The Bar Towel

Thought it might be fun to share some pix of my beer cellar. It's a dank little room under my front porch which stays mostly cool throughout the year. I keep it dry with a dehumidifier and I'm lucky enough to also have a fridge down there to keep other stuff cold. My wife is very tolerant of the extra fridge considering David Suzuki apparently hates beer since he wants her and other Ontarians to do away with such things.



Curious to see your setup too.

In the 1980's, I used to visit a beer specialty retailer in Paris and at this remove I can't recall the name of the place, it was on the right bank off the Rue de Rivoli (not far actually from the Picasso Museum). I went a few times over the years and then it was gone, I believe the owner passed away.

The beers were stored on shelves in a dim, cool basement, and viewing the photo above it brought that memory right back, right down to the grey walls.

I used to buy La Choulette there and other bieres de garde.

Gary

Jon - 2 questions:
1) Where do you live?
2) When are you next away on vacation?



I unfortunately have a shitty setup consisting of an apartment storage locker and a shoddy ikea cabinet. Luckily a house seems to be on the horizon, so this may lead to a better environment for storing beer. As it is, I've been trying to wind down what I already have in preparation, so there are no more than 30 bottles gathering dust as we speak.

Similar. Wide basement closet with cool bare cement floor to conduct away heat.

I cool the house 'passively' (open windows when it's cool outside / closed up when it's hot / roof attic space has thermostatic fan) and the basement generally remains cool & any seasonal fluctuations are slow and minimal.

I have excellent results aging wines and belgian beers. Life is good!

That top shelf looks like it's bowing a little in the middle. I can help you take some weight off of it . . . .

Similar basement setup myself, except it's under the breezeway, in the back half of the kids' "fort.". Only about 3 1/2 or 4 feet high in there, and poor lighting. It's uninsulated concrete block walls on 3 sides and concrete floor, below ground level, and also shares space with a (mostly) dry sump tank, which goes down another five feet below the house. So it's a little damp, but stays quite cool. Good for the homebrew, as well. Starting to get a little crowded, though. May have to kick the kids out of the fort soon.

Through the magic door in this unassuming furnace room, only the wine chiller I installed gives away what could be behind.






The show off shelves:
My collection of 2006 Chimay Grande Reserve Magnums



When I don't have enough shelf space my Abt 12 and Rochefort 10 stay in their boxes.



And the most pretentious of all:

I never keep beer long enough to store it. I don't have the patience or self control to not drink when its just sitting there.

Those pics are making me drool...

Wow! What are your hours, and how much do I tip the waitress?

So far all I've got is a couple cases worth stuffed in my Mother-in-Law to be's basement. Hopefully my income and the housing price slide will close on each other at a fast enough rate that I can afford a beer cellar before those 2006/2007 vintages reach peak quaffing quality

its in my basement, except the 5 i drink that week..i could sure use some storage shelves though

Wow...envious. Mine has lessened in quantity as we prepared for the Ireland trip and what i removed wasn't replaced. It's half the size of the top picture, very dark, and cramped but it can fit a nice number of bottles and boxes. Additionally, it's consistently cool.

I love seeing so many of my beers in these photos. As for me, I usually store my beer in my stomach.

I just can't keep it away from my belly long enough.

City/condo dwellers may be interested in Fine Wine Reserve, a wine storage facility where I rent space. It's set up for wine, 'natch, but works quite well for beer, too.

Thanks for that link Steve! The facility location is perfect for us.

Our wine quantities have grown (as well as some long term beer items) and I've been contemplating a wine fridge for home but have space challenges for larger units.