Horizontal or Vertical?

[Wilson]

I've got a few corked bottles that I store horizontally and a few more that are just standing up. I guess I think those bottles are similar to wine, better to store them on their sides. Is this right, or does it really matter? It probably depends on length of storage too huh?

[dparsons]

Horizontal keeps the cork wet and swollen. If it dries out, air gets in.

[chazwicke]

However, storing a bottle on it's side exposes a larger area to air and oxidation. I remember having this discussion back when the first TripleBock came out in 94. The consensus then was to occasionally tip the bottles to wet the cork but to stand them up.

[HarkJohnny]

interesting! i have three corked bottles at the moment and don't plan on drinking them anytime too soon. i'll give em each a lengthy tip and then stand them back up.

(and one of them is a 97 Triple Bock which I don't intend to drink ... oh maybe ever! lol)

[HogieWan]

I say upright - BA says it well (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store.php), especially the parts on sediment and cork taint

edit - The bulleted list and the preceding paragraph talk about the orientation of stored beer

[fretlessman71]

I don't have a shelf that stays cool enough this time of year to stand them up, so right now my extra tall bottles are laying down in the fridge. When the back room stops getting up to 90° during the day, I'll move them back. I've got a bottle of La Folie, Gonzo, and two bottles of Black Cauldron Imp Stout. If I could set it up in the fridge where the bottles were tilted up at a 30° angle, that might be ideal, huh?

Cool - I got to use the ° sign twice in a post! (Oops... there's three...)

[n0rmann]

Depending on the mood and where I'm located. Oh, you mean storing beer. Oops.

I'd think in a sunless room, horizontally, similar to wine.

[dparsons]

Originally posted by chazwicke
However, storing a bottle on it's side exposes a larger area to air and oxidation. I remember having this discussion back when the first TripleBock came out in 94. The consensus then was to occasionally tip the bottles to wet the cork but to stand them up.

Wouldn't tipping the bottles mix things up more causing even more exposure?

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by dparsons
Wouldn't tipping the bottles mix things up more causing even more exposure?

I don't think that surface area really matter if you store a bottle for 2 years. But I like to keep as much sediment as possible in the bottle and you need a really compact cake at the bottom to hold through multiple pours as is commonly required of large, corked bottles