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Aging beer - best strategy

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  • Aging beer - best strategy

    In a brew-pub, what are the pros and cons of aging beer in kegs vs tanks regarding cost of equipment, labor, product quality, etc?

    I am considering 6-12 months aging of premium products (strong ales of various styles).

    Anyone aging beer for such a long period wants to share how he does it?

  • #2
    I would think the pros and cons are obvious to us all, though I'll go over them as I see them. It seems to be a belief that beer/wine ages better in larger volumes, so ideally "I" try to keep aging beer in volume for as long as I can, though as any pub brewer knows sometimes this is easier said then done. I have the fortune of having 6-15 bbl fermenters,3-15 bbl serving and 7-7bbl serving tanks, plus between 75-100 1/2bbl kegs. On the flipside I ahve 8 year around beers and 4 seasonal/specialties on tap at all times. Space management in our pub is crucial. That being said I was able to time the brewing of a barleywine to allow it to sit in a fermenter during a slower production period for about 10 weeks, then in a 7bbl serving tank for another 9 months. There were times I wish I had that serving tasnk for other uses, but the cost of aging the barleywine alltogether was just some more frequent keg washingand filling.

    I think if you can actually afford the time/space in a larger vessel then go for it.Otherwise then keg it up.
    Cheers,
    Mike Roy
    Brewmaster
    Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
    5123 Baltimore Ave
    Hyattsville,MD 20781
    301-927-2740

    Franklinsbrewery.com
    @franklinsbrwry
    facebook.com/franklinsbrewery

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    • #3
      What are you going to charge for a pint of a beer that you cared for for 12 months while it aged? $6, $7, $8? Will your patrons accept this?

      If you think they will buy it....make it....ofer somthing most brewpubs/beer bars do not and show the guests what good vintage beers taste like.
      Bottoms Up!

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      • #4
        mmmm

        We make a 12 month cask ale...we charge the same for it, but serve it in little sherry glasses, about 200 ml. No one really wants a pint of 23% beer or barleywine anyway. It's a sipper. And it keeps really really well, so a big batch is well worth making room for.

        natrat

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        • #5
          Thanks a lot mike for the interesting comments.

          Regarding the price, of the final product, it would be the same as the price of the pint, only served in smaller vessels, just like Natrat pointed.

          A brewpub in my town actually bottles their very special brews by hand, with homebrewing cappers and lots of hard work... they have a 4bbl system, but probably do smaller special batches..

          Still, their 1 - 2 years old and sometimes older bottles sell well and I doubt they loose money for doing it.

          Another brewpub I know serves almost exclusively beer from kegs aged in average for 4 to 8 months.

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          • #6
            Hello All!

            Please see the previous thread on Tank vs. Keg aging. Use the search feature. Good stuff.

            Cheers,
            Ron
            Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

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