Aging Weyerbacher Insanity

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Rodosman, Feb 12, 2015.

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  1. Rodosman

    Rodosman Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2014 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Anybody have any experience with this one? I'm hoping the sweetness fades with age.
     
  2. DawgPhan

    DawgPhan Initiate (0) Mar 23, 2012 Georgia

    I have been cellaring insanity for a while and I have enjoyed the differences over the years. I think that the longest that I have gone is about 5 years. I would say that is probably too long, but 18 months - 2 years is a pretty sweet spot for them..

    I dont think that the sweetness fades that much.
     
  3. Rodosman

    Rodosman Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2014 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Thanks for the reply that's what Ive experienced also. Just wanted some confirmation.
     
  4. RDMII

    RDMII Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Georgia

    Four years is just sex, but any year is sex.
     
  5. Ohiovania

    Ohiovania Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2008 Ohio

    I feel like Insanity ages laterally. It changes but I don't think it improves that much. I've only let it go 2yrs, though.

    Great BA Barleywine for the money, though.
     
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  6. mindswoop

    mindswoop Initiate (0) Dec 22, 2011 Texas

    Anything beyond a year heads into the polarizing candied malt bomb zone.
     
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  7. drtth

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

    Ages just fine for 2-3 years but the sweetness from the malt isn't going to fade. Its an English style Barley Wine and they are supposed to show a reasonable amount of malty character. Some years back I was able to put together a 3 different years of Insanity and the same three different years of the Blithering Idiot. A group of us did them all in one evening in a combined vertical and side-by-side so that we could see both the contribution of the aging and the contribution of the bourbon barrels. Very useful in being able to figure out effects of aging and effects of bourbon barrels.
     
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  8. Dupage25

    Dupage25 Savant (1,044) Jul 4, 2013 Antarctica

    Ultimately all beers reach an endpoint where they are less sweet than they were fresh (as a purely technical matter). There is a point at which some of the sugars oxidize and the beer will dry out as well as thin out. Whether that process ends up tasting like "good oxidation" or "bad oxidation" I don't know, as I haven't aged this particular beer.
     
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  9. OrangeMen

    OrangeMen Initiate (0) Jan 26, 2014 New York

    Has anyone ever picked up a slight acidic/vinous character to this beer when aged?

    I am having a 2014 vintage and im getting some in the smell and taste. Beer is 1.5 yrs old, and i dont remember picking this quality up when fresh. I've also recently had a 1.5 yr old blithering idiot (base beer) and picked up the same thing, only it was even more pronounced.

    Is this an oxidation thing possibly? Or maybe its just an element thats in the base beer that i didnt pick up when fresh?
     
  10. beernuts

    beernuts Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2014 Virginia

    Yes, this beer is known to be contaminated. I'm actually really suprised 6 people posted with experience aging this beer before this came up.
     
  11. paulys55

    paulys55 Initiate (0) Aug 2, 2010 Pennsylvania

    For me, this beer does not lose much if any of its sweetness. And as much as I love this beer, I would not let it go longer than a year or two as I just don't feel it develops too much beyond that. For the record, I am of the school of thought that most barrel aged beers are best consumed rather fresh and this one falls into that category for me. Cheers.
     
  12. paulys55

    paulys55 Initiate (0) Aug 2, 2010 Pennsylvania

    OP, where are you in PA? I probably have some older Insanity in my cellar...
     
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