I was wondering what you guys thought about the possibility of aging this beer?
I recall once being at Smokeless Joe's and speaking with a very knowledgable bartender there, and he mentionned to me, he was doing a private tasting, and someone brough a bottle of the goudenband from something insane like 1989.
Apparantly the beer has totally changed, and it had turned black, and was very much like a porter, he claims it was very enjoyable.
Now, i took that in stride, and i had one left over from the LCBO release, and i kept it, and i still have it.
I've heard schools of though of not aging anything under 8%, and depends on if its bottle conditionned.
Well the goudenband is 8%, but i'm not sure about ageing a flemish sour.
what do you guys think? Is it worth it? or should i enjoy it now? I wouldnt want to waste it, i really enjoyed it when i had it in the past.
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Liefmans Goudenband
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Jon Walker
- Seasoned Drinker
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The 8% and above bottle conditioned is a decent rule of thumb to determine aging potential BUT there are always exceptions above and below that mark that age or DO NOT age well.
The best piece of advice I can offer about aging in general is to only do so if you have a good cellar set up. Beers shouldn't be kept long term in a fridge, and they shouldn't be stored anywhere there's excess light or temperature variations. In an old apartment I tried "aging" some bottle conditioned ales on a rack in my closet. The thing I didn't account for was that I had no A.C. and in the summer the interior temperature of that closet climbed over 40 degrees on more than a few ocassions. The beer was wrecked as a result. You also shouldn't be planning any big moves either. Taking dozens of aged bottles out into the sun and temperature to your new home isn't ideal.
I have two or three of those same Goudenbands aging. I haven't aged any before so I have no idea how they'll turn out. But I doubt I'll age anything I currently have for more than three to five years tops.
The thing is, you've got to be willing to risk spoiling a perfectly drinkable beer (now) on the off chance it develops into something better down the road. There's no guarantees that it will...that's the fun of it.
The best piece of advice I can offer about aging in general is to only do so if you have a good cellar set up. Beers shouldn't be kept long term in a fridge, and they shouldn't be stored anywhere there's excess light or temperature variations. In an old apartment I tried "aging" some bottle conditioned ales on a rack in my closet. The thing I didn't account for was that I had no A.C. and in the summer the interior temperature of that closet climbed over 40 degrees on more than a few ocassions. The beer was wrecked as a result. You also shouldn't be planning any big moves either. Taking dozens of aged bottles out into the sun and temperature to your new home isn't ideal.
I have two or three of those same Goudenbands aging. I haven't aged any before so I have no idea how they'll turn out. But I doubt I'll age anything I currently have for more than three to five years tops.
The thing is, you've got to be willing to risk spoiling a perfectly drinkable beer (now) on the off chance it develops into something better down the road. There's no guarantees that it will...that's the fun of it.
I don't always piss in a bottle but when I do...I prefer to call it Dos Equis.
Aging may change a beer a lot, or very little, or not really much for the better. Depends.
It may end up simply 'different' rather than really better or worse.
Some old Barbar Winter Bok has really mellowed its sharp, wild honey notes that were harsh to me when new - it's much more pleasant now than I ever expected. The '04 Orval is just as rewarding. So there's a chance of some reward you have to be willing to risk a little to gain - no guarantees, but Goudenband, optimally it should age well, no?
It may end up simply 'different' rather than really better or worse.
Some old Barbar Winter Bok has really mellowed its sharp, wild honey notes that were harsh to me when new - it's much more pleasant now than I ever expected. The '04 Orval is just as rewarding. So there's a chance of some reward you have to be willing to risk a little to gain - no guarantees, but Goudenband, optimally it should age well, no?
In Beerum Veritas
The best before date from the brewery is 10 years on this brand. Although we were talking to a guy from Riva who told us that they have had Goudenband 25 years old that was absolutely superb.
The beer itself will mature with age and take on more of the sour attributes and less sweetness it has when it is young.
The beer itself will mature with age and take on more of the sour attributes and less sweetness it has when it is young.
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robinvboyer
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well this is all very encouraging. I'm definetly going to keep this and age it, see what comes of it. And yes the expiry on my bottle is January 2016. So yeah, DUH, i guess i should have taken off the paper and looked first, that would have given me a good idea that i would be able to age it. But thanks everyone for the info, it was very interesting and informative. 
I've had some of my Leifman's Gouldend and and Frambozenbier in the cellar for over a year now and it was OK...I drink about 1 a month and so far no problems. I suspect the acid levels as well as the ABV have something to do with fending off spoilage.
The gouldenband is classed as a "provision beer" and the brewer claims that it can be stored for "several years in a good cave". So I suspect if you find a dark dry place that stays at 50 degrees F constant you have a "good cave"
The gouldenband is classed as a "provision beer" and the brewer claims that it can be stored for "several years in a good cave". So I suspect if you find a dark dry place that stays at 50 degrees F constant you have a "good cave"
Aventinus rules!
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SteelbackGuy
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