Does Beer Get Better With Age

Cellaring Craft Beer: To Age or Not to Age?

Cellaring Beer: To Age or Not to Age?

Apr 10, 2014

Beer is often referred to as liquid bread—an apt description for our favorite beverage. Craft beer has similar ingredients, flavors and aromas to bread, and similar bread, is by and large all-time to bask fresh. Yes, some beers tin better with historic period, merely cellaring beer provides no guarantee that the beer will be any meliorate than when it was fresh.

True, the volatile compounds, like hop aroma, that make up flavors and aromas alter when beer is anile. The same mode an anile bottle of wine will exhibit different flavors later on cellaring. This is all perfectly fine if you lot similar the character of aged vino, just if you don't, why the heck did y'all save it? The aforementioned idea is right with beer.

Craft Brewers Strive for Freshness

The vast bulk of beer styles are meant to exist enjoyed fresh. Certain beers tin develop positively over time—bank check out the listing of common cellaring developments downwardly beneath.

Grand Teton'due south Rob Mullin talked about which of their beers improve with age in "Cellar Notes: Sitting Atop Grand Teton (Beers)," but Mullin also points out that "cracking efforts are taken to continue our products fresh in all our markets."

It wasn't long ago that many so-chosen beer authorities touted highly hopped beers, like Imperial IPAs, as beers suitable for aging. Luckily for u.s., breweries like Russian River Brewing Co. accept taught us that age is the last thing they desire for beers like Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig.

Russian River even educates beer retailers to non wait to tap the uber-limited Pliny the Younger, as it is meant to exist experienced equally fresh equally possible. "We want you to relish Younger from the source at its absolute all-time! Similar all fresh food products, this beer has a very brusque 'shelf' life and is meant to be consumed merely when in season…" RRBC explains.

Rock Brewing Co. also reminds us that hoppy beers are best fresh. The San Diego craft brewery's Stone Enjoy past IPA gets craft beer geeks clamoring when information technology is released, not just because of its express distribution, but also because the beer's fourth dimension sensitive nature.

We specifically brewed it not to terminal," says Stone Brewing in their description of the beer. "We've not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you're getting this beer in your easily within an extraordinarily short window, we made certain that the Enjoy By date isn't randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the label, to be overlooked by all but the almost attentive of retailers and consumers. Instead, we've sent a articulate bulletin with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than correct now to enjoy this IPA."

It'due south obvious that Stone takes its out of date beer seriously, as they've set up upwards an online form for beer fans to study any out of engagement Stone beer they come up beyond in the market and then they tin can replace it as apace equally possible.

To Historic period or Not to Age?

That is the question! Like many beery things, cellaring is largely a personal journey, and a perfectly adequate craft beer experience. Some breweries even assist prospective "cellar rats" (as they're often lovingly referred to) by providing a "cellar up to" date, like Left Hand Brewing Company's Widdershin Barleywine. In this example, the brewery recommends cellaring this oak-anile, peated-malt barley wine for up to five years. However, the label does not say you can't or shouldn't enjoy this beer fresh.

For those who enjoy cellaring, the gamble can pay off. Many cellared beer fans enjoy the complexity that proper aging tin add to craft beers. Additionally, vintage bottles offer an opportunity to create new educational experiences with beers that are uniquely in the individual's command. The key to cellaring is to command equally many ecology factors as possible to ensure the beer is aging properly and non just getting old.

Creating the Ideal Cellaring Environment

Beer style: Craft beers over vii per centum ABV with strong flavors (eg: smoked malt) tend to handle age improve than others.
Low-cal: Ultraviolet light reacts with compounds in beer to develop the dreaded skunky character. Keep all beer in the dark.
Temperature: Warmer temperatures speed upward the furnishings of aging. Go along beers absurd to cold, but don't let them freeze.
Movement: Agitation aides in the effects of oxidation and age. Gear up'em and forget'em.

I like this article that delves into the cellaring practice a bit deeper: "Cellarmanship Part 2: How To Store Your Hoarded Beer Properly."

Cellaring'south Furnishings on Taste and Flavor

Aging can produce many changes in the flavors and tastes present in a beer. Here are some of furnishings you can expect, according to a presentation given past Dr. Charlie Bamforth, Tom Nielsen and Mitch Steele entitled "Keep It Fresh: Understanding How Time, Temperature and Oxygen Bear upon Your Beer, and What To Exercise About Them."

Bitterness decreases
Harshness increases
Fruity and floral esters decrease
Ribes (catty/black currant character) increase
Moisture paper/cardboard character increases
Bready character increases
Sugariness (toffee/honey) increases
Metal character increases
Earthy grapheme increases
Straw character increases
Woody graphic symbol increases
Vinuous character (vino/sherry/stale fruit) increases
Meaty-similar/brothy flavors can develop

Choose Your Ain Run a risk

Recollect of craft beer as one of those Choose Your Own Risk books you lot read as a kid. While crumbling beer is a fine gamble, y'all need to evaluate all of the potential outcomes. Will the beer amend with historic period? Maybe. Or you may finish up with unfavorable results–like being eaten past sharks, which is probably why I never got into those books.

Lesser line: command the cellaring environment equally much as possible and apply discretion when choosing which craft beers to historic period.

Photos by Daniel Flanders at Focus on the Beer

Andy Sparhawk, the Brewers Association'south acting editor-in-chief for CraftBeer.com. Andy is a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP Beer Estimate. He lives in Westminster, Colorado where he is an avid arts and crafts beer enthusiast. On occasion, Andy is inspired to write on his experiences with craft beer, and if they are not also ridiculous, you might see the results here on CraftBeer.com.