Skip to main content

The Quick and Easy Guide on How to Age Beer

Beer is a perishable product, but that doesn’t mean aging beer is necessarily a bad idea.

Freshness and date coding are among the hot topics in a greater quality discussion for beer these days, but just as certain wines get better with age, there are certain styles of beer that can withstand — and improve with — some aging,

Recommended Videos

If you’re a diehard beer fan, you most likely already have some beers set aside for one reason or another. But what exactly are you doing with them? Do you have them stored in any special way? If you want that beer to taste as good as it can after aging, it’ll be good to know the best practices for aging beer. A lot of brewers release their beers with the intention that it is consumed fresh and right away — not stowed away for a year or more.

Tim Faith Goose Island

Goose Island Beer Company is the same way with its beers, however, the famed Bourbon County Stout is appropriate to age for up to five years in the bottle. How do we know that this and other Goose Island barrel-aged beers (such as the Belgian-style and sour line of Sofie, Matilda, Lolita, Halia, Madame Rose, and Gillian) are good for aging? We asked, of course.

“We package the beers when we deem it perfectly ready to drink,” said Tim Faith, an R&D brewer at Goose Island. “It’s up to the consumer to continue aging, but we can say it will develop in a favorable way because we’ve done trials to preserve and enhance with age.”

Bourbon County Stout is a perfect example of a beer that can stand up to some time in a cellar — or a closet. It’s big and boozy (14.1 percent alcohol by volume plus a year in a bourbon barrel) and malt forward. Beyond Bourbon County Stout, there are other options as well when it comes to age-able beers.

Here are the best styles to age, the ones to avoid, and some options for beers that are readily-available for your aging pleasure.

Type of Beers Ideal for Aging

  • Barrel-aged beers and, in general, double-digit alcohol beers
  • Malt-forward beers
  • Strong Belgian-style beers
  • Sour beers

Types of Beer that Don’t Age Well

  • Beers that rely heavily on hops for aroma and flavor (the case can be made for some Double India Pale Ales when it comes to aging, but typically its best to move away from hop-forward beers).
  • Low ABV styles, such as Pilsners and most ales.

Great Beers for Aging (That Aren’t Bourbon County Stout)

So what happens in the bottle over time? Say we’ve picked up a stout and a sour. How, exactly, do they get “better” over time?

The short answer is “because science,” but we’ll take it a step further.

Time in the bottle will allow flavors to mellow and flavor notes will interact and evolve over time; some flavors will fade and some will emerge. Sour beers often become less acidic and funkier, in a good way.

Faith’s best advice for aging beer? Diversify your aging.

“I like the idea of buying a four pack of 12-ounce bottles, drink one now, store one warm(ish), store one cold and then you have that fourth one you can do whatever you want, like French press it with some coffee,” he said. That strategy can allow tastes of the effects of aging, with proper notes of course.

Likewise, get a four-pack of a readily-available beer, taste one fresh and age one for six months try it out. Age another for a year and try it against a fresh one and see how they stand up to each other. Often, the resulting beer is less intense, with potentially more complex flavor notes. It could also be less tasty, so be aware that this won’t work every time. With enough years of the same annual release from a brewery and you’ve eventually got yourself a great vertical tasting!

To minimize ill effects, keep the beers cold, Faith said, but at the very least in the 45-50 degree range. As with wine, corked bottles should be stored horizontally to avoid drying out. And keep it out of the light. With proper care, beers can last several years and some Belgian-style beers can change and develop for more than 20 years with little detriment.

There are no guarantees the beer will stay good, however, so if you can’t afford to lose a beer, drink it up.

Pat Evans
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Pat Evans is a writer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, focusing on food and beer, spirits, business, and sports. His full…
Drink like a champion: 3 incredible cocktails for March Madness fans
Get into the 'spirit' of the game
Basketball ball going through the hoop

Kansas City is well known for taking March Madness seriously. Located 30 minutes from the birthplace of basketball and home of the Jayhawks, Kansas City is all about celebrating this basketball season. In honor of March Madness, Andrew Olsen, mixologist and beverage director of J. Rieger & Co., the original distillery of K.C., created these three March Madness-inspired cocktails to capture the spirit of the season. These three March Madness cocktails are crafted with passion and pride (and will surely surprise you at how good they taste).
The Hooper

The Hooper is a refreshing tribute to the passion and spirit of basketball fans worldwide. This drink combines Rieger's Straight Rye Whiskey for a foundation with fino sherry to add a dry, nutty complexity. Layering in a touch of banana liqueur introduces a smooth, fruity note, harmoniously balanced by the bright acidity of fresh lemon juice. The Hooper can be served over crushed ice and garnished with a fresh mint spring and an orange wheel for a fun, basketball-inspired theme. I like this option for game-day watch parties, paired with savory snack options like spiced nuts or aged cheeses from a charcuterie board.
Ingredients

Read more
Old Forester is adding to its 117 Series with Bottled in Bond Rye
Old Forester's newest 117 Series whiskey is a bottled in bond rye
Old Forester

The Old Forester 117 Series is a line of experimental, innovative whiskeys that was first launched back in 2021. Launched that spring, Old Forester 117 Series: High Angels’ Share was the first expression with three being releases each year since. The newest addition to this line of popular whiskey is Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond Rye
Courtesy of Old Forester Old Forester

Since this new expression (and all 117 Series whiskeys) are special releases, they are bottled on 375ml bottled as opposed to the usual 750ml option. The first bottle in bond rye whiskey was made by Old Forester, it was crafted to be shared with your fellow whiskey-drinking friends and family.

Read more
The 8 best espresso machines for home brews
The best ways to brew espresso at home
Cup of espresso with beans

Italy has blessed us with so many culinary creations it’s hard to pick a favorite. When you think of Italian food, you automatically picture a beautiful, cheesy pizza or a plate full of pasta with a delicious meat sauce. However, one invention that'd quite frequently overlooked is the black gold that baristas deal in every day. We’re not talking crude oil; we’re talking espresso.

How many of us would be able to overcome the prior night’s cocktails and be functioning humans at work if it weren’t for our daily Americano? Let’s also not forget it makes a decadent after-dinner treat poured over some ice cream.

Read more