Beer Advice Needed: Aged/Fermented In Bottle

[imaguitargod]

I picked up a beer that has been aging in the bottle since it was brewed back in 1999. The advice I need on this is how should I drink it? Regular glass or sniffter? Should I drink the sediment on the bottom or filter that out? I'm looking to drink this tomarrow night....hopefully.

[xgrafcorex]

what kind of beer is it? i'd go with the snifter since it's not your average beer. as for the sediment..unless it's a wheat beer, i'd leave about a centimeter of beer in the bottle...give it a good swirl and drink that last bit right from the bottle..then sip on the rest of it. or reverse that order so you taste the beer first, then the last little bit.

[imaguitargod]

what kind of beer is it?
It's an ale.

"George Gale & Co LTD Prize Old Ale". It's 9% abv and comes in a 9.3 fl. oz. bottle....and it's looking me right in the face.....

[staffing]

Snifter? For beer? Naw. Only the finest palates can tell a difference with a fine brandy. Pour it off really, really, slow into a pilsner glass. I wouldn't drink the sediment.

Bon apetit.

[xgrafcorex]

snifters are often used for certain types of beer. why not?

a finely crafted ale is equal to a good wine or liquor in my book.

igg - i don't know that one..but i would still (personally) go with my first post. try looking it up on beeradvocate or ratebeer.

[imaguitargod]

Well, I drank it out of a tulip glass last night. I am dissappointed. It tasted too sweet and there was a little hint of vinegar in the palet. Drinkable but not the best.

[texas blues]

Dude...if you got a hint of vinegar, it was past its prime. I am sitting on 3 bottles of Thomas Hardy's I bought about 20 years ago. Alcohol around 13 or 14 %. I had a fourth bottle which I tried 2 years ago but still needed more time. Its a tough 'thang to determine when some of these types of brews are ready. Can't go wrong with Chimay blue or white. Just buy and drink.
Cheers, TB.

[ross]

Snifter? For beer? Naw. Only the finest palates can tell a difference with a fine brandy. Pour it off really, really, slow into a pilsner glass. I wouldn't drink the sediment.

Bon apetit.

oh god!

[ross]

Dude...if you got a hint of vinegar, it was past its prime. I am sitting on 3 bottles of Thomas Hardy's I bought about 20 years ago. Alcohol around 13 or 14 %. I had a fourth bottle which I tried 2 years ago but still needed more time. Its a tough 'thang to determine when some of these types of brews are ready. Can't go wrong with Chimay blue or white. Just buy and drink.
Cheers, TB.

If you would like to send me a 1987 (?) TH, I would be grateful! :)

[ross]

Well, I drank it out of a tulip glass last night. I am dissappointed. It tasted too sweet and there was a little hint of vinegar in the palet. Drinkable but not the best.

Gales old ale should last for a long time. It, however, is not very good in the first place. Even fresh. Anytime you have a bottle that is more than a year old, I wouldnt drink the sediment. Drinking sediment is nothing more than personal preference, and I dont prefer it :)

If you want to see real sediment, go grab you a beer from Brassirie des Rocs. Anything they make has a million floating things in it. Its best to pour that through a strainer!

As I said though, no shock on the beer being bad, as it sucks in the first place!

[cheezydemon]

Lol, I always drink the sediment. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins!

[xgrafcorex]

that sucks the beer was no good IGG. i've never had or heard of that stuff before.



i used to discard the sediment except for wheat beers..i give them a good swirl near the end then pour that in.

with belgian ales or belgian style/other bottle conditioned beers, i pour all but the last centimeter or so, then give the bottle a quick swirl and down the last of it...sometimes before, and sometimes after i drink the actual beer.

[cheezydemon]

Kind of a nutrient shot lol.

Beers have to be really high alcohol to last more than a year or so. That is disapointing. I have never tried that one.

[ross]

Kind of a nutrient shot lol.

