beer storage

[hopjack13]

to lay a beer down for a few years would it be safe to say leave them in the standing position(corked or bottle capped) and keep at about 58 degrees f ? someone told me if there was a cork to actually lay it down on its side in order to wet the cork, im not sure this is the right thing to do. :confused:

[fretlessman71]

Wow... better late than never, right?

I remember reading somewhere just recently that even the brewers of beers that have corks in them recommend that you cellar them in the upright position. Something about the yeast leaving a ring on the side of the bottle, and also the possibility of it oxidizing faster because there's a greater surface area of beer exposed to air in the bottle. If I see the article again, I'll bookmark it and send you the link.

[hopjack13]

yhea , that makes perfect sense , i went in to a store the other day and they had all thier corked beers laying down on their sides , it's not wine , and im not sure if cork can alter the flavor or not but i'll stick with standing them up.
thnx fret
cheers

[Richard English]

The reason why corked bottles (whatever they contain) should be laid down if they are to be stored for some time is a simple one.

Cork gradually shrinks as it dries and will, in the end, let in air. Keeping the bottles on their side ensures that the cork does not shrink and, if there is any porosity, the contents will gradually seep out rather than air seeping in. Cork failure can therefore be spotted in time to prevent the contents' being spoilt. The flavour of the beer or wine will not be affected by contact with the cork providing it is in good condition. However, contaminated corks can ruin the contents as anyone who has been served a glass of wine from a bottle that has been "corked" will surely know!

Having said which, for the kinds of periods for which beer is usually stored (weeks or months, rather than years) it's probably academic.

If the stopper is made from plastic or other synthetic material then the problem will not occur.

Incidentally, even now cork failure is a major problem for makers of quality wines (and there is a shortage of good-quality cork). However, buyers of quality wines will not accept any other kind of closure, so cork, with its many deficiencies, looks to be with us for many years yet.

[batkins]

I have a 750ml bottle of barley wine from Alesmith. It has a cork it the top....but it is covered in what I imagine to be some kind of wax, with no wire cage. Seems to me, that this would eliminate the abitlity of the cork to dry. Upright storage would seem ok. I plan on storing this for at least a year (if my strength holds out!).
Has my logic gone astray?
Thanks and cheers,
Bill

[Tweek]

If the cork dries out and shrinks it will pull the wax with it causing it to crack. The wax is merely decoration and will be of no use if your cork goes bad.

[hopjack13]

wouldn't the humidity in the bottle be enough to keep the cork from drying out?

[hopjack13]

Cork cells are impregnated with a waxy material, called suberin, that is almost impermeable to water or gases. Cork is also buoyant due to the presence of trapped air in the cavities of the waterproof dead cells. When cut these cells act as suction-cups and become adhesive, thus making them ideal bottle stoppers.
Natural cork is sometimes prone to drying out, however we've never had any problems -- even with beers aged 10+ years upright. Today's modern plastic/synthetic, screw cap, agglomerated, technical and capsulated corks are a lot less prone to shrinkage, to the point where it's not even worth worrying about. If a beer has been both corked and capped or corked then waxed, cork shrinkage is definitely not a major concern.
The inside of the bottle already contains its own humidity level, and as a result will not dry out the portion of the cork inside the bottle if stored properly. So the idea of laying a beer down to ensure that the liquid touches the cork to prevent drying is a moot point -- remember "almost impermeable to water", the cork is not going to act like a sponge. It's the cork exposed to the open air that should be of concern, however an ample amount of humidity is all that is required to stop any exposed cork from drying out during long-term storage.
Cork problems are usually a sign of a bad cork or a cork that has passed its lifespan, not necessarily a sign of poor storage. Agglomerated corks last for about 1-3 years before beginning to disintegrate. Plastic corks eventually lose their elasticity, too. We suggest contacting the brewery to find out what type of cork they used, and its expected lifespan.
Long storage of a beer on its side can create a yeast ring (or water-mark) inside the bottle, which will not settle. Storing a beer upright will ensure that the yeast compacts to the bottom of the bottle.
The upright storage method decreases the amount of exposed beer thus slowing oxidation of the beer.
Another real good reason for not storing a beer on its side is that long exposure to the cork (especially non-taint treated natural cork) can impart cork flavours within the beer. The alcohol in beer draws out that mouldy/musty character of the cork and in fact can taint the beer. In our opinion this doesn't add any wanted complexity to the beer. Natural cork can also harbour certain fungal bacterias which are believed to create an off-flavour compound called 2,4,6, Trichloroanisole or simply TCA, which renders its victim lifeless and dull to the taste.
Many vintage beers are kept on beer shelves for quite some time before being sold. Don't you think beer stores would shelve their corked beers like wine, if they were meant to be laid-down like wine?
We've spoken to dozens of brewers, who all recommend the upright method of beer storage. Even world-renowned brewers like Chimay and Riva suggest that you store all of their beers upright.

[batkins]

Damn, where did you come up with that?

:D

Cheers,
Bill

[hopjack13]

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store.php

i've got a trade going on there and their beer 101 section is quite usefull;)
cheers

[Caffinehog]

Get some oxygen barrier caps. If you don't, you'll be lucky if it lasts a year.