I am planning to brew a batch and bottle in nice flip top bottles for Christmas gifts.
I was planning a Russian Imperial Stout. I was going to brew an Old Rasputin clone recipe from the AHA website. North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout Clone - Beer Recipe - American Homebrewers Association
How long should I age the beer? In other words should I hurry up and brew or wait a while?
Edit: actual the article says age only a month or so due to lots of late hops. I missed that before.
I don’t want to burst your bubble, but the flip top bottles (IMO) do not age beers well. They simply let too much oxygen in over time and lead to a much faster rate of oxidation in your beer. I would really only use those for immediate consumption, but that is just me, and I HATE oxidized beer.
Well that sucks. A friend gave me 60 bottles. I spent weeks removing labels.
They are good bottles for filling and taking to parties or to give to friends that will consume them fairly quickly, but I would not age an expensive, big beer in them.
Bottle issue aside, I’d brew it soon. Most big beers benefit from aging. Double IPA, maybe not. I’m finding beers over 7% can benefit from aging for 4 or more years, depending on the style.
For what it’s worth, I hide back a few bottles of each batch just to see how it ages. That way I can try to find the “prime” drinking age. Some will surprise you.