Beers have to be really high alcohol to last more than a year or so. That is disapointing. I have never tried that one.

not true at all.

guezue lambic is good for 20+ years. average abv is around 4-5%

[texas blues]

Ross..I'll locate where I have them ratholed and send you the numbers I have. I have been meaning to do some research on drinkability for batches made before and after the year I got mine. Curious...ever see Hardy's on fleabay? Cheers, TB.

[ross]

Ross..I'll locate where I have them ratholed and send you the numbers I have. I have been meaning to do some research on drinkability for batches made before and after the year I got mine. Curious...ever see Hardy's on fleabay? Cheers, TB.

I have not, but I havent looked either. i have seen numerous other beers, (dark lord, angels share, any stone beer...) but i have never looked for hardys.

hardys is supposedly very good around 25 years. though it will probably be flat.

[greeny]

In all of my brewing experience, sediment is not full of nutrients. It's yeast. Completely brewers yeast. You are taking a shot of yeast. May even have a bit of a laxative effect. Most grain/hop sediment will be removed during secondary fermentation before it even hit the bottle. Yeast yeast yeast.

Sediment in bottled beer is 99.9% yeast. Know why wheat beer has less sediment but remains cloudy? It's because the yeast used in wheat beers has a low flocculation, which means that only a small amount "settles out" of the beer to form a sediment layer on the bottom. Most ale yeasts have a higher flocculation, resulting in a clearer beer but more sediment.

I have never met a homebrewer that recommends drinking the sediment.

Yeast

[imaguitargod]

Bwahahaha, greeny! I just read your signature! Freakin hilarious! That should be on a shirt!

[cheezydemon]

not true at all.

guezue lambic is good for 20+ years. average abv is around 4-5%

AHH! A Conniseur.

True, but Lambic is a bit of a freak in the beer world. It is fermented by bacteria, not yeast. So technically, it already is bad, from day 1 in the bottle.

Excellent point though.:cheers:

[cheezydemon]

In all of my brewing experience, sediment is not full of nutrients. It's yeast. Completely brewers yeast. You are taking a shot of yeast. May even have a bit of a laxative effect. Most grain/hop sediment will be removed during secondary fermentation before it even hit the bottle. Yeast yeast yeast.

Sediment in bottled beer is 99.9% yeast. Know why wheat beer has less sediment but remains cloudy? It's because the yeast used in wheat beers has a low flocculation, which means that only a small amount "settles out" of the beer to form a sediment layer on the bottom. Most ale yeasts have a higher flocculation, resulting in a clearer beer but more sediment.

I have never met a homebrewer that recommends drinking the sediment.

Yeast


ummmmm yeah, and vegimite is 99% yeast too. When did you decide that yeast was not nutritious? Bent might want a word with you, bad mouthing Australia's national wonder and all.

And....if you have never seen this site. You're welcome.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=47002

[xgrafcorex]

AHH! A Conniseur.

True, but Lambic is a bit of a freak in the beer world. It is fermented by bacteria, not yeast. So technically, it already is bad, from day 1 in the bottle.

Excellent point though.:cheers:

actually lambics use wild yeasts by simply leaving their doors and windows open during certain times of the year. no doubt, there is bacteria and who knows what else in there..since they can't filter everything but wild yeast out.

grenny - i think it is fairly common for shots of the sediment and a bit of beer to be had at bars in belgium. either way, i don't mind the taste..it mostly tastes like the beer, with only a slight deviation from the regular flavor.

[greeny]

actually lambics use wild yeasts by simply leaving their doors and windows open during certain times of the year. no doubt, there is bacteria and who knows what else in there..since they can't filter everything but wild yeast out.

Brettanomyces to be exact. Nicknamed "Brett" in the brewing world. Tough stuff to work with as it'll infect everything. Consequently, most home brewers won't touch the stuff. Has a pronounced flavor resulting in a very sour beer.

