Far out best-by dates

I have some New Belgium Tripel beers that I bought a few months ago. I think they are of the newly formulated recipe. Those bottles have a best by date of 28AUG16 (yesterday) which has me thinking a bit.

I wonder what best by duration New Belgium uses for this beer. Does anybody know?

Cheers!

 

Great point. I kept a bottle of Rosetta from the first 4-pack I bought last year with a best before date of 7/2020. Planning on keeping a bottle every year and doing a vertical in 2020... if I can hold out that long. I'm not expecting much from any of the bottles that will have 3+ years on them, but luckily it's affordable enough that I won't be disappointed if it doesn't work out. Either way it should be a fun experiment.

 

Excluding bottles that have a best by date, Alaskan Smoked Porter and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot are 2 of the premier beers to cellar for many of years. Trust me.

 

I have a smoked porter in the cellar right now. In your experience how long do you think I should let it sit?

 

So what is the feedback from you guys who have aged a long time, was it worth the time aging? I don't know anyone who has gone very long and would love to know flavor after a long rest.
Cheers.

 

My bottle of Otto I logged to Untappd was bottled 27 Sept 2011, I drank it January 2013 an noted the smoke was much less than when first bottled. I enjoyed Otto more than the oak.

Enjoy

 

Whether it's worth the time aging is going to be personal taste. Generally, with age the beer's hop character diminishes, malts become more prominent, sharp alcohol mellows, and oxidation increases. Mild to moderate oxidation can impart red wine flavors, particularly noticeable in stouts. Too much oxidation will impart a more unpleasant stale flavor, sometimes described like wet cardboard, so it's a balancing act.

If you have a basement or just a corner of closet you can stick a box of beer in you can easily run an aging experiment yourself. There are many readily available beers that could be aged that won't break the bank. Just buy a 6-pack or 4-pack of some readily available beers from BA's top style lists in categories that lend themselves to aging (e.g. barleywine, imperial stout, old ales, dubbel, tripel, etc.). Open one up every ~4-6 months and see how it changes, preferably with a recently purchased fresh example on hand for comparison. I would recommend experimenting on cheaper beers so you don't ruin a more expensive beer; and if someday you desire to age an expensive beer you'll have some idea of what to expect from aging.

 

Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it. I do have a closet I can put some into, sadly no basement in AZ, few and far between out here. I will get a few of the above and give it a shot to see how it tastes to me. The average temp will be around 75-77 so with luck that is not too warm? Appreciate the feedback!!

 

"Man, that is far out!"...As Cheech might have said, smoke billowing. Nah, but I remember years ago some very long dating on Weyerbacher's big, dark specialties- for which they get precious little credit or mention being such true pioneers.

 

As I understand it there is just more 'historical' evidence for cellaring at cellar temperatures (e.g., 50's degrees F). Maybe you might obtain the functional equivalent of long term aging in a shorter timeframe at warmer temperatures? Or maybe aging warmer (mid-70's degrees F) results in flavors that are not achieved with cooler temperatures? This would require a lot of 'testing'; lots of different types of beers (Barleywines, Quads, Imperial Stouts, etc.) over multiple temperatures and multiple durations. A very daunting task.

Cheers!

 

You can age at room temperature too. The changes will probably happen a little faster and you may have a smaller window before oxidation takes a turn for the worse (personal taste dependent). Faster aging could be preferred if you're doing this mainly as an experiment. Your beer will be fine as long as it isn't exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations, UV light (sun or florescent), and you resist the temptation to drink it sooner. You can find a lot more info in BA's cellaring/aging forum.

 

That is pretty much who I feel. The only beer I try to age is Bigfoot which I find best about 1 year old.

 

I think american barleywines, like Bigfoot, have the most interesting changes with age as the balance shift from hops to malts; and it's the only style I still bother aging. If you like aging Bigfoot, I would highly recommend grabbing some Rock Art Vermontster and give it the same ~1 year in the cellar. I keep a rotating stock of Vermonster in my basement. Last I checked Rock Art distributes to your state (NJ) and they brew Vermonster year round, so it should be relatively easy for you to find.

 

Thanks I have had Rock Art beers and like them. I'll get the Vermonster next time I see it.

 

I'd much prefer to be the one who sets the best by-date by the inclusion of a simple and legible born-on date on the bottle. Too often beer producers put best-by dates too far out for my tastes especially in the hops-mosphere in the name of keeping it on shelves longer. Bah.

 

I will do some more reading on aging. I guess an option I have also is that if long term cooler temps result in better aging of a beer I could always snag a wineador that goes say to 55-60 temps. Since I am in AZ without basement it is either a closet that holds say 75 at floor or the wineador. I will do a lot of reading and maybe play around with this more. I think I may get better results with a purchase of a wineador then fill with some good beers that age well, this way I am storing at more traditional temps, I think at 75 the beer will age too fast and maybe not get that desired taste, etc. Thanks for the info, I have some reading to do since I never aged any beer only cigars LOL.
Cheers

 

Yes, 40-50 is generally better than 75. Not only do things go in the beer faster at 75, some of the chemical reactions that produce change go on in different rates/ways.