Born on Date: 1993

Last weekend at the GABF, I stopped by the Alaskan Brewing Co. booth because I am a big fan of their Smoked Porter and well…it was right at the entrance.  The beer is very subtle for a smoked beer and well liked by many beer drinkers across the US.  The company smokes some of the malt before brewing using alder wood which is also used to smoke salmon.  For those who have never tried a smoke beer, it probably sounds strange but, if done right it can be a great treat!

Once at their booth, I discovered that they were offering vintage beers as far back as 1993.  Yes…the beer I drank was 13 years old!  I also tried a 1996 and the 2006 again for comparison.  In case you did not know, not all beers go bad a couple of months after their “born on date”.  Many beers do need to be consumed sooner rather than later, but there are some types of beers that, like wine, can age for long periods of time and continue to drink well.

So what allows a beer to age for a long time and still be good?  First, a beer needs to be  handled well to ever have a chance at being good 1, 2, or 3 years down the road.  Alaskan Brewing Co. has kept all of their beer in a dark cooler in their warehouse for the entire 13 years.  Heat and sunlight are enemies to any beer and can cause off flavors.  Second, their beer contains ingredients that have been smoked.  Think about smoked meat and how much longer it lasts.  There is a preservative nature to smoking food.  Finally, their beer contains some yeast which helps to absorb any oxygen added to the bottle during packaging.  The yeast uses the oxygen in their normal reproduction cycle as they continue to live in the bottle.

Smoked beers are not the only ones that can age well. There are a few other styles that also age well.  Barley Wine and Imperial Stout both tend to age well over time.  Each of these beers contains a high level of alcohol, sometimes higher than 10% ABV.  Many enthusiasts will buy extra beer of these styles each year to stash in their fridge to try a year or two on down the road against current batches.

So what happens over time as the beers age?  Flavors mellow.  Hop aroma (if present) fades.  Smoke characteristics tend to be less assertive.  The change in flavor parallels the development of a good Cab that may be a little too tanic when released.  You buy the bottle, cellar it, and open it later.

Overall, I found the 1993 and the 1996 Smoked Porter to be very smooth and the smoke flavors to be very well balanced against the normal roasted grain flavors common to porters.  A wonderful surprise and I hope they continue the tradition next year!