Finding Old Beers... Do you buy them?

Depends on the beer and style, and how it's been stored. I would say that it's generally fine with higher ABV stouts, barleywines, sours, etc... if they were stored in decent conditions.

 

WnB may be an iffy one with age. Breakfast stouts have elements(such as coffee) that don't always age well. It probably still drinks good, but I am willing to bet that one is better fresh.

I myself, love older beers and love trying them side by side in verticals or with a fresh one. They can be great for pulling out for tastings too.

 

I wouldn't think twice about fairly old Belgian Strong Ales, in fact I've gone for them on numerous occasions with about a 90% success rate. If you get the right shop keeper they may even let you make a cash deal to take them off of their hands (I got a case of Scaldis for $30 one time, that sort of thing).

 

I have done this depending on the style of beer in question.

 

I'm finished with gambling with old beers. The longer they age, the higher the odds that they've seen some abuse - light, heat, etc. Some stock goes back to the distributor and out to other stores too, so don't assume it is necessarily that particular's store stock for all those years.

 

Simply put, for some beer, age is a big deterrent; for others, it might make me snatch a bottle right up.

I guess I should add that refrigeration plays a decent role in it, too. One store I frequent refrigerates all their beer, so if I find something a little out of date I'd be more likely to buy it there.

 

I'm willing to gamble if the price is right!

 

I'd pick that WnB up in a heartbeat.

I'll buy most things that have some time on them save for the hop-forward brews. I usually like to keep that window within a few months. When I find a big stout on the shelves with a year or so on them, I usually get pretty excited.

 

As many have said, depends on the beer. And on the store. In most places, if you find a 2-year-old beer, it's not like it's been cellared (in the dark, at cellar temp) for 2 years. It's probably been sitting at room temp, either in the store or at the distributor, and likely getting a lot more light than is good for it. So I tend to be wary.

I aged one bottle of WnB, just for kicks, and it was nowhere near as good as it was fresh. Conventional wisdom is that coffee flavors in beer fade fairly quickly, and I've found that to be true with a few exceptions.

KBS isn't an exception - the coffee fades out over time, but the rest of the beer is still delicious.

 

Well, I've had an Ayinger Oktoberfest, Rogue Maierfest, Rogue Santa's Private Reserve, and Delirium Noel all about 6 months to a year old and thought they tasted great. And I've had an old Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter and Three Floyds Artic Panzer Wolf (two beers I really enjoy) and thought they sucked. I'll definitely try to go for fresher beers, but sometimes an old beer can suprise you.

 

At my usual store they have a couple of cases of Ten Fidy with a canned on date of 12-28-2010. Needless to say I've been slowly depleting their stock.

 

I buy them, if they are Avery Thirteen or Avery Fifteen.

Stupid Avery -- dumbest thing they ever did was not bringing back one or both of these beers as regular brews. Avery Thirteen was a great beer. Great. If I ever see it, I buy ALL that the store has. Sadly, it's never around any more.

Best old beer I ever got was a 12-year old Chimay Blue that had been in a refrigerator the whole time.

 

I wish I was as fortunate. An old Chimay blue I bought had a rotten, crumbly cork and tasted like it had some sort of infection.

 

So sad, bro. This particular bottle was excellently kept and spectacular. My son and I had it on his 21st birthday at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, CO. Actually, I just checked my old review, and the bottle was only *ten* years old. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/215/2512/?ba=ColoradoBobs

 

I bought a 4-pack of 2009 Ten Fidy about 2 weeks back. A decision so fantastic I sometimes wonder if it was I who made it.

 

Ten Fidy is killer. Indeed, ALL of this brewery's beers are off the hook!

 

I especially love their 'one-liners' they print on the bottom of their cans. My TenFidys have had "Charlie Murphy" and "Black Sunshine" printed under the canning date, amongst others.