This is the sixth and last part of this series - please click on the links below to visit my previous posts. 

I’ve finally come to the end of my six part series on why beers high in abv% (alcohol by volume) tend to age well. In the process I’ve managed to establish something that we all pretty much knew - that high ethanol levels have a dramatic impact on the flavor profile of aging beers. I thought I would take some time here to sum up what we’ve found out about ethanol in aging beer and maybe add a thought or two of my own.

• Microbial Growth Inhibition- High ethanol levels inhibit the growth of micro-organisms that cause beer spoilage - As we found out, although ethanol is commonly used in industrial food applications as an anti-microbial agent, the ethanol levels that exist in beer are much to low to have any substantial effect on the growth of spoiling organisms.

• Alcohol “Masking” Effect - High levels of ethanol that are typically produced in big beers do a better job of hiding stale flavors then less powerful beers - Although ethanol flavor masking in of itself probably contributes little to the overall flavor profile of an aging beer, the big flavors often associated with high abv% beers can certainly overwhelm subtler stale tastes that may be present in your vintage brew.

• Reactions Involving Ethanol - Beneficial reactions involving ethanol occur more often in beers high in ABV% - Compounds such as the various ethers and esters formed in reactions involving ethanol can have huge impacts on a beer’s flavor (both positive and negative). More ethanol present in any given beer results in higher rates of these compounds forming.

• Compounds Produced With Ethanol - Brewing methods that are used to create these “big beers” also create other compounds that are responsible for flavor enhancement during aging - Other compounds created during the brewing of high abv% have been shown to be very active in creating flavorful compounds in aging beer. Maillard reactions are particularly important in this regard.

• Ethanol Inhibits Some Reactions - The rate of certain staling reactions slows down in the presence of ethanol - Ethanol certainly has a big effect on how beer oxidizes. Food science has also shown that it probably has an effect on other kinds of reactions too.

Once again, as I walk away from this topic, I’m reminded that beer aging is a frightfully complex phenomena. Individual brewing methods, ingredients, and environmental conditions can all dramatically alter any given beer’s aging flavor profile.

The more I learn about this stuff, the more it seems I don’t know. I think that’s a big reason I’ve been sucked in to this cellaring beer hobby so fast, there’s still so much to discover and have fun with here. Thanks for reading!

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

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