ago from 2011 that I had in my cellar and forgot about. I can report back once I open it which should be relatively soon. I can't imagine it's bad, but can't see it really improving.

 

I will also drink my two year-old Creme Brulee soon and let you know how it tastes. I think it tastes pretty boozy fresh, so I wanted the heat to calm down, but I think I probably waited too long, and will taste some oxidation. Stay tuned!

 

They age very well in the drain

 

I've never had one but when I get a hold of a couple I will age one for a good 5 years and report back!!

 

I do the same think with Pumpking. Way to sweet fresh, but after a few months it's quite enjoyable

 

I enjoy Pumking up until around the 6 month mark after bottling. At a year, it lost that spice punch that makes Pumking, well, Pumking.

 

Creme Brulee for me is way too sweet fresh. Two years it's a easier to handle beer, still good, just not a cloying bomb.

 

I've found that creme brulee can aged for up to a decade. The conditions of your cellaring can really wreak havoc on how well the beer ages.

For example, if you age it in your parents 65 degree basement, the beer will likely be a drain pour, but no more so than it was fresh.

 

Personally, I think that aging a custard based dessert is a really bad idea. I can't imagine it will stay for more than a day or two. It's pretty much eggs and heavy cream.


Wait, what?

 

I think it's great fresh, even better at two years, but maybe not worth aging much further.

 

What would you be attempting to achieve by aging it?

 

Stop it. This thread shouldn't exist. No one should be asking a question like this.

 

Well crap, that's exactly where mine has been aging.

Despite the less-than-stellar conditions of my parent's basement, I have successfully aged Pumking for a year, and thought it was definitely better than fresh.

 

It's fair to say that I was being a dick. Sorry.

The thing that's really hard about this entire situation is that you're correct, you are new to all of this. As you continue drinking craft beers and refining your palate you'll see that your tastes are going to change. In the amount of time it takes you to age a beer you may find that you don't even like the beer you aged anymore. It's fair to say that this will happen with Creme Brûlée. My recommendation would be this: instead of buying beers to age, buy beers to drink. Once you've had every single beer at your local bottle shop/liquor store/etc THAN you can start aging beers. Every time you buy a six pack make sure you cellar one bottle. It doesn't matter what beer it is. Save it for six months to a year. Every time you buy something that you think is extraordinary that doesn't come in a six pack buy a second bottle. Cellar it for six months to a year. After some time you'll start opening bottles. You'll be able to see what flavors fall off. Hops will be the first to go. So, you start realizing by experience that IPAs aren't the beer you want to age. After that things like coffee or vanilla or other additional flavors start to fade away. You realize that beers with flavors like this dissipate fairly quickly as well. Check those beers off of your list. After some time (and I'm talking years here) you'll have a very good understanding of what characteristics you're looking for in an age-able beer.

 

I agree that your taste in beer will change. If you have the room and you have the funds, you should start a beer cellar now. I wish I started one sooner, and I have to wait for about another year before I get to try a lot of the beers in my basement. It's fun to pull a beer out from aging it and see what you get. Creme Brulee isn't my thing, but maybe I'd change my mind with a few years on it. And, just because I don't care for it shouldn't stop you from buying it or enjoying it fresh or aged.