bottled beer storage

[batkins]

I see people acquiring collections of beer. Some have collections with beers of vintages several years old. Would these still be good to drink? Is it a gamble? Some get better, some worse? Is there some limit to how long they might last? Will they turn to vinegar in time? I would imagine refrigeration would be a factor, what would be best? Never seemed to have a problem with beer sitting around to long in this house. ;)
Thanks,
Bill Atkins

[paul84043]

I'm no beer expert, but I'll relay what I have picked up in my wanderings...
Higher alcohol beers require a longer conditioning, some even several years, but the higher alcohol is also what allows them to be stored for that long.
The same goes for Lagers, the slower colder fermentations lend themselves to longer store-ability taking into consideration temperature. I don't know how well the colder fermenting beers store at regular basement temperature, I think they store better cold as well, but as long sas the temperature is not above 70 or so, I don't think it's a problem once the initial post bottling fermentation has completed.
The faster brewing beers (Ales and such) store just fine at basement temp, and can maintain palatability and even improve with a year of aging. You have to be very patient....

Kegging is another story, if you are going to keg, then plan on drinking it within a few months if stored in the basement (a few days after being tapped.)
And 6 months or more if stored cold.
There are many varables that will affect store-ability and taste. Probably too many to be able to say with total confidence that everything is great.
They say that a "problem beer" given the time to age may very well turn into a great beer, but bad beer, is just that.