Marty_G Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 over the last couple of days i have hit my stocks of aged dark beers ... a dark ale, dark ale with 1kg dark dry malt and a stout ... all are just on 12 months old and all kit and kilo brews ... why is it that they taste so good after aging where other beers are best so much earlier ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I'd guess one reason is that the heavy and strong malt flavours take a while to mellow and meld with each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 I was going to say that the harsh astringent coffee burnt tones mellow and blend/condition. Im sure there’s some science behind it but don’t know why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potatoes Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 I also find cider and golden Belgium ales improve with age too. No reason why though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Potatoes said: I also find cider and golden Belgium ales improve with age too. No reason why though.... Anything high alcohol improves with age. Belgian beers really need at least 3 months and up before consumption. Allows the alcohol to mellow into the beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Any style that uses a lot of late hopping and dry hopping looses quality very quickly. Stouts are not typically late hopped or dry hopped; often the only hop addition is the one at the beginning of the boil. But IBUs also decrease during storage, which makes a stout smoother tasting as it ages....But if you want to age a stout more than six months, probably good to do some planning am make sure that the ABV is at least 5.5%. Trying to age a 4.3% ABV Irish Stout probably is not a good idea. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 6 hours ago, Potatoes said: I also find cider and golden Belgium ales improve with age too. No reason why though.... Might it have something to do with acidity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 5 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said: Any style that uses a lot of late hopping and dry hopping looses quality very quickly. Stouts are not typically late hopped or dry hopped; often the only hop addition is the one at the beginning of the boil. But IBUs also decrease during storage, which makes a stout smoother tasting as it ages....But if you want to age a stout more than six months, probably good to do some planning am make sure that the ABV is at least 5.5%. Trying to age a 4.3% ABV Irish Stout probably is not a good idea. Cheers, Christina. I have an 8.5% stout ageing in a keg at the moment, it's been in there since November and will be tapped probably in June. Can't wait to see what it tastes like. I did have a taste when I kegged it and it was nice then so I am expecting it will be bloody good in June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headmaster Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 As mentioned on "whats in your fermenter 2019" recently, tannins, otherwise known as polyphenols (also known as Phenolics) that can make a beer astringent, (try sucking a tea bag and you will get a massive hit of this) are part and parcel of darker beers, coming from the darker roasted grains. Brewers try to avoid these by using de-husked malts like the carafa special range I, II, and III. I have found you still get astringency from these to a certain extent. As mentioned in the other thread, I got this in quite a big way from strawberry seeds, after I hit them with a stick blender.. But age and also temp as well as finings are your friend here, as these can be made to bind to stuff and drop out, finings and/or cold temps and some time. Leave out the finings and cold temp and a year may go a long way just leaving at ambient, to make that dark beer a whole lot smoother as the tannins drop out in the bottle or keg. This is only one aspect though, as others have mentioned above, there are other factors, like the reduction of bitterness, melding of flavours, some other unknown magic etc.. My baltic porter wort that I just made does have astringency but I fully expect this to be conditioned out by the time I submit to the state comp late this year, which is why I'm making it now. But I will be keeping some for another year or two to submit to future comps, as it may well get even better. They can get a bit of a vineous, port or sherry like character with that much age, (sherry like from a bit of oxidation) which can be complimentary to this beer. It's fermenting very well at 9c at the moment, churning away, due to the massive pitch in the form of a dedicated W34/70 yeast cake that I made for it. But I will probably go 17 to 10 days at this temp, then ramp to 18 for diacetyl rest, maybe another week, make sure it's done, then cold crash/lager at -2c for at least 3 weeks but possibly up to 6, will go by taste to see how smooth I can get it, then bottle when I think it's ready, carbonate, then store cold through winter under the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grogdog Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Are you implying we are not serious around here Marty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 1 hour ago, grogdog said: Are you implying we are not serious around here Marty? implication was this it was not rhetorical ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grogdog Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Big words make brain go something something.. Head hurts, going to lay down now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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