Aging stouts with coffee...

Coffee flavors tend to mellow out over time. If you don't really like strong coffee flavors in your beer, this may be the way to go.

 

Don't do it!

 

Tried some '02 Peche Mortel and it smelled and tasted awesome. Could be the exception that proves the rule though.

 

It depends on the beer. I think FBS at one year is much better than fresh, super smooth and not quite as coffee bitter. However, I thought W'n'B was better fresh compared to one with about a year on it. Personal preference I guess. On a side note, John Laffler mentioned during the Black Friday tasting event at Goose Island this year that 2012 Coffee BCBS was made to be consumed within a couple weeks of bottling which I thought was interesting.

 

Depends on how much coffee flavor you want from your beer. Coffee flavor typically fades almost as fast as hop flavor IMO.

 

I have been trying to read as much about this as possible lately becuase I have a four pack 2012 FBS and 2012 BCBCS now at home in my beer cellar. (I am a rookie at cellaring beer, drinking quality brews for a while now) I am not a huge coffee fan. I enjoy the taste of coffee in beer, but prefer not to have it overpower the rest of the hidden elements. Breakfast stout is amazing, however i would prefer a little less on the coffee side/curious to try it aged. Everyone uses the term "fresh" all the time when it comes to hops and coffee flavors. The only older brews i have had are a bcbs 2009 and some Belgians. so i have nothing to compare the hops or coffee flavors too, I just understand how some of the more subtle elements of the brews stand out when you age them. after all of this my question is are fresh and flavor the same? I am currently making the assumption that people are associating the term fresh with bite. Like if i open a hopslam a day after its bottled the hops bitterness will have that peaking bite/overwhelming bitterness. Is this assumption true?