jjpm74
04-01-2006, 10:06 AM
I'm starting this thread so we can share our experiences with cellaring of various beers mainly so we can learn what holds up well and what doesn't. Whether it's something obvious like a good barleywine or something not so obvious like kindl weiss, it'd be nice to learn more about the trial and error practices that are involved in cellaring beers.
I'll start off with a few recent ones of mine and some general cellaring practices. Take what I do with a grain of salt as there's still a lot of debate as to how to properly cellar beer beyond the obvious keep away from light and heat. I store most of my beers in a cellar that fluxuates between 51.5 degrees Fahrenheit and 61 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the time of the year. There is rarely a time when the cellar goes above that and it has never been colder than 51.5. There is no direct light hitting any of the bottles. I store everything upright on shelves that are grated so air can circulate around them and keep the oldest and most delicate of the bottles on a bottom shelf that gets no light and is close to the cement floor. The only bottles I do not store upright are Quelque Chose and that is only because they have always reminded me of mulled sangria (especially when heated up) than beer. I do have a small refridgerator that I use to keep seasonals, growlers, some suspended yeast samples, hops and experiments in (such as a bottle of Stone 7th that I have in the fridge which I will be doing a comparison tasting with a 7th I have in my cellar sometime next year). The refridgerator is kept at a constant 48 degrees.
Now for a couple of tasting notes based on what I have cellared. first up is a bottle I've had in my cellar for about 5 years. The bottle dates to 1981 so the manner in which it was stored prior to my ownership of it is uncertain.
Beer: Ind Coop Strong Lager Brewed to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana 29th July 1981. Sampled 3/28/06.
Pours a reddish copper opaque color with a ring of white bubbles. There was a faint pop when removing the cap which was a welcome sound. Smells of horseblanket, lemons, lime, caramel, molasses and brandy. There is also a fair amount of toffee and alcohol burn on the nose. Taste is thin and faded. This one's definitely well past its prime. The main elements still present are nutty pecans, sugary faro like qualities, and a peppery English Earl Grey like tea aftertaste. There is a fair amount of lacing left behind on the brandy snifter I drank this one in and there were no signs of oxidation or infection which is pretty impressive for a beer that is almost 25 years old. I was hoping for a more chewy mouthfeel, but was otherwise surprised by how drinkable this one was. While I have a few more bottles of this, I can't see them improving at all with age.
Beer: Post Road Pumpkin Ale purchased in Fall of 2004 consumed in Spring 2006.
Stored in the refridgerator: Pours a dark amber color with a nice creamy head. Smells slightly oxidized, but the pumpkin pie spices are as pronounced as a fresh bottle. Tastes of pumpkin pie spices and minimal faded hoppy elements. One that can hold up about a year beyond its enjoy by date, but not much more.
That's all for now. I have others that have been in my possession the whole time and will be entering them in this thread as I get around to the notes I wrote at the time of trying them or as I get to sampling them. What are the impressions of others here about cellaring and their effects on beer as it ages? Is it better to store in a cellar or in a refridgerator? Upright or on its side? Any experimental cellarings?
I'll start off with a few recent ones of mine and some general cellaring practices. Take what I do with a grain of salt as there's still a lot of debate as to how to properly cellar beer beyond the obvious keep away from light and heat. I store most of my beers in a cellar that fluxuates between 51.5 degrees Fahrenheit and 61 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the time of the year. There is rarely a time when the cellar goes above that and it has never been colder than 51.5. There is no direct light hitting any of the bottles. I store everything upright on shelves that are grated so air can circulate around them and keep the oldest and most delicate of the bottles on a bottom shelf that gets no light and is close to the cement floor. The only bottles I do not store upright are Quelque Chose and that is only because they have always reminded me of mulled sangria (especially when heated up) than beer. I do have a small refridgerator that I use to keep seasonals, growlers, some suspended yeast samples, hops and experiments in (such as a bottle of Stone 7th that I have in the fridge which I will be doing a comparison tasting with a 7th I have in my cellar sometime next year). The refridgerator is kept at a constant 48 degrees.
Now for a couple of tasting notes based on what I have cellared. first up is a bottle I've had in my cellar for about 5 years. The bottle dates to 1981 so the manner in which it was stored prior to my ownership of it is uncertain.
Beer: Ind Coop Strong Lager Brewed to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana 29th July 1981. Sampled 3/28/06.
Pours a reddish copper opaque color with a ring of white bubbles. There was a faint pop when removing the cap which was a welcome sound. Smells of horseblanket, lemons, lime, caramel, molasses and brandy. There is also a fair amount of toffee and alcohol burn on the nose. Taste is thin and faded. This one's definitely well past its prime. The main elements still present are nutty pecans, sugary faro like qualities, and a peppery English Earl Grey like tea aftertaste. There is a fair amount of lacing left behind on the brandy snifter I drank this one in and there were no signs of oxidation or infection which is pretty impressive for a beer that is almost 25 years old. I was hoping for a more chewy mouthfeel, but was otherwise surprised by how drinkable this one was. While I have a few more bottles of this, I can't see them improving at all with age.
Beer: Post Road Pumpkin Ale purchased in Fall of 2004 consumed in Spring 2006.
Stored in the refridgerator: Pours a dark amber color with a nice creamy head. Smells slightly oxidized, but the pumpkin pie spices are as pronounced as a fresh bottle. Tastes of pumpkin pie spices and minimal faded hoppy elements. One that can hold up about a year beyond its enjoy by date, but not much more.
That's all for now. I have others that have been in my possession the whole time and will be entering them in this thread as I get around to the notes I wrote at the time of trying them or as I get to sampling them. What are the impressions of others here about cellaring and their effects on beer as it ages? Is it better to store in a cellar or in a refridgerator? Upright or on its side? Any experimental cellarings?