Your thoughts on decanting a high ABV beer

As a fan of basically the same beers...I totally agree. Proper glass (tulip, goblet,etc.) + gradual warming over 30-45 minutes (while sipping occasionally) does the trick!

 

That’s basically what I was thinking. Unless you are pouring and placing back into fridge or cellar that it came from, and you’re not outside on a day like today where I’m at, the beer is going to warm as it breathes. Which is the assumption I was working off of.

 

Your comments about the bourbon reminded me, we can't ignore the adaptation of the senses of taste and smell over time. That change could well be part of what's happening with the bourbon.

 

Yup, lots of variables here:

• Temperature
• CO2 outgassing
• Chemical reactions over time after removing the cap
• Beer glass type/shape
  
• Pouring technique
• Palate 'shift' over the duration of beer consumption
• etc.

Cheers!

 

I think this is a great topic and am thankful for the thoughtful responses so far.

Maybe it would have helped if you had stated your assumptions and defined things properly in the first place.

 

This might be the most snobbish post I have ever seen on any beer forum. I write this as I am drinking an imperial stout that is around 55 degrees(I thought about getting a thermometer to get a more precise reading for you, but then decided an estimate would suffice) in a teku glass. Yes, I agree that beer should be served appropriately, but your post is ice cold.

 

When I first got into craft, one of the first craft beers I had was New Holland Dragon's Milk BBA Stout, which is only 11% ABV. Not knowing any better, I drank it cold from the bottle, didn't like it at all, and vowed to never have BBA beer again. Now I almost exclusively drink high-ABV BBA stouts/porters/quads/etc. What happened? I posted about my first experience on BA forums and several folks advised to use a glass and to let it warm (breathe). This made a huge difference and changed my preferences.

 

My experience is similar to most with potentially a couple changes. The beer I'm thinking of is in the fridge right now for tonight - Fremont Coffee Cinnamon BBomb 2017.

I can't drink a big beer as described in one sitting so I always recap or re-cork for the next night, which is a different discussion. I always start my drinking experience right out of the fridge and take a sniff out of the bottle immediately after uncapping, and then again after the initial pour. Then I immediately recap and refrigerate for the next night - that drinking experience will be almost identical but I'm sure some of you faculty members (!) will disagree and have a few words about oxidization, carobonization, etc. Again, my first sip is at fridge temperature, and it's a small one - one that I take out of curiosity as I know that it will improve over the next hour as it warms.

Then I keep it at room temperature at sip it slowly for about 1.5 - 2 hours depending on the size of the pour and the strength of the beer. I usually let it sit for about 15 minutes or so before my second sip, but then it's fair game to see how it improves and the barrel or adjuncts start to show themselves over time. I've also found that there can be a point of diminishing returns if a stout gets too warm - for me it just doesn't taste as good, maybe thinner but I have done this too often so I can't describe it too well.

One addendum - all or most of what I've just described - I also apply to sours or wilds but for different reasons. With a big beer, I don't want that much booze at one time, with a wild, I just want to enjoy its specific nuances over a similar amount of time, be it a slightly delicate saison, or a more acidic wild ale. Good luck with your drinking question, hope this helps!

 

If I could cringe any more I would be a sphincter.

Single digit swill....

 

It would not surprise to hear that a number of BAs think you are already there.

Cheers!

 

I don't have all the proper glassware, and a majority of my glasses are shaker pints :ducks head:

But I do sometimes let higher ABV or especially bourbon barrel aged beers breathe. Not usually long, but even 20 or 30 minutes does good things.

 

I would assume none of those things, even about my own beer, never mind anyone else's.

And, for a lot of stouts in particular, the "right" temperature is actually still quite a bit colder than the actual sweet spot, at least for me. So I don't think it can be assumed that the temperature of the beer isn't a factor here.

 

You meant to state "opened" vs. "open", right?

Cheers!

 

I am not sure you can remove this as a factor, its not really possible. I think the issue most of us have is you cannot really answer this. When you pour a beer into a glass, even if your sitting in the same room as the bottle at the cellar temps, the beer your drinking will be warmer. You are holding the glass, your mouth is drinking it, both actions will in effect raise the temps regardless of any controlled environment. With that said you just cannot eliminate this and ask if just being exposed to air will change it, there is more going on so its not possible to pinpoint this.
Cheers.

 

Reasonable. Now all you need to find is a way of guaranteeing that the carry over effects on your sensory systems (smell, taste) are zero or too small to make a difference. Given the slowness of the "recovery" of those systems to a start up steady state.....

The more I think about what you are experiencing the more I think it isn't related to oxygen but rather to carry over effects on your perception of flavors from prior stimulation of the taste buds and the ortho and retronasal receptors.

 

I can confirm that stouts left in a glass overnight are often surprisingly pleasant the next day.

 

Thanks for that input. I find that to be a surprising finding. My initial thoughts would be that you would notice (unpleasant) aspects of oxidation.

A couple of thoughts on the topic of oxidation:

Perhaps it takes longer than overnight for the aspects of oxidation to be notable?

I have read that darker beers resist oxidation better than pale beers since the darker malts (e.g., Chocolate Malt, Roast Malt, Black Patent Malt,..) have antioxidative properties. I can relate that my homebrewed darker beers (Robust Porter, Czech Dark Lager,...) hold up better than my pale beers.

Cheers!

 

If you weren't such a beer boob I would be bothered by that statement.