biere de garde

[Crinkle]

Looking for some tips on this one, it's completely out of my comfort zone. I feel ok with the recipe and actual brewing, but want some advice on aging. Read alot about a "cellar" flavor, and read some people think a cork makes a difference for this style. So my question is, should I age it with some corks? I was thinking a few corks from some store bought biere de gardes, or my brother in law makes wine, I could use a couple of his wine corks (used of course.) My third option is wood aging, I haven't really found anything on this so not sure if its true to style with this one. Any thoughts. Thanks in advance.

[brewinhard]

I would say typically that commercial versions CAN have that musty, corky thing going on. Most likely caused by molds present in the cork itself. Homebrewed versions do NOT need to display this character and should therefore be judged appropriately in this way. A homebrewed version will tend to be "cleaner" than a commercial version too. If you have the ability to cork up some bottles then by all means go for it. I would probably lager the beer for a bit first to make sure it is nice and clear before packaging. Depending on the version/strength of biere de garde you are brewing aging can vary. Oak aging is not typical for this style although I am sure many were aged in casks back in the day. A small amount of oak could be a nice complement but is not necessary to achieve a good version.

A dark malty bruin can probably age better than the pale version. What recipe are you planning on going with?

[Crinkle]

I'll try to remember the recipe, I don't have it with me at the moment.

9 pounds pilsner
3 pounds munich
1.5 pounds aromatic
0.75 pounds caravienna

plan on a 90 minute mash and 90 minute boil
1 pound brown sugar
hops at 60 minutes 1 oz. Fuggle, .5oz liberty
Wyeast German Ale
I'm planning on kegging and aging in keg for 3-6 months (as long as I can keep myself from drinking it )
I never read anything on aging it in wood, I just asked, because I figured they probably had to store in wooden casks, so I was curious as to why this isn't part of the style?
I've got my ingrediants and I'm ready to go, just have to brew my bouborn barrel porter first