[cheezydemon]

Brettanomyces to be exact. Nicknamed "Brett" in the brewing world. Tough stuff to work with as it'll infect everything. Consequently, most home brewers won't touch the stuff. Has a pronounced flavor resulting in a very sour beer.

Exactly, Brett is not a wild yeast. It is bacteria.

There is some new post in the welcome forum from a beer brewer from Australia, We need a few more real beer enthusiasts IMHO.

[greeny]

Well, TECHNICALLY

"Brettanomyces is a non-spore forming genus of yeast"

I believe you may be referring to Lactobacillus, which is also used in fermenting Lambics?

Lactobacillus is a bacteria
Brett is a wild yeast

[cheezydemon]

Ahhh! I stand corrected. Thank You! I have never tried to make a lambic, and I am afraid that Sam Adams is the only one I have tasted (although I hear that it is not a true lambic) The SA Cranberry Lambic is like carbonated robitussin. Yuck!

[greeny]

I get some Rasberry Lambic imported from Belgium. Good stuff.

Myself, never tried to brew it. Brett and Lacto are 2 things that will never come near my brewery. 1 outbreak and everything is contaminated. May as well just buy new equipment at that point unless you want to sanitize every little crack in every piece of equipment. And even then, Lacto has been known to sneak through.

[cheezydemon]

That 's what I hear too, unless you just want to brew lambics from now on.

Had you seen that homebrew website? It is the same software as this site so it is userfriendly. I love it.

[xgrafcorex]

so far, my favorite lambic was oud beersel oude kriek. it is pretty sour to say the least. was a bit strange at first..haven't not really tried many lambics (only having had a sip or two of some lindeman's and the SA lambic..which i don't really count.) turned out to be pretty tasty though.

if or when i try my hand at homebrewing again, i have no intentions of attempting to brew a lambic..or anything else that utilizes spontaneous fermentation. i guess geographic location would play a large role in that as well.

[ross]

I get some Rasberry Lambic imported from Belgium. Good stuff.

my brewery.

what lambic?

what brewery?

[ross]

Ahhh! I stand corrected. Thank You! I have never tried to make a lambic, and I am afraid that Sam Adams is the only one I have tasted (although I hear that it is not a true lambic) The SA Cranberry Lambic is like carbonated robitussin. Yuck!

sa CL is essentially trash. buy some kind of cantillion, they are usually easy to come by

[greeny]

what lambic?
If the local guy is in a good mood and I'm nice enough, I can normally get 3 Fonteinen Hommage, which I absolutely love. Upland here in Indiana also makes a KILLER Lambic. I actually prefer it to most "authentic belgian lambics". If all else fails, I can normally find Lindemans easily, which is actually pretty good for as commercial as it is.

what brewery?
The one in my basement

[ross]

If the local guy is in a good mood and I'm nice enough, I can normally get 3 Fonteinen Hommage, which I absolutely love. Upland here in Indiana also makes a KILLER Lambic. I actually prefer it to most "authentic belgian lambics". If all else fails, I can normally find Lindemans easily, which is actually pretty good for as commercial as it is.


The one in my basement

3f makes some of the best lambic i have had. good choice there. lindemans is garbage except for the cuvee rene.

'the one in your basement' ? when you say you have a brewery, i am at least expecting some commercial type facility. come on now, i want to buy some beer :)

[cheezydemon]

sa CL is essentially trash. buy some kind of cantillion, they are usually easy to come by

Thanks, I will. And I will not take it into my basement either lol.

I have an excellent APA just carbing up in the bottles rigt now.

2 "brew/bottle days" ago (3 weeks or so) I was bottling a Helles Munich Lager and brewing a fairly simple APA.

A rare blunder, I ran out of caps. I have always kept so many on hand that I sorta forgot to check my inventory.

So rather than dumping the last third of my lager, I added it to My apa once it was brewed, just to see how it would turn out.
I cracked one over the weekend and it is delicious. Amazing complexity from the hint of hallertaur that comes through complimenting the cascasde nicely.