The brewing process can be long. You will at least have to wait about a month and may have to wait a few. During this time many forces are acting upon your beer, growing it, shaping it, getting it ready for its debut. Then you have to drink it all before it goes bad. Who wants old beer, right?
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| Not me! |
Well that’s not always the case. Sometimes all that hard work sets the beer up for an even longer stage of aging. Today’s beer claims it will age for up to five years. Of course it’ll age longer, but then it would become more like the image above rather than the one below. Here is Goose Island’s Matilda.
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| Little different angle from the usual. |
Matilda is a Belgian, but you might not guess that by drinking it. When we hear “Belgian” we think of funky yeasts that produce aromas like bananas and craisins. The Matilda I had was almost devoid of these. You could tell the yeast strain was from that part of the world by the fruitiness it did have, but it just didn’t throw off the usual explosions of tasty confusion. It was very enjoyable, but putting your finger on anything specific was a challenge. It hid the 7% ABV fairly well while still letting you feel its presence. Rather tart and moderately dry. The bottle I had was dated 2012 so I can only wonder what it’ll taste like in five years.
Like wines, many beers can be aged. Malty and high alcohol beers make good candidates because aging mellows the brew, making it easier to drink. Since bite is kind of the point with many pale ales and all IPAs, these usually don’t get cellar treatment. What would Matilda look like after five years? Well, the tartness would subside, letting the sweets and that subtle fruitiness shine forward a bit more. The already well hidden 7% ABV could become almost mischievous. Maybe it could even clear up a bit, but it’s pretty clear as is. The only way to know is to try it. Oh darn!
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