Sunday, January 29th, 2012 was a sad day. I returned to a bottle that I first acquired and tasted in January 2010. The first time I had a Fullers Vintage Ale, it had the notes of sweet bready maltyness, toasted grains and toffee. When I went to open up my 2nd bottle of this treasured ale, it did not turn out as expected…
But before we get to my tasting, let’s get a handle on why I waited 2 years on a beer.
Aging a drink is something that was thought to be more adequate for the “finer” beverages of our age – wine, whiskey and such – but aging beers has been long practiced and is making an upswing in the popular beer culture.
I am currently reading through The Oxford Companion to Beer, which is a great read, and to paraphrase the book, by aging a beer you are basically allowing the yeast and organic matter in the beer to decompose in a way that benefits the flavor and overall experience of the beer. But as with most wines, about 99% of the beers out there are not meant to be aged. Most beers, especially the oh so popular IPA, do not age well. There is so much “green” matter in an IPA that the most optimal time to consume would be the day it is bottled, especially those that are non-pasteurized.
Some beers need some time to ferment or go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This is not so much aging as maturing. Beers in the Lager family such as Bocks, Pils, Helles and such, need time to mature. This is normally done in a cold environment for a few weeks up to a year.
Aging a beer is done when the beer is already bottle and you have set it aside to let decomposition/fermentation do its amazing magic on the contents of the beer. Here are some tips on how to do this well:
1. Position – Keep bottle upright; this will give the yeast a chance to stay settled and concentrated on the bottom of the bottle. Since most beers are capped, there isn’t much of a need to worry about oxidization, as with wines. And for the beers that are corked, the mushroom shape cork used will hold out well, as it is pinched and highly compress at the mouth of the bottle.
2. Temp – Keep it cool, well, almost cold around 50-60F. Keeping your beer too cold, low 40s and below and you will stifle the aging process. Too warm, 65-75F and you may speed up the aging process to a defect.
3. Light – Keep your beer in the dark. Light, especially direct sunlight, will degrade the organic material in your beer. If you have ever left a brew out in the summer sun for a little too long you know this taste. Any beer you are planning on keeping for a while should be kept in a place with no direct sunlight to penetrate the bottle.
4. – Patience – Really, these things take time.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN AN AGED BEER
Most often you will find that aged beers have lower amounts of carbonation than your normal beer. Hop flavors decrease and, depending on the style, yeasty funk and fruit notes will tend to shine, especially in Lambics and Sours. For the Vintage Ales, Stouts and Barley Wines, you can expect more of the bready, raisin, plum and even toasted marshmallow notes to shine.
Well, let me continue my story from above. That Sunday I sat with my girlfriend to open up this bottle I had been saving for the past 2 years. I opened it up and instantly smelled the oh too familiar scent of skunk. There was a vinegary, overly-sweetness to the beer that I caught right away. I was not exactly thrilled. I then poured the beer into my glass and there was an instant shock of foam. Again, not something I was looking for. And then at last I took a sip and was (ok, I am holding back tears) taken back by the pungent flavors. There was so much that was off, it was entirely disappointing. My bottle had, in the past two years, hit a bit of heat and was forever changed.
Over the next few hours I went through the entire mourning process and was relieved to find a bottle of Old Rasputin XXIIV Anniversary to subdue my tears. The next time I try to age a bottle I will do so in a more controlled environment. I will have a dedicated spot for my bottle(s) in an area that is very temperature controlled.
If you are interested in holding on to a bottle or two, below I have listed some great resources.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/dining/25beer.html
http://imbibemagazine.com/cellaring-beer
http://eater.com/archives/2010/09/09/craft-course-beer-like-wine-can-improve-with-age.php
Sincerely,
Al The Brewer
Below I have included scanned views of my tasting notes for those who would like to know.
