Beer is surprisingly delicate and never stops changing and evolving from the beginning of the brewing process right through to your first sip. Even so, for all but a very few beers, time is the enemy. Like a new car driving off the dealer’s lot, most beer will never be better than when it has that new beer smell… and taste!

So Why Bother?

The reason some beers should be set aside and aged is that like a fine wine or whisky, the experience of drinking an aged beer is enhanced because of the changes that occur during the aging process. For these few beers, the aging actually improves their flavors and adds complexity and other intangible qualities that can be achieved only over time. Many of these beers soften with time, rough edges are smoothed out and the beer becomes mellower with aging.

Some styles of beer fairly cry out to be aged. Many experts believe, for example, that a barley wine isn’t ready to drink until it’s at least one year old. The same could be said for other stronger styles, too, such as imperial stouts or Belgian strong dark ales, both of which improve greatly with time.

And despite its delicate nature, some beers can withstand the rigors of time and improve for as long as decades and even centuries. A few years ago, Coors Brewing, after taking over the former Bass Brewery in Burton-on-Trent, England, discovered some very old beer in the vaults of the Worthington’s White Shield brewery. The forgotten stash contained beer that was 130 years old, some of it from 1896. Most of the bottles still had their corks intact and, perhaps more surprisingly, when tasted, were found to “taste so fresh, and with [very] attractive ripe plum and honeyed flavours.” One of the people lucky enough to try the 1896 beer, Dr George Philliskirk, Chief Executive of the Beer Academy, noted. “This demonstrates the potential for vintage beers to be taken seriously—maybe even being worthy of a special section in wine lists at Britain’s top restaurants.”

Although it threw a nice tight head, the texture was almost stilled cognac. The color reminded me of Thos. Moser furniture, deep rich auburn and smooth, very smooth. The aroma, and flavor, had dried fruit richness – black cherries with a holiday sense to it. What a full hop finish, too, which caught me by surprise. Was the bitterness all hops? I thought that faded over time? Yet here was black pepper lasting for a very long time. The alcohol, at over 9 percent, added a slight burn but was hardly noticeable. Here’s the deal: This is billed as a barley wine but after ten years in my “cellar” it has smoothened out so much that it lacks the cloying maltiness and alcohol burn, instead having a holiday spice flavor on top of a silky cognac texture. And I’ve still got three of these babies left!