Out of the Cellar
4/11/2009 12:21:00 p.m.
RECENTLY I was privileged to be invited to a very special tasting at local beer bar Hashigo Zake.
Owner Dominic Kelly assembled a fantastic assortment of vintage beers from several private cellars for the event, including some beers that are no longer produced from breweries which no longer exist.
The tasting was a one off chance to experience beers going back as far as 1998. Stand outs included a 1999 Limburg Weizenbock, a 2002 Emerson’s Whiskey Porter, and an absolutely stunning bottle of 2004 Limburg Oude Reserve.
The tasting served to perfectly highlight some of the things that need to be considered when cellaring beer. While the Maxim that “fresh is best” holds true for most beer there are certain styles, which will gain in complexity and mellow in character as they age. Pulling out a precious special bottle of beer from the cellar can be the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion.
There are four criteria that I think a beer should meet in order to warrant its inclusion in the cellar. Firstly it should be big and robust in both alcohol and body, as the beer ages it will thin and dry out and a big beer will have more body to spare.
Secondly it should be a living beer with yeast present in the bottle, the yeast will consume any oxygen that makes it into the bottle through the years and will help to give the beer complexity.
Thirdly it should be malt accented rather than hoppy, hop characters need to be experienced while they are young and vibrant where as malt profiles will round out nicely. Lastly and most importantly cellar beer you like. There is no point in aging something you don’t like to start with.
Kieran Haslett- Moore
Owner Dominic Kelly assembled a fantastic assortment of vintage beers from several private cellars for the event, including some beers that are no longer produced from breweries which no longer exist.
The tasting was a one off chance to experience beers going back as far as 1998. Stand outs included a 1999 Limburg Weizenbock, a 2002 Emerson’s Whiskey Porter, and an absolutely stunning bottle of 2004 Limburg Oude Reserve.
The tasting served to perfectly highlight some of the things that need to be considered when cellaring beer. While the Maxim that “fresh is best” holds true for most beer there are certain styles, which will gain in complexity and mellow in character as they age. Pulling out a precious special bottle of beer from the cellar can be the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion.
There are four criteria that I think a beer should meet in order to warrant its inclusion in the cellar. Firstly it should be big and robust in both alcohol and body, as the beer ages it will thin and dry out and a big beer will have more body to spare.
Secondly it should be a living beer with yeast present in the bottle, the yeast will consume any oxygen that makes it into the bottle through the years and will help to give the beer complexity.
Thirdly it should be malt accented rather than hoppy, hop characters need to be experienced while they are young and vibrant where as malt profiles will round out nicely. Lastly and most importantly cellar beer you like. There is no point in aging something you don’t like to start with.
Kieran Haslett- Moore
