Beer, Wine and Spirits Stack Exchange
Beer, Wine and Spirits Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [aging]

About how beer, wine, or spirits are aged to reach their finished state or about how to age one yourself after purchase.

About how beer, wine, or spirits are aged to reach their finished state or about how to age one yourself after purchase.

25 questions
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How can I tell whether a beer will improve with age?

Most mass-market beers come with expiration dates, and cease to be good for drinking if too much time has passed since they were brewed, even if they've been stored in unopened containers and good conditions. Some major breweries even have…
Pops
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Should bottle conditioned beers be consumed quickly after purchase and do they carry on changing taste for a while?

Just wondering how a bottle conditioned beer will change over its life - if at all? And is there a perfect time to drink one? Also do different types change differently?
Mat Evans
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Does bottle size affect aging or storage?

Typically I want to age 22oz bottles, but I'm curious if I could get away with aging a smaller bottle. Is there any difference based on bottle size?
akaykay
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What are the factors that determine how long whisky is aged?

Whisk[e]y varieties often have significant differences in how long they are aged. While there are always exceptions, Bourbon is often aged for 5-10 years. Scotch, on the other hand, is more commonly aged for 10-20 years. Why is this?
Xander
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What is happening during aging?

IPAs go bad, barley wines improve, and stouts mellow over time. I'm curious though: what's actually happening? What compounds are building up or breaking down? What chemical processes actually happen to constitute "aging" in beer?
Fishtoaster
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Does beer expiration change based on yeasts?

Part of my job involves selling beer. I was told by a coworker that visible yeast particulates at the top of a beer bottle indicate that it's not fit for consumption, whereas yeast at the bottom is fine. Is this true? And if so, does it change…
amagnasco
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How long can you age an ipa?

I understand IPAs are less amenable to aging than, say, a barely wine. But how long, specifically, can you age an IPA - days, months, a year or two?
Fishtoaster
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Does aging in oak barrels add the same compounds to beer as it does to wine?

If I remember correctly, aging wine in barrels is known to promote aeration and add phenols from the wood into the mix. Does the wood react any differently to produce any flavors unique to beer? Is the aeration beneficial for flavor?
jonsca
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I'm aging a few bottles. They've been in the fridge for a while. Should I take them out now?

Pretty much this. I'm storing/aging bottles. They've been in my fridge for 6+ months now. I want to leave them there at least another 6+ months and on. But I've read aging beers in fridge is a "bad" idea because the cork will dry up. (All my bottles…
DerQ
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What to do with 50 (?) years old sake?

I found a bottle of sake in my grandfathers basement. As there are no Latin characters indicating the age of the bottle (and I don't speak Japanese), I used google Translator and found the following on a card which I assume can be sent back to the…
Niklas
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What are the main qualitative and quantitative differences between 18 and 12 year old Scotches?

It's established in the Scotch world that the age of a whisky pushes it's price up. A MacAllan or Glenmorangie 18 will fetch a much higher price than their respective 12 year old versions. Having tried a small number of 18 year olds, I've found them…
mcraenich
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Why would an aged beer explode?

I had a bottle of Westvleteren XII aging in my fridge. As I was putting some other bottles next to it, I nudged it slightly and the bottle shattered violently. I'm certain that I didn't hit it with enough force to do that kind of damage, so I'm…
SPavel
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Guidelines for aging Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a varietal more suitable for aging, but are the any general guidelines for the ideal age, or is it highly variable? Specifically I'm interested in finding out if there are general rules around how long after bottling before…
Xander
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What properties help mead to age without skunking?

I have done a little home-brewing (with friends) and have made or helped make several meads over the years -- enough to prompt this question but not enough to provide sufficient data to answer it. Some of our meads have kept well for several years. …
Monica Cellio
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Aging wort in wine barrels before fermenting

If I were to age wort in wine-barrels, let's say oak for instance, for six months , before I ferment it, would that improve the taste of the beer at all? Can beer be aged in wine barrels like other alcohols?
Neil Meyer
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