MATHEWJ Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Hey, I was thinking of brewing a stong IPA to open in 16 years time for a special occasion. I will be bottling in glass and storing in a controlled temp Would it last that long or should i choose a different style. I have heared of certain styles of beers storing upto 25 years.Any feedback would be good cheers matt[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Hi Mattew, Now I have not spent a lot of time researching this topic. My oldest beer is 8 months. I do know that some styles age well long term. Russian Imperial Stout ages very well as do Barley Wines. I think your strong IPA idea would store well since the whole advent of the IPA style was for storage puposes. Heavier hops as a preservative adding malt to balanced the bitterness. 16 years is a long time though.[unsure] Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 There was a naturaly brewed beer found in England, i think 1838, was still drinkable but tasted a bit like sherry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I guess it depends on lots of factors: how strong it is, how much oxygen is in the bottle, how it is stored, temperature fluctuations etc. I have no idea really. I assume you will crack it open in 16 years time and it will either taste nice or like sewerage.[sick] I wasn't really much help. Maybe others, like PB2, would have more of an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATHEWJ Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Well i was Thinking.....[unsure] if I make it to about7-8% or higher and make a 23l batch it will let me taste one a year to see how it is aging and leave me with about slab left over in that time.I will have to be very strict with my sanitation I think![biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have consumed a strong six year old stout. It was past its best by this stage. Carbonation was poor and it was somewhat oxidized. I've also sampled a six year old bottle of ale which could be described as the best malt vinegar ever produced! We literally had it on our fish & chips. If you want to keep a beer that long distill it and call it whisky. Most wine drinkers I know believe that wine is starting to get past it's best at the eight to ten year mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 What happens with commercial beer is that it will oxidise in time because the yeast has been filtered out. Naturally brewed beer has yeast in the bottle, this yeast in the process of carbonating the beer eats up the oxygen in the top of the bottle, so this beer does not oxidise. This is why commercial beer has to have preservatives, whereas home brew doesn\u2019t. Under Australian law you are not allowed to sell beer without preservatives, because the dickheads that run the farm have no idea about beer. Wine now in screwtop bottles has less chance of oxidising because there is less air space therefore less oxygen to oxidise the wine. Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Both of the above mentioned beers were bottle conditioned homebrews. Both were cellared under the house and out of direct sunlight. Poor capping could have been the culprit in the case of the light malt ale but it wasn't evident. We opened six bottles and they were all the same. I'm sure I read recently that secondary fermentation does not consume the entire amount of oxygen available in the bottle. I will have to do some more research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Provided that conditions are satisfactory then I see no reason why a beer would not store longer than you live. $500000 for a bottle of 1852 beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 What happens with commercial beer is that it will oxidise in time because the yeast has been filtered out. Naturally brewed beer has yeast in the bottle, this yeast in the process of carbonating the beer eats up the oxygen in the top of the bottle, so this beer does not oxidise. This is why commercial beer has to have preservatives, whereas home brew doesn\u2019t. Under Australian law you are not allowed to sell beer without preservatives, because the dickheads that run the farm have no idea about beer. Wine now in screwtop bottles has less chance of oxidising because there is less air space therefore less oxygen to oxidise the wine. Warren I wonder how much Coopers get fined a year...[innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Master Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I wonder how much Coopers get fined a year...[innocent] Damien, Where are you going with that statement? Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Peter, I think Damien was just stating that Coopers beers are preservative free. Matthew, just go for it. What do you have to lose except tipping out some beer? The brew will cost $20 or so, you taste one a year and you will eventually find the peak. It may be 5 years or 10 years or 16 years. But either way it isn't the biggest investment in your experiment. Just make sure you keep a bottle. One of your descendants could sell it for $500k in 150 years time. Although that might not be much money in 150 years time.[unsure] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATHEWJ Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Hahaha cheers Hairy maybe it will be worth something in a 150 years[lol] Well i will give it a crack and i will post my exploits each year and let you all know[biggrin]........ It will be a long drawn out story. thanks for all the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 After a look at a few interweb sights there are beers that have a claimed cellar life of 15 to 20 years. It would appear that if you make them strong (10%-12%) you're in with a good chance. It's also got me wondering about the merits of a wax seal as you see on high end ports and spirits. Presentation would be second to none at the very least. Have a look around the web and you might even find a recipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasond4 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 You could try what all good aged alcohol is aged in and that is an oak barrel. It seems to be a bit of a trend to age beer in an oak barrel that has had whiskey aging in it. Ive read of double and imperial IPA's to be aged this way in the U.S. Just remember that aged 8yrs on the bottle dosent mean it was aged in the bottle it was aged in a woode barrel before bottling, just as IPA was transported to India from England all those years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weggl Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Sorry boys, the Aust Law states the if preservitives are used in beer, it must be shown on the bottle. Wrong again. Weggl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Isn't beer a preservative unto it's own? Beer is all about preserving grains for consumption at a later date. I've heard the hyperbole surrounding certain macro brew products containing preservatives but why would any brewer add expensive products to their beverages? I'd love a definitive answer on this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I have consumed a strong six year old stout. It was past its best by this stage. Carbonation was poor and it was somewhat oxidized. I've also sampled a six year old bottle of ale which could be described as the best malt vinegar ever produced! We literally had it on our fish & chips. If you want to keep a beer that long distill it and call it whisky. Most wine drinkers I know believe that wine is starting to get past it's best at the eight to ten year mark. That would depend entirely on which wine. I've seen 5 year old wine which was vinegar, and 20 year old wine just hitting its peak. There are far too many variables for a generalisation like that to be very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Damien, Where are you going with that statement? Cheers, Peter Coopers clearly state on their ale bottles: No Additives. No Preservatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B5 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Damien, I am certainly no expert on wine or beer for that matter. I have asked the opinions of some fairly well seasoned wine makers and drinkers and that seems to be the general consensus. It has been suggested that the only reason to keep wine any longer is collectability, not necessarily to improve the wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 If you plan to make a beer with the intention of ageing it, go for a naturally conditioned brew with high alcohol and bitterness, stored in properly sealed, sturdy vessels. How long it will keep depends on numerous factors, including your own taste. Watching the journey of a beer developing in bottle can be very interesting. I strongly recommend this project. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Alcohol is a preservative, hops also have anti-bacterial properties. So a strong hoppy beer is ideal for cellaring long term. However oxidisation can till occur with air leaching into the bottle over time through the seal. I would use a seal with O2 scrubbing properties, I think they are referred to as Oxygen Barrier caps or such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Provided that conditions are satisfactory then I see no reason why a beer would not store longer than you live. $500000 for a bottle of 1852 beer No-one has claimed the 1852 beer was still good![sick] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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