Imperial Stouts

[jmadway]

It seems as though the general rule of thumb with big, boozy imperial stouts is that you must condition them for at least 6 months before drinking them.

My question is this: I have had many a fine 9+% commercial stout on draft and in bottles that certainly did not spend much time aging. In Northern California, where I live, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is on draft all over the place. And unless I'm mistaken, they don't leave their kegs sitting around the brewery to age, nor do they take up fermenter space letting their stout get much age on it.

So why the insistence on conditioning homebrewed imperial stouts for so long? I understand that the flavors may mature and age, and that the alcohol may cool off a bit, but if commercial breweries can produce delicious stouts without aging them for very long, why can't a homebrewer?

 

[Teromous]

You can drink it whenever you want to. It's your homebrew.

 

[stpug]

Drink 'em when they taste great!

We are HOMEbrewers, and we do what we want.

No need to follow convention or suggestion; do as you want/like and, if you're kind enough, report back your findings.

Cheers!

 

[jmadway]

I understand that I can drink my beer whenever I want and that I don't have to follow convention. That's not what I'm asking.

I'm just curious why it is recommended that we age big stouts and porters for so long when the commercial examples we are so often drinking in the world are almost certainly not conditioned in the brewery for that long? I know lots of folks cellar their beers, but just as often we buy one at the store and drink it that night.

 

[Calder]

Commercial brewers are consistent at what they do. They pitch the correct amount of yeast, control temperatures, and filter the fine harsh grain particles from the beer.

We are usually less than perfect, and many of our big beers benefit from some amount of aging. If it tastes fine, drink it ...... just save a bottle to see what it could have been.

 

[tally350z]

Lots of homebrewers don't use proper pitch rates, proper ferm temps, ect. If you do all the proper steps than the lenght of aging is significantly reduced. Its kind of when people make wine or mead and because of the high alchol potential of these, there is a creater chance of fusel alcohol taste from poor pitch rates or too high of a ferm temp. So people must age them for longer periods of time hoping the fusel flavors reduce. I make an Imperial stout that is around 10% and I usually go from carboy to glass in a month and half to two months.
There is also the other train of thought that when you age a beer the flavors will change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. So people will sit on them for a while.