Old bottled beers

Ha!

I have similar dilemma - several old (1988 -1992) bottle conditioned ales (Imperial Stout and Thomas Hardy's ale etc) I have been hoarding.

Sometimes I think I aught to quaff them, but they survive yet.

Are they worth the bother?

Ian

occasionally

I think "minority sport" covers it quite well.

As with any item that can change from occasion to occasion. A high priced item at one event can be a simple dust gatherer at another event.

Should be in fine form at that age - then again it may have had a slight air leak or something and be a disgusting soup.

You have the means to find out.

Ale-Fan a écrit :

I opened a 1993 one a month ago. More than drinkable. A moment of sheer bliss...

"IanR" - a made-up name if ever I've heard one - said

I had a Thos Hardy 1994 the other night. It tasted more like Madeira than anything else, but more treacly.

It was an interesting experiment but I won't be repeating it :)

I might just risk it then !

-- Regards The Ale Fan

"The Submarine Captain"

Ale-Fan a écrit :

Yeah, go for it once you've got an occasion to celebrate, and don't need to use your brain before the next day or so... and don't plan to drink any other beer afterwards, as aged imperial russian stout is so intense it almost numbs your tongue and palate. :o)

Addi' Sat, 8 May 2004 22:46:43 +0100, "Ale-Fan" scrisse:

I've started to buy some old bottled beers, with the purpose not of collecting them but to give it a try and drink them... sooner or later. :-) I don't know if you can find them in UK at festivals, collectors fairs etc, but living in Italy my (almost) only chance is Ebay. So far I bought T.Hardy's 78 (2x) & 87; Courage Imp Stout 83 (plus a 92 that I already had); Gale's POA abot 1985; and a commemorative 1978 Traquair Ale. I usually watch ebay and have an idea of the "standard" prices; I see that you can get a Courage IRS or T.Hardy's at about $10-12 for 80's vintages, around $20 for 70's (but I found my 78 at £8 each). Gale's POA and Traquair were cheaper. Probably alle these would be cheaper at collectors fairs. You should not overstimate the values. I read in an article that an antique dealer had an unopened 1903 Bass King's Ale (still possibly drinkable and great according to some expert) on sale for something like $300 or $500. In another article I read that a rich US restaurant owner paid $1000 to have it. Well, I've seen many times the same bottle sold on ebay at £20-£25, and read in a collector's site that it is usually sold from UK collectors at £8 - £10! In fact it is not a rare bottle, it's 100 years old but at that time they brewed a huge batch and there are many bottles around.

As for the tasting experiences... I'm still waiting for the right occasion to open at least the 1978 TH; I am also tempted to invite a friend and try a Russian Stout vertical (Courage 83 & 93 + le Coq 2000). (Hey, if you have a 92 you could join me ;-))

In the past I had mixed success with old beers. A 10 year old Het Kapittel Prior was drinkable but unexceptional. I had a good surprise with a 1989 Imperial Old Ale, a barleywine by Dudley& Wolverhampton that was not supposed to be aged, not bottle condioned (AFAIK) and sold as a collectible at &1 at the GBBF. It was great! Not too maderized, just a bit, what you can expect and like in a beer of that style, and still with some condition.

So I would say... if you want to try having a different tasting experience and try an old beer (taht cood be superb or mediocre or undrinkable) for the price of a Westvleteren or Baladin or a good wine (or less if you are lucky)... well, why not, once in a while!

ciao max