I notice that most English beers are capped, even the ones meant for cellaring. I have oxygen absorbing caps, is this enough for a 1.080 beer for a few years?
yes.
+1. I’ve kept big beers for upwards of 5 years with no problems. FWIW, I’ve done it with both standard caps and o2 caps and for a long cellaring, the o2 caps do indeed make a difference.
Based on your topic title, I’ll put in my two cents on corking. I’ve been corking some of my beers for a while, and it works well. I’ve used regular wine bottles, champagne bottles, and belgians. Even with regular corks, I haven’t needed cages to keep the corks in, and the bottles have held the pressure for 2 volumes or less. You are going to get some oxygen, just as you would with a wine.
[quote=“The Professor”]
+1. I’ve kept big beers for upwards of 5 years with no problems. FWIW, I’ve done it with both standard caps and o2 caps and for a long cellaring, the o2 caps do indeed make a difference.[/quote]
O2 caps are the way to go for long term. I’ve experimented with 1/2 & 1/2 at bottling. there is a difference I noticed as well. seems to leave a cleaner tasting brew after long aging.
I’ve been wanting to cork some of my big beers as an experiment like mentioned above.
