homebrewdude and other beer fanatics!

[andylawcc]

i bought a bottle of this
http://www.stonebrew.com/epic/
and tried it two night ago...

the first two gulp it tastes like Chimay Blue. Nice flavor, not as strong and poignant as their Arrogant Bastard. Then it all went down hill from there. It then tastes like the crappy Double Bock I tried a year ago... it taste like Soy Sauce.

then I start reading the description on the bottle, and it said the brew can be (or should be?) stored in a cellar and aged for years. It also said it is 'bottle conditioned,' so there's still some yeast inside.

Now, I want to give it a second try, and my question is how should I store it?
Its recommended temp is 55 degree or under. My room's temp fluctuates quite a bit and is always above 60 degree. Should I store it in my fridge, or in my room properly wrapped and insulated?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

did you drink out of the bottle or did you decant into a glass?

edit: I've never had this beer btw, though many big beers, grand crus, barley wines, and the sort do age well. With aging, bitterness will often fade, and the flavor profile will diversify and become more complex.

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
did you drink out of the bottle or did you decant into a glass?

I poured it in a 4oz glass and drank it shortly after, or, I don't think I gave it enough time to decant. I didn't know beer need to be decanted like red wine.

edit: I've never had this beer btw, though many big beers, grand crus, barley wines, and the sort do age well. With aging, bitterness will often fade, and the flavor profile will diversify and become more complex.

how long should I age it though, and should I age it in the fridge or the dark corner of my closet?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

well, now the bottle has oxygen in it and you might as well drink it all.... otherwise you'll get oxidation off flavors eventually.

fridge vs closet is a tough one.... i don't really know. I might lean towards the fridge for the reason that the temp will be more controlled and below 70 F

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
well, now the bottle has oxygen in it and you might as well drink it all.... otherwise you'll get oxidation off flavors eventually.

oh, I drank it all the same night, the "good" / "chimay" taste actually wears off glass after glass.

fridge vs closet is a tough one.... i don't really know. I might lean towards the fridge for the reason that the temp will be more controlled and below 70 F

okay then. Fridge it will be.
how long would you wait though? It is really a big tease to wait months after months after months...

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

aging is pretty subjective.... i have a brew in my kegerator that at 3 months tasted pretty poor IMO, but at 9 months it was delicious.... it didn't last much longer after that. I made a christmas ale that was good at 6 months, excellent at 18 months, but began to degrade after that and was back to 'just' good at 30 months.

Looks like that beer would do well with about 18 months of aging, but would hold up beyond that.

 

[andylawcc]

okay thanks... i will reply you in 18 months