Aging Imperial Pumpkin Ales

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Celtics76, Aug 20, 2013.

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  1. Celtics76

    Celtics76 Pooh-Bah (1,781) Sep 5, 2011 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah

    I bought my first 2 imperial pumpkin ales of the season - ST Pumking and Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin (this is a new release). I would prefer to wait until late Sep at the earliest (more likely mid-October) before consuming them, and plan on storing them at 55 degrees or so until then. Will I be OK or are they best consumed fresh? Thanks
     
  2. Graviz

    Graviz Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2012 Colorado

    They'll be fine. The amount of flavor drop off will be minuscule.
     
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  3. bramsdell

    bramsdell Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 North Carolina

    4 to 6 weeks isn't really aging. You probably won't notice a difference. If you aren't going to open them fresh, you definitely won't notice a difference.
     
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  4. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    Why not get 2 of each? Drink one now and then you will be able to tell what a couple of months in the fridge did to the beer.
     
  5. Celtics76

    Celtics76 Pooh-Bah (1,781) Sep 5, 2011 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah

    Good idea but I'm on a tight budget!
     
  6. wpqx

    wpqx Initiate (0) Aug 12, 2013 Illinois

    I have put some serious thought into buying a case of Pumpking, but have no idea how they'll hold up over time. I had one about 5-6 months old last year that still tasted pretty decent, but I have no idea if this could hold up over a couple years worth of aging. So I'm curious to know if anyone has given it a shot.
     
  7. smutty33

    smutty33 Pooh-Bah (2,172) Jun 12, 2009 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Both beers will be fine.

    That Harpoon is a big beer clocking in at 10.5% I believe.
    A month to chill out will even take the edge off if thats what you prefer.I've had year old Pumking,def. not as good fresh,but still tasty.

    Cheers/Enjoy.
     
  8. nate321

    nate321 Initiate (0) Nov 8, 2011 Washington

    In my opinion, Pumking gets better after a couple of months. I have a couple from last year I saved to see what they tasted like after a year on them.
     
  9. PumkingBeau

    PumkingBeau Initiate (0) Aug 21, 2013 Pennsylvania

    Ok so I did the same as you, Positioned a couple in the cool cellar to compare to this years batch. Seriously it lost a little, but was not to far off. Instead of buying 3 cases like last year, there will be 6 this year. The King bettered with age up to 9 months.
     
  10. jbeezification

    jbeezification Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2012 Texas

    Member since Wednesday, likely not a troll.
     
  11. Rob1110

    Rob1110 Initiate (0) Jul 7, 2012 Massachusetts

    I've had Pumking with over a year on it and absolutely love it. I love it fresh as well but feel more brown sugar, caramel and vanilla come out with some age. I'll be doing a mini-vert of Pumking in my Pumpkin tasting this Oct with bottles from 2010, 11, 12 and 13. Will also be doing 3 year mini-verts of Uinta Oak Jacked, Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout and Avery Rumpkin.

    You most likely won't notice much, if anything between now and October. 6 Months to a year from now, you might notice a difference. Bigger beers will certainly age better.
     
  12. Derranged

    Derranged Initiate (0) Mar 7, 2010 New York

    I had a Unita Oak Jacked that was about 5 months old and I barely tasted any pumpkin. I don't know if the flavor faded or its supposed to taste that way.
     
  13. ShanePB

    ShanePB Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2010 Pennsylvania

    If you like the in-your-face spices in Pumking (which I personally do), don't age it long term (1 year +). I had a one year old side by side with a fresh and it had faded big time. Still drinkable but I much prefer it fresh.
     
  14. thestupidpunk

    thestupidpunk Initiate (0) Jun 10, 2013 New York


    Did the same experiment a couple of weeks ago. That's when I realized that under no circumstances are pumpkin beers cellar-able.
     
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  15. notjustgc

    notjustgc Devotee (389) Nov 15, 2008 New Jersey

    I infinitely prefer Pumking with a year on it.
     
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