Finding the Sweet Spot: Aging Home Brew to Perfection

One of the best things you can do with Beer is age it. Evolve it. Let it mature and change character on its own accord. Every hour, day and week counts when it comes to a beer changing to become something else. Beer will eventually hit a sweet spot where it really hits its stride and all the flavours become something truly special. For homebrewers such as myself, sometimes patience is the secret to turning an ok beer a great one. Let it mature in the bottle, then test it along the way and see where it takes you.

I have a few bottles remaining of my Analog IPA that I have been slowly sampling as time progresses. This beer is unfiltered, meaning that there is active yeast still living inside of it. This means that the character of the beer will continue to shift and change it as time passes. The yeast will have extra time to absorb any potential off flavours, evole the grain bill, and add a truely unique character to the beer.

I really intended Analog IPA to be an in your face hop bomb that packed a powerful bitter and ABV punch. As it turns out, it didn't really measure up to its original intention. However, I took the liberty to age this beer over a few months. I now believe that this beer has aged to a point that its ready to be its own unique brew. What set out as an Imperial IPA has now become something totally different. Here is my review.

Recipe Mission:

Analog IPA is an imperial IPA that packs a huge fruity hop bitter punch. It is creamy to taste (due to the flaked oats) and has a deep ruby hue. This particular version was dry hoppped twice, 7 days each with a blend of Cascade, Centennial & Pacific Gem totalling 1oz per gallon (3 gallon brew size). The 3 gallon recipe is below.

This beer turned out pretty good with one exception, there was a funky off flavour that I could only describe an a non pleasant funk. The aroma was clean, the flavour was bitter, but in the aftertaste there was something just oddly funky that chased the bitterness of the hops. It was really odd and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. My best guess was that it was a result of a bounce in fermentation temperature or my dry hops were a tad skunky. Either way, when I tried this beer today I think it's beginning to hit its stride compared to the 3 week old version.

Bottle date: September 14 2015

Review date: January 14 2015

Yeast: US-05

Age: 4 months

OG: 1.071

FG: 1.010

IBU: 71

ABV: 8%

Appearance: Dark cherry red, blood red, frothy and dense foam that clings to the glass.

Aroma: Blackberry, dark Cherry, Rasin, Plum, hint of cocoa powder, light citrus notes

Dry Hop: hints only, nearly non-existant

Palette: creamy body, light grapefruit pith, milk chocolate, hints of rum, oak, plum, lightly

In conclusion, I think that this beer should have peaked somewhere around 3-6 weeks as a big imperial IPA. The off flavour that made this beer intolerable, has now vanished into the background. This beer has now evolved into what I would consider to be more of a belgian type beer, maybe a quad? It is potent in alcohol, the hops have backed off and some grain induced flavours have started to come forward like the plum and chocolate. Its interesting and different. I think this beer would be great paired with some smoky cheese or a beef dish like a pot roast or stew.

I give this beer a C+. It didn't turn out to be what it was intended to, but its still pretty damn decent. Time has allowed this beer to evolve into what it is now: a beer potent with booze with a sooth hoppy finish reminiscent of cask beers.

Support your local brewery,

Chris

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