Time affects all

I was thinking, there are a lot of people who claim to not ever drink beer past it's prime, and decided to test the theory. 


I once had a man tell me that fresh hops made all the difference but doubted him to the extreme. This idea made no sense to me... but then I realized I was mistaking him. He meant the actual date on a beer... not the actual freshness of the hops used in the beer. He was also an asshole so I won't feel bad calling him the ultimate dipshit extreme. Naturally I put him in his place with a few facts and he never spoke to me again. Good thing I never really got to know him.


I have had fresh hop ales (meaning beers with freshly picked hops, not dried) and they were delicious but not a major difference from those that use pellets or dried whole leaf. However, it does make the beer seem a bit higher end.


I then went to test the theory this man had come to me with in such an ignorant and pompous manner. I tried a Sierra Nevada Torpedo soon after its bottling date and was hit right in the face with a copious amount of hops. So bitter I felt like I was sucking a lemon!


I then went and purchased a Torpedo that was close to its prime and tried it. The malty sweetness was so overwhelming that the hops barely came through. 




This is pretty common I discovered, which is why such beers as Barley Wines, Imperial Stouts and Scotch Ales age so well. They are so malty that time works well with them. Hops dissipate over time, and although that is not a bad thing... a nice hoppy beer sometimes just hits the spot.


So if you are planning on cellaring any beer, be sure to cellar something seriously high in malts.

Do not try and age a lager or pilsner, because the noxious gas resulting would be enough to knock out an elephant.