You’ve probably heard it before: Beer is for near-immediate consumption. While freshness is paramount for certain beers — fresh hop IPAs, for example — some styles not only age well but can improve over time. But which styles and what sets them up well to go the distance?
We reached out to Moody Tongue for some answers. The Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant specializes in beer and food and has plenty of experience on the subject. Jared Rouben is head brewmaster there, and we called on him to debunk the myth that beer can’t age.
“For one, beer certainly does age,” Rouben says. “The majority of beer styles should be consumed fresh like bread, because beer is essentially liquid bread created from grain, water, and yeast. That said, there are several style-specific exceptions to this rule, such as beers aged in whiskey barrels or styles like wild or sour beers whose flavor and aromatic profiles can evolve very favorably like a Barolo or Burgundy.”
Beer aging considerations
The wine comparison is apt. Beer, like wine, can mature over time, becoming more harmonious on the palate. “Certain beer styles can become more balanced over time, as more intense flavor or aromatic elements can mellow through the aging process, creating beautifully rich layers of flavor,” adds Rouben.
What factors does he consider when thinking about laying a beer down for a while? Start with the foundation. “I first consider the base beer style when thinking about whether to age a beer,” he says. “For example, the majority of Belgian styles do well with age, and certainly, whiskey barrel-aged high alcohol content beers can improve with time. I will often taste the beer fresh and ask myself if I think it would be better with time or at the current moment, and I like to leave a few bottles to taste over the following months or years to understand how the beer evolves.”
At Moody Tongue, the staff works with a number of beers that have aging potential. And, after ten years in business, they’ve seen some of it come to fruition. “We offer a selection of bourbon barrel-aged beers (e.g., our Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Cake Imperial Stout and Bourbon Barrel Aged Gingerbread Imperial Stout), and we more recently started releasing a sour series (e.g., our Peche, Cassis, Cerise, and Framboise),” Rouben says.
The results can be impressive, just ask Rouben. “I love our Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout,” he says. “This is one of our original recipes, which we age every year in Heaven Hill barrels and results in a profile reminiscent of our famous 12 Layer German Chocolate Cake, which we have now served for almost ten years.”
How long can beers age?
The age-ability of beer is subjective. Some styles do better than others. Generally, as in wine, a higher alcohol content will protect the beer, so to speak, and allow it to age better. Other natural preservatives, like hops, can help some, but generally, hops are best enjoyed fresh, as that’s when their aromatics and flavors are ripest.
Bottle-conditioned beers age well as they tend to have some residual sugar that can interact with the chemistry of the beer over years of aging, bringing out new flavors. And beers with some yeast still in the mix can continue to change for the better over time. How long? Many in the know say around five to ten years for a lot of the styles mentioned above. But there are always exceptions, and some beer bloggers have written about enjoying stouts and the like that are 25 or 30 years old.
Storage is key here. Cool and dark is the way to go. This writer has experience tasting some darker beers more than ten years in age. My dad and I used to do annual verticals of the Alaskan Smoked Porter, a fantastic beer, tasting the annual releases side-by-side. We were never let down by a beer; however, some fared better than others and some of the oldest would sometimes fade a bit in terms of character. But the overall quality, not to mention the variation in smokiness from vintage to vintage, was always fascinating.
So, consider laying down some barrel-aged or Belgian beers yourself. Check them every six months to see how they change or improve. And treat them like the sophisticated elders that they are and give them a proper glass — something big and bulbous to really let the beer open up. These kinds of beers are almost always in bottle form so don’t be aging cans in your home cellar.
And while we’re on the topic of beer, check out our feature on craft beer terminology. It’ll set you up to enjoy the experience a bit more and understand what you’re sipping. Here’s to the age-old wonder that is beer.
