Once bottle conditioned how long will home brew keep for if stored at 65 degrees?
It depends on a lot of things: alc %, IBUs, sanitation, just to name a few.
Last year I had the final bottle of a brown ale almost exactly a year after bottling and it was great, but I stored it in the mid 40s.
my guess would be a year?
they shouldnt last long if they came out good.
It depends on the type of beer really. I’m no expert but I belive that a darker and/or stronger alcohol beer will tend to last longer without losing it’s good qualities. A barley wine or something like it can last years if stored properly and will actually not even reach it’s peak until a lot of time has passed. I generally drink beer that was bottled several months previous and it’s fine. The only exception would be the Bavarian Hefe that I made (extract). After about 2 months it tasted like crap. My buddy and my father, both home brewers, had the same issue with that beer only. I’m told that IPA’s should be drank while still green, but I haven’t noticed any off flavors in a several month old IPA although it became slightly less hoppy. I have a Sweet Stout and a Caribou Slobber that are approaching 1 year in the bottle. I actually saved only 1 bottle of each just to experiment with aging. I’ll probably crack them open when the warm weather results in bar-b-q ribs smoking on the smoker grill.
Depends. If there’s no obvious flaws, like infections or oxidation (both of which get worse with time), then a pretty long time. I used to routinely hold back a beer for a year just to see what happened. Some beers are best young, like dry hopped ipas, or german wheat beers. Some beers could do with a little aging, particularly stronger ones. Most “normal strength” beers will be noticeably passed their prime after six months or so. They won’t have “gone bad” though, just be passed their prime. Eventually, all beers will lose the battle with oxygen, and get stale and cardboardey tasting, no matter how good it once was.
Bottle conditionign big beers is pretty common. Belgians, Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, big Porters, Doppelbocks, beers along those lines can pretty much last for a really long time and will continue to get better with age. Hops will fade over time and the malt will come through. More normal beers I would like to drink within a few months for peak flavor.
Last week, I drank an old ale from '08. Blissful. :cheers:
I’m a big fan of bigger beers because they can age nicely. Depending on your taste memory, I really enjoy sampling a big beer as time goes on. The subtle changes fascinate me.
I’ve had beers keep at least 10 years, depending on style.
My '05 barleywines are still OK. '07 they are fine, but have definitely peaked.
My 2009 Barleywines are in great shape.
Same here.
I’ve definitely had some particularly strong Scotch Ales and Burton/Barleywine hold up in very good shape for that long. The Scotch Ale (actually saved by accident) was particularly surprising so many years down the line. Made me wish I’d laid down more of it.
I have three 750mL bottles (corked, not capped) of mead I made in 2000 that are still hanging around. I drank a bottle last year and it was incredibly delicate and lovely. I doubt they will last much longer, but I was amazed.
Cheers.
[quote=“alphastanley”]I have three 750mL bottles (corked, not capped) of mead I made in 2000 that are still hanging around. I drank a bottle last year and it was incredibly delicate and lovely. I doubt they will last much longer, but I was amazed.
Cheers.[/quote]
Recently I tasted a mead that I made 10 years ago with the plan of giving it to my oldest granddaughter on her 21st. I was very happy with it.
