How best to store beer for aging?

[Urotsukidoji]

OK, this might seem dumb, but I've never aged beer before (well, not on purpose that is) ....

I have a wine cellar, I know you should lay wine down to keep the cork moist.

I assume corked beer should be the same, but what about beer that is capped, can it stand? Does it matter? And in general, should beer be kept in a cooler environment than wine? Would it be beneficial or detrimental if it was kept in a fridge for an extended period of time? Curious for your opinions...

[JeffPorter]

There's a few reasons why people don't lay beers down on their sides - these are the ones I've heard about, not sure if they're verified or not

1) Yeast sediment can settle of the side of the bottle (and stay there) which can be kind of nasty when you drink it.

2) Bottles tend to be pretty humid in the inside and as long as your cellar has decent humidity, the corks should be fine on the outside

3) Some people believe that have the beer touch the cork CAN impart off flavours (not sure why this isn't true for wine, though.)

4) Some also think that laying it on it's side exposes it to more oxygen (which it probably does, but again, not sure why this isn't the same for wine)

In terms of temp - it really depends on the beer. If you have some of those Westys (or any other beer that takes a LONG time to mature) you probably want to keep them out of the fridge or really cold temperatures, because instead of peaking in 4(?) years, they might take longer.

For me, the big thing is I want to keep that sediment on the bottom rather than sticking to the side.

The only time I've ever heard about a cork crumbling, was that 150 year old bottle of Arctic Ale. But I think that was at the bottom of the sea, and apparently still tasted good.

Um...what else...I remember reading somewhere, too, that in terms of humidity, keeping corked beer in the fridge for long long periods of time isn't a good idea because fridges are designed to be less humid.

Others with more cellaring experience and knowledge will chime in.

Looks like you already have a great place to store your beer, which is awesome.

[matt7215]

When you say you have a wine celler what does this mean specifically?

IMO beer standing up is much better then laying down, for the reasons that Jeff posted. You will find others that say laying down is better so ultimately its up to you.

IMO the most important things about aging beer is keeping the temperature constant, and keeping the beer out of light.

[markaberrant]

IMO beer standing up is much better then laying down, for the reasons that Jeff posted. You will find others that say laying down is better so ultimately its up to you.

IMO the most important things about aging beer is keeping the temperature constant, and keeping the beer out of light.

Agreed.

[Belgian]

With few exceptions beer corks are not true solid cork, but glued together bits of cork. They don't really breathe the way real wine corks do.

I would not worry about corks drying out. Maybe there are particular rare Gueuze or other specialty beers that should be lain down to protect the natural cork from failure over many years of storage. Easy to contact the brewer and ask.

With beer it's all about dark, cool, no vibrations and not too moist. Extremely gradual seasonal variation in temperature is not bad but sharp temperature shifts are harmful. I like to store my long-aging beers in enclosed spaces on a concrete basement floor.

[Urotsukidoji]

When you say you have a wine celler what does this mean specifically?

I have one of those big 240 bottle cooling units that keep the temp constant (at 57 I think). But bottles can not stand in it.

[Urotsukidoji]

so, in general, it seems like standing it in the unfinished basement (no light, relatively cool) should be the way to go....

[nickelass]

Pretty much. I have an area under my stairs where the temp. stays constant all year round, and there is no light. Works like a charm! As for laying down, I have always stood my bottles standing up. I have some 6 - 8 year old lambics and the corks are fine.

[Torontoblue]

so, in general, it seems like standing it in the unfinished basement (no light, relatively cool) should be the way to go....

I've laid corked and capped bottles down for the 8 years I've been 'cellaring' beer. Every few months I will rotate the bottles, so those lying down get stood up, and vice versa. I also do a quarter turn on those bottles laying down, as I do with my small wine/port collection.

[Craig]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I have a question I'm hoping people can answer for me that's somewhat related.

First a little background. You can skip this if you aren't that interested in my personal setup: I've got one of those big wine fridge cellar thingies too. I've been putting beers on the bottom and top shelves standing upright, which works great, but the capacity is limited (~100 bottles, rough guess) to the point that I have recently outgrown it. I have access to a cement basement floor that won't get any sunlight. Temperatures should be okish, but I think it will get a little more daily fluctuation than is ideal, especially in the summer. I also suspect that it might get a little warmer down there on the hottest days of summer than would be ideal. I don't mean it's going to hit 28 or anything, but it will probably get outside of that 10-16 degree sweet spot. I also assume that the concrete floor will help regulate the beer a bit, so I'm not that worried about it.

Now the question: Which beers are more resilient to less perfect conditions for cellaring? My assumption is the stronger the beer, the more resilient it will be, so I should probably be looking to pull out the Bring out Your Dead and Rochefort 10 and leave the Sofie and Dupont Saison in the fridge, right? I'm also assuming that bottle-conditioned beers will be more susceptible than others.

[mixedup]

I've got mine in the basement, underneath the stairs on a concrete floor. It's amazing how much the temperature fluctuates from summer to winter, (even with central ac/forced air gas heat). Quite gradual, but I've seen about a 10+ degree fluctuation from winter to summer so far and the temp hits above the 'ideal' temp in the summer.

I finally found a use for the indoor/outdoor remote thermometer thing I got for Christmas last year.

[TheBeeraholic]

I've got mine in the basement, underneath the stairs on a concrete floor. It's amazing how much the temperature fluctuates from summer to winter, (even with central ac/forced air gas heat). Quite gradual, but I've seen about a 10+ degree fluctuation from winter to summer so far and the temp hits above the 'ideal' temp in the summer.

I finally found a use for the indoor/outdoor remote thermometer thing I got for Christmas last year.

I have the same set up and experience similar fluctuations.

[JeffPorter]

Squeaky,

Most bottle conditioned beers will hold up pretty well in warmer temperatures and "age more quickly". I think you Saison Duponts are ok if they're not in the fridge. They've been known to hold up for quite some time in cellars and basements. The Bring Out Your Dead may soften a little,

I have pretty limited fridge space, but have a big cellar/crawl space thingy. I save the fridge for my IPAs, and APAs and any thing else that's "fragile" and most everything else goes in the cellar.

I've stopped worrying quite a bit about temperature fluctuations after that last summer we had, and all my beers that I didn't have in the fridge came out fine in the fall.

You sound like you have a good set up either way, and others may chime in with other opinions, but I say, save the fridge for those fresh hoppy beers, and the others should be ok.

(Also, not to derail, but I thought of reviving this thread as well - there are cases of 3F at Wilson and Dufferin on the floor, and they're packed on their sides a la champagne. Just thought it was interesting.

[Belgian]

^ sounds more about the 'mythology' (and perhaps history) surrounding Gueuze as the Champagne-like beer. Interesting if they pack and ship them sideways.

[Tapsucker]

Beer is a living thing and life is a mess.

I'm sure there is a perfect lab to make a perfect outcome, but perhaps the beer under your stairs with little environmental control is a great example of beer aged in YOUR cellar? Terroir in a way...

Or you could go the cold dead way:

http://www.bartowel.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=9007