Who ages beer, what type, and why?

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Mattyb79, Apr 17, 2013.

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  1. Mattyb79

    Mattyb79 Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2012 Virginia

    I know there is a whole sub section to the forums for cellaring beer, but I am just trying to get an overall general consensus here. If this has been done, sorry. Who of you out there ages or cellars your beer? Do you cellar anything and everything or just rare, one offs, or hard to find brews? Why do you cellar? Is it to trade for rar(er) beers later on or just to see how the beer changes? Or is it just because you love a particular beer, so you load up on it while you can? I have noticed many trends or fads in the craft beer world, but none more prevalent or controversial than aging beer. So what say you, o' knowledgable BA's? (I may be slightly buzzed, which is more or less my explanation for that last line)
     
    #1 Mattyb79, Apr 17, 2013
  2. Hanzo

    Hanzo Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2012 Virginia

    The primary reason I age beer because I buy more beer than I can drink so it just happens naturally.

    Outside of that, if I buy more than one bottle of something and it is too boozy for me, I will cellar it for at least a year to take the edge off.
     
    #2 Hanzo, Apr 17, 2013
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  3. Mattyb79

    Mattyb79 Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2012 Virginia

    This happens to be another thing I don't quite understand about aging beer. If the beer is too "hot", many people will age it to take the edge off or reduce the booziness. But in a bottle conditioned ale, the live yeast would just continue eating any sugars in the beer, thus producing more alcohol. I especially wonder about this in really hot sweet beers like WWS, Mephistopheles, The Beast, 120 minute, Samael's. How does aging take the alcohol burn down a notch?
     
    #3 Mattyb79, Apr 17, 2013
  4. Hanzo

    Hanzo Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2012 Virginia

    I'm going to assume it is because it gives the other flavors in the beer time to mature, and they in turn mask the alcohol better. I mean, if you sit on a WWS for ten years the ABV doesn't drop or anything.
     
    #4 Hanzo, Apr 17, 2013
  5. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    I don't think that the heat is necessarily just ethanol, it's probably other fermentation byproducts as well, which could break down with time. I'm just guessing about that, but it would make sense.

    Anyway, as to the original question, I've started to stockpile gueuze for aging, because aged gueuze is amazing. I also have some american wilds and stouts, mostly focusing on ones that I know can age (Eclipse, Temptation, Beatification, Black Tuesday). I've really reduced the variety in my cellar recently.
     
    #5 stupac2, Apr 17, 2013
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