Barrel Conditioning

Originally posted by darkguardian
The best DIPA I had was oak barrel aged and hoppy as all hell. You obviously don’t think a ipa or dipa should ever be oak aged or spend time in a barrel. Thats crazy. And if a beer is aged in said way that in no way effects the style of the beer, that is the silliest thing I have ever heard. If its a barley wine its a barley wine. It doesn’t become so because the brewer decided to age his DIPA in an oak barrel for a month or two.

Originally posted by darkguardian
If you are talking serious long term aging for more than 2 months then I can see some of your point. But hoppiness isn’t going to dissolve in less than two months.

Originally posted by darkguardian
The only rule in brewing is that there are exceptions to every rule.

I’ve seen stuff that just should not work and yet somehow does.

Originally posted by darkguardian
Barrel aging is not going to change a beer’s basic style. It just isn’t. It may change characteristics of the beer for better or for worse but its not going to change what the beer is. A barrel aged imperial stout is still an imperial stout.

Originally posted by darkguardian
I just hate to see creativity stifled by nonsense like this:

The words "barrel condition" and "IPA" should never be this close together unless used in the following manner:

Yesterday I drank an IPA. A barrel conditioned barleywine was next.

Please make note of this so as not to repeat this mistake.

Originally posted by absolutesites

Originally posted by darkguardian
The best DIPA I had was oak barrel aged and hoppy as all hell. You obviously don’t think a ipa or dipa should ever be oak aged or spend time in a barrel. Thats crazy. And if a beer is aged in said way that in no way effects the style of the beer, that is the silliest thing I have ever heard. If its a barley wine its a barley wine. It doesn’t become so because the brewer decided to age his DIPA in an oak barrel for a month or two.

Yes it does.

Originally posted by darkguardian
If you are talking serious long term aging for more than 2 months then I can see some of your point. But hoppiness isn’t going to dissolve in less than two months.

That’s one of the most undersmart things I’ve ever heard.

Originally posted by darkguardian
The only rule in brewing is that there are exceptions to every rule.

I’ve seen stuff that just should not work and yet somehow does.

Next time you brew, why not mash at 190F. See how your it affects your conversion.

Yes . . . brewing is an art, but it is a science as well.

Please see the "concept" of a Black IPA.

Call it what you want, it’s STILL a hoppy porter.

Originally posted by absolutesites

Originally posted by absolutesites

Originally posted by Bigsilky
Those are good observations. However, I do disagree with the idea of recipe and style being off. I think conditioning is a matter of taste. And that’s certainly the heart of my response, no hard and fast rules. Example: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe is a favorite of mine. However, for my tastes I believe that they release their beers a little green. Not a slam against the brewery at all, but after a few months I believe the beer comes together and is well balanced, as balanced as a DIPA can be I guess.

What you are talking about and what the OP asked are two different things. He was speaking about bulk conditioning BEFORE bottling. Couple that with the fact that two months in the bottle is still relatively fresh and you see from where I’m coming. Again, just don’t see any need whatsoever to age any highly hopped beer for any length of time. Unless, that is, you’d like to drink it after its prime.

Originally posted by Bigsilky
I have brewed many of the great session ales of Northern Europe. While I do yield that an attractive aspect of homebrewing these beers is to hold the "Real McCoy," in terms of fresheness, I have had a few Hefes that need to lose a little bubblegum and have a more intergrated carbonation. Let’s not forget the time it takes for many of these beers to reach our domestic market, yet they are still well received and enjoyed.

And almost across the board these beers are MORE well received when consumed at the source in a fresher state.

Originally posted by Bigsilky
Again, I think the argument here is all about taste preference. I respect yours, and understand the arguments to propel your claims. Cheers. But, I don’t think that ideas of restriction have or ever will fuel the craft beer movement; or more importantly the bastion of homebrew. I started homebrewing to make beers that I couldn’t buy, not the ones that are considered classics. This forum typically provides encouragement...

If people come to this forum to try to reinvent the wheel then it is quite possible that they will receive advise to the contrary in regards to the question which they are asking.

I, maybe for one, refuse to just say, "Sounds great! Keep us posted.", and have that brewer, whether publicly or privately, be disappointed in his/her product. If I think that my advice can guide them in any way, shape, or form I’m going to give them that advice. Now whether they take it or not is up to them. People are free to fall flat on their face if they want.

As far as taste preference goes, sure, that can add some breadth to the argument. Personally, I think that taste preference is a cop-out. You may prefer different malts, specific hops, unique yeast strains, or higher gravities in your IPAs, but the fact STILL remains that an IPA should be VERY hop forward and by aging that IPA you are going to lose hop character.

That, my friend, is not opinion.

Like I said, if you want to age your IPA, just call it what it is. A barleywine. That way we’ll all be happy and we can drink a correctly advertised product.

Originally posted by Bigsilky
I hope that the Imperial Beer Drinkers Association revokes your tenure as King of Zymurgy soon.

Originally posted by Magicdave6
Your going a bit crazy here mate. Theres no new style as black ipa there is some IPA’s with a touch ot dark malt to make it dark though.

Originally posted by absolutesites

Originally posted by Magicdave6
Your going a bit crazy here mate. Theres no new style as black ipa there is some IPA’s with a touch ot dark malt to make it dark though.

Apparently you don’t drink much beer from Stone.

http://www.stonebrew.com/11th/ale/