genetic
05-08-2006, 04:19 PM
I've been enjoying beer over 10 years, homebrewing over 6 years. Here's my issue.
I've set aside two bottles each of Anchor Our Special Ale and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale from the past few years. They have not been refrigerated all this time, but they have been stored most of that time in a basement whose temperature did not exceed the low or mid 60s (F).
I thought I'd better sample some of these to see if they're worth saving. I tried the 2003 Anchor and 2003 Sierra Nevada. Both suffered from the "aging." The 2004 Sierra Nevada was a little better.
Questions: How many of us that are saving various "vintages" of beer have actually tried some of them lately? Will a refrigerator help preserve the beer over the long term, and/or slow down the development of off flavors? Has anyone tried a side-by-sie comparison of unrefrigerated vs. refrigerated for a given ale?
I've set aside two bottles each of Anchor Our Special Ale and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale from the past few years. They have not been refrigerated all this time, but they have been stored most of that time in a basement whose temperature did not exceed the low or mid 60s (F).
I thought I'd better sample some of these to see if they're worth saving. I tried the 2003 Anchor and 2003 Sierra Nevada. Both suffered from the "aging." The 2004 Sierra Nevada was a little better.
Questions: How many of us that are saving various "vintages" of beer have actually tried some of them lately? Will a refrigerator help preserve the beer over the long term, and/or slow down the development of off flavors? Has anyone tried a side-by-sie comparison of unrefrigerated vs. refrigerated for a given ale?