Bottles circa 1997, 1998

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Nate52, Dec 4, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Nate52

    Nate52 Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I’ve gotten a little into cellaring in the past year, but have some old bottles via someone else that were properly stored per my understanding. The oldest are:
    • DFH Immort Ale (1997) – first year bottling I think.
    • Victory Storm King (1998)
    I am curious to taste these, while knowing they may be well past their peak. I also like the novelty here, since that these are probably the oldest bottles I will ever have. I’ll be lame and admit I enjoy looking at these bottles, thinking about their “journey”, etc (…..yes you were already warned about lameness here…). I know I could try them and keep the empty bottles, but it seems “cooler” to have the bottles fully intact.

    For these older ones, I teeter between whether I am really cellaring beer (to drink) versus “collecting bottles of beer in infinitum.”

    I’m curious what other BA’s would do, and also if others have ever viewed “cellaring” vs “collecting indefinitely” in this way for some older beers they have happened across.
     
    #1 Nate52, Dec 4, 2015
  2. Scott17Taylor

    Scott17Taylor Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2013 Iowa
    Trader

    If your not eventually going to be drinking it why even keep the beer? I would let it go to an even number of years, 20, or save it for a special occasion.
     
    #2 Scott17Taylor, Dec 4, 2015
  3. Nate52

    Nate52 Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Thanks. And yeah, perhaps I will wait till it hits a 20, 30, or 40 year mark and see what happens!
     
    #3 Nate52, Dec 4, 2015
  4. Scott17Taylor

    Scott17Taylor Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2013 Iowa
    Trader

    Yeah I understand the collecting aspect and at this point I don't think any further aging will hurt the beer.
     
    #4 Scott17Taylor, Dec 4, 2015
  5. LuskusDelph

    LuskusDelph Initiate (0) May 1, 2008 New Jersey

    If you're looking to consume them, I'd do it sooner than later. Maybe for an upcoming special occasion...and if there isn't one, make one up. These beers are most definitely not going to improve with further storage (and the exact opposite is far more likely).
    I'm guessing that of the two, the Storm King will probably have survived the years a bit better and might even be very good.

    I recently drank a bottle of Ballantine Burton that was bottled in 1965; it was pretty effing amazing given it's age, but I'm sure that it would still have been nothing short of extraordinary if I would have had the opportunity to consume it no later than 1975 or 80.

    Drink 'em now.
     
    #5 LuskusDelph, Dec 4, 2015
    Nate52 likes this.
  6. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I have a few bottles still of 2010 Storm King, the last one I drank had started to go slightly downhill with some oxidation flavors. So I wouldn't have high hopes for that one. I think their 5 year best by date is accurate.
     
    #6 jmdrpi, Dec 4, 2015
  7. RDMII

    RDMII Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Georgia

    That Storm King is going to taste like shit. Period. Labeled as an imperial stout it's really a black IPA with such a big hop bill, and those hops will be straight cardboard at this point. I had the displeasure of drinking a 2003 last year and it was unholy wretched. Immort Ale could be cool, but I wouldn't expect much from it either.
     
    #7 RDMII, Dec 4, 2015
  8. paulys55

    paulys55 Initiate (0) Aug 2, 2010 Pennsylvania

    As said above, drink them sooner than later. They are most likely not developing in a positive way at this point so pick an occasion and drink them. The only reason I can think for saving full bottles (for the purpose of saving them, not cellaring them) is if either it is a collectible bottle and its contents are either not good or not important or if you have some sentimental connection to the bottle and the contents are either a bad beer or you've had it before.
     
    #8 paulys55, Dec 4, 2015
  9. Nate52

    Nate52 Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Thanks all. I appreciate the thoughts. Cheers!
     
    #9 Nate52, Dec 4, 2015
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.