Aging DFH 120 Min & Raison D'Extra

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by ihavequestions, Sep 13, 2015.

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  1. ihavequestions

    ihavequestions Initiate (0) Sep 13, 2015 Florida

    Hello all,

    I'm new here. I'm also new to cellaring/aging. I have a couple questions, for which I couldn't find any straight answers anywhere online, so I'm hoping y'all can help!

    So, I recently got a hold of some DFH 120 Minute IPAs and some DFH Raison d'Extras. The 120 Minutes are from the July 2015 batch and the d'Extras are from the November 2014 batch. I drank a few of each "fresh" already, so now I have 8 120 Minutes and 12 D'Extras left. For what it's worth, the 120 Minutes were all non-refrigerated when I bought them and most of the d'Extras were refrigerated.

    Now, I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Florida, so I don't have a cellar. I also don't have the money or room for a fridge other than my kitchen fridge, which is set around 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit (as far as I can tell). On average, my apartment thermostat is set between 70-75 degrees. (I realize that, ideally, 120 Minute is best kept at about 55 degrees, but obviously that's not an option for me; I still don't know the ideal temperature for d'Extra.)

    So I'm not sure how long I'm going to be aging each beer exactly, just sort of playing it by ear, but I plan on just drinking one of each every couple months. The thing is, I know I'll probably be able to get at least a few 120 Minute from each batch as they come out every 6 months or so (they're really hard to come by around here, most places limit 1-2 bottles per customer), and from what I've heard DFH is not releasing a batch of D'extra this year.

    SO, finally, my question is: Would it be better to age the 120 Minute at room temperature or in the fridge? How about the d'Extra?

    Sorry for the long post, just wanted to include as much relevant information as I could!

    Thanks in advance!!
     
    #1 ihavequestions, Sep 13, 2015
  2. mrmattosgood

    mrmattosgood Maven (1,301) Nov 6, 2010 Canada (BC)

    If I were you, I'd find a cool closet to "cellar" these beers. Grab an empty case at your local store, close the lid on these bottles and place them in a closet. Forget about them.

    I like 120 on the fresher side, but Extra was delicious after seven years! More like a port. Too hot fresh.
     
    #2 mrmattosgood, Sep 13, 2015
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  3. boilermakerbrew

    boilermakerbrew Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2010 Indiana

    I acquired some 120 in college with much the same situation as you have for a cellar. I would keep it in a dark box in a closet where the temperature won't fluctuate much. That beer is plenty big enough to handle most reasonable cellar conditions. I am still sitting on my last 1 or 2 and I think they are at 5 years of age now.

    Same goes for the d'Extra. Just as a side note, I either hated this beer, or the one I had spoiled with improper storage. I found mine back in 2011/2012 and bought it off a room temp shelf in Indiana. DFH pulled distro to Indiana in 2009 and it was a 2007 batch that was still on the shelf. That beer tasted like straight acetone when I opened it and I have not tried another since. I'm willing to chalk it up to improper "cellaring" in a well lit liquor stoure if I can find another bottle.
     
    #3 boilermakerbrew, Sep 13, 2015
  4. TheGent

    TheGent Grand Pooh-Bah (4,235) Jun 29, 2010 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Worst case it's stored in the fridge and preserved/does not age as much. It will not go bad in the fridge. If you can find a cool area that would ideal as indicated by the posts above.

    In terms of length of aging, from my experience going back to 2005 on both, the sweet spots are 7-8 years, with 9-10 years being too much. The hops will fade over this time and you'll have yourself a sweeter, still well carbonated more port like beer. My experience with about 10 years is the beers start to lose carbonation and fall apart.
     
    #4 TheGent, Sep 14, 2015
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