What is the Time Beer Series?

Pelicon Time is a series of rich and strong beer styles that we brewed between 2017 and 2020. These are strong brews that we let rest for a year in various distillate barrels. The beer waits and breathes with the environment, during this process interactions occur between the beer, wood and oxygen. What is created is a unique time capsule. You can read more about the idea and history behind aged beers in the blog Tvoj čas bo prišel , written by Anita Lozar and Matej Pelicon for the Delo newspaper.

Hop Brewer: Your Time Will Come, published January 4, 2018

For several years, Slovenia has had the oldest sealed beer in the world from the Stare brewery in Mengeš. According to recent discoveries, these are bottles of the oldest beer in continental Europe. Stare's beer may not have been brewed to last more than a hundred years, but many have. Some of them are still brewed and drunk. Perhaps the most infamous of these is the Ratcliff ale from 1869, which the lucky ones say is not only still good, but "magnificent". When it comes to aging, choosing a beer style is the most rewarding. While regular beer is ready to drink in about a month, there are quite a few that are specifically designed for aging. Some even have this emphasized in their names, such as Stock Ale or Bier de Garde.

In recent years, modern brewers have been rediscovering the technology of aging beer. In addition to classic lagering, the most popular method is aging beer in wooden barrels. Used barrels are more interesting than new barrels. Mainly because of the liquid that was previously waiting in this barrel. This plays an important role in the final taste of the beer after aging. In principle, wine barrels are more suitable for fresher beers, while distillate barrels are better for clean, stronger beers. But there are really no rules. Before the invention of stainless steel, wooden containers were used mainly for fermentation, transport and serving. However, since the wooden pores were difficult to clean, all beers in the past were more or less "infected" with various roommates in the beer equipment. Resourceful brewers made their beers with them in mind. English Stock Ale has always had the characteristic aroma of Brettanomyces yeast, and some brewers in Brussels still brew beers with a very low pH and are therefore quite acidic, but tasty.

Today, brewers are more interested in the “breathing” of wooden barrels. Barrels expand and contract as temperatures fluctuate, sucking in and squeezing out liquid. This way, the liquid takes on the aroma of the wood, while the wood retains the aroma of the liquid. The same thing happens with beer, which over time also absorbs some of the previous liquid that was in the barrel. With proper aging, this interaction can create new, more interesting aromas and flavors that would otherwise not be there. But if the barrel still has any living inhabitants, then the fight for nutrients begins.

All of this takes time. And time becomes an interesting component of this complex process. Time becomes an ingredient in beer, affecting not only the brew, but also the brewer's will, self-control, and patience. And while we're on the subject of time, maybe it's time to say why we're writing about it.

To gather as much information as possible, our journey took us from northern Norway through the Netherlands to the USA. We spoke to many fellow brewers who shared their long-standing experience and advice with us. Knowledge also came from local brewers. So, with a bunch of practical advice, facts and books, we tried to create something that had no guarantees, only great potential. But only if we did everything right and, of course, had a little luck.

Until today, we have been quietly aging a few liters of amber ale. We let the beer sit in wooden barrels of three different distillates for almost a year. We strengthened our iron will by closing the door to the isolated room and placing some heavy barriers in front of it, making it really difficult to move them. And we hardly talked about the special room with anyone. Months passed like this, and with each visit it was obvious how time left its mark on the beer. From strong beer to alcoholic vanilla, from orange notes to sweet woody harmony, and so on. Until last December, when we added a secret house ingredient to the beer. In January, the time came for the 2017 time capsule to go into bottles, where it will wait another month or two before we can enjoy it for the first time.

We don't know how many years the Pelicon time capsule will live. It was brewed with aging in mind. Perhaps one of the rare and precious bottles will age for over a hundred years, and maybe some lucky person will open it and say that it is still magnificent. But rather than wait, we want it to be drunk in our lifetime with memories of a wonderful year 2017. In the meantime, we wish you a happy new year, which we will try, if only we are lucky, to record again in the form of a beer time capsule for 2018.

Rank! Anita and Matej