Apartment Aged Beer is a Mixed Bag

February 11, 2012

For the young urban professional, there is nothing quite like a move to throw a wrench in your routine. A new apartment yields a new commute, new surroundings, and a shit ton of boxes to unpack. Yes, moving apartments sure is a pain in the derriere, but sometimes combing through your belongings in preparation for a move can result in a good find!

For instance, a couple days ago as I socked away all of my worldly possessions, I unearthed three bottles of Ommegang picked up on a trip to Cooperstown - two Abbey Ales, and a bottle of Three Philosophers. These particular bottles were purchased in August 2010 as part of a variety pack at the Ommegang gift shop.

For those of you not familiar with Brewery Ommegang, they specialize in a Belgian-style ale that is a real treat. I highly recommend a visit to their Brewery in Central New York if you're in the area visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame or just getting your fill of the majestic vistas of the finger lakes region. I'm not typically into the wheaty belgian ales, but theirs is mighty fine and with one taste of Ommegang on the tour it's easy to walk out of there with a full case. It's cheaper than you'd find at a supermarket, and supposedly, you can age certain styles for years. Of course, ideally this would be in a climate controlled cellar, not in an apartment that has exposed my cardboard box of precious cargo to heatwaves, cold snaps, and maybe even a little sunlight (gulp).

Has my hesitance to It's time to test: what happens when a quality beer is "apartment aged" in a New York City apartment? Will it still hit the spot? Or will it end up circling the drain of my kitchen sink? Being that my tastebuds are a far cry from the palate sophistication of a critic on RateBeer or BeerAdvocate, I figured I'd leave it up to a good old fashioned comparative taste test. On my way to a friend's party, I picked up a fresh bottle of Abbey ale to accompany my aged beers. There you have it. Trying to age beer in your apartment is a risky endeavor that is only as effective as your ability to maintain it's temperature. The moral here is that unless you're perfectly set up for it, if you buy a BUNCH of beer on an impulse buy, be prepared to drink it quickly. Else, you may end up with a bad taste in your mouth. Literally.