Aging kriek-like sours optimum time

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by putonyourwalkingshoes, Oct 23, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Pooh-Bah (1,574) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've been cellaring for only about 5 years now just wondering what people have experienced in their own collections and if anyone has come up with a way of determining optimum times to age darker kriek-like sours. I know most gueuzes can withstand the test of time but I've had a lot of variability with cherry krieks and darker sours with fruit in them. Some can only go 3 years and kind of fall off after that while others can push 5+ years.

    Do in general ones spiked with less cherry do better over longer periods of time? More brett or lacto? Less brett or lacto? Krieks from outside the US?
     
    #1 putonyourwalkingshoes, Oct 23, 2014
    neckbeardnation22 likes this.
  2. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    I prefer not to age them myself. For me the fruit flavors begin to fade about a year out and I prefer that "fresh" fruit taste to the aged taste. But the folks in the cellaring forum can give you a lot more guidance.
     
    #2 drtth, Oct 23, 2014
    putonyourwalkingshoes and THANAT0PSIS like this.
  3. putonyourwalkingshoes

    putonyourwalkingshoes Pooh-Bah (1,574) Jul 31, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I know I've had such a mixed bag. In fact some Bruery sours that were initially intense which I thought would be unbearable actually tempered off and morphed into something different. This wasn't necessarily a good or bad thing. Just different. But yes, any thoughts from other Champions or even remotely at your level would be appreciated.
     
    #3 putonyourwalkingshoes, Oct 23, 2014
  4. jae

    jae Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2010 Washington

    I made a Cherry Oude Bruin a little over two years ago and aside from the dusty funk, the fruit tastes very fresh. I will mention I used dried cherries and would imagine fresh fruit flavors would fade a bit quicker. When I buy fruited sours, I drink them ASAP.
     
    #4 jae, Oct 23, 2014
    youradhere likes this.
  5. youradhere

    youradhere Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2008 Washington

    Same here only mine was a lil but longer ago, fruit taste was still good but more integrated in the whole beer. What I notice with comparing the base with post-fermentation at the time when the cherries are added really helps to put how the beer will behave with regards to aging in secondary prior to bottling.

    In response to the latter half of the OPs post- I think it depends upon what kind of cherries used, if the year for cherries was good, types and variety of secondary bugs, expected behavior of the base beer without the cherries. You really have to be with a beer throughout its life to understand how the beer will behave, so with that I think you should contact the brewer of the beer in question and ask them their take on their baby.
     
    #5 youradhere, Oct 24, 2014
  6. bcp5296d

    bcp5296d Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2012 North Carolina

    I drink them ASAP. With Krieks in particular, they are great fresh and I've only had a few that have morphed into something comparable or better than fresh.
     
    #6 bcp5296d, Oct 24, 2014
    tx_beer_man likes this.
  7. Stevenwings

    Stevenwings Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2014 Belgium

    Drink last week an liefmans kriek 2005 and m m m m it was f****** great
     
    #7 Stevenwings, Oct 24, 2014
    bcp5296d likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.