Cellaring Beer

Kent · Post by **Kent** » Tue Jul 30, 2002 9:42 pm

I was just wondering what everyone's experiences have been with cellering (what beer has worked/what hasn't).

As well, any tips for maintaining a decent temp. I understand refrigeration is not a good idea as it stops the yeast, but in these warm days even my fruit cellar is too warm. I have resorted to stacking my small collection by the furnace (air-conditioner on).

PRMason · Post by **PRMason** » Wed Jul 31, 2002 4:35 am

The important things to remember in cellaring beer or wine are:
A) consistent cool temperature-its the fluctuations that really age the beer. Better to be a constant 15 C. than 10 one week and 20 the next.
B) Vibration- beer that is subjected to constant vibration ages faster. Your furnace fan may be shaking the life out of your beers.
C) The aging potential at the outset-obviously most beers are not meant for aging. Bottle conditioned, high alcohol, or dark (porter, stout, doppelbock) are best suited.Choose carefully
Also, please bear in mind that as a beer ages it will evolve. A barley wine may be sickly sweet when very young, beautifully balanced in its prime, and wet cardboard-like when its past it. Its up to you what flavours you like.

Josh Oakes · Post by **Josh Oakes** » Thu Aug 01, 2002 12:20 am

Just a note to follow on what Perry said - for those of us who have no option but to subject our beer cellars to fluctuating temperatures, the key isn't to avoid cellaring beer but to recognize how the environment will work on your bottles. For me, given the conditions here on the second floor, I know that one year here is like two in a proper cellar. Consequently, I age my beers for half as long as I would in ideal circumstances. It usually works.

While I'm here, the other question I'm asked a lot is with regard to corked bottles - upright or lying down? To avoid both excessive corkiness and dry cork, I recommend these be stored standing up, but spend a week per season on their side to keep the cork moist (and yes, to stir up the yeast a little).

joey_capps · Post by **joey_capps** » Thu Aug 01, 2002 11:37 am

I've got a nice cold room in the basement that maintains a decent temperature, perhaps a little bit high at this time of year 15-17 degrees. It's also windowless and dark.

My problem is that I live beside a railroad track and there is nothing I can do to cut down on the vibration. I'm cellaring various differnet vintages of Thomas Hardy Ale, Lee's Harvest Ale, McAuslan Vintage Ale, Westmalle, Bush de Noel, and, as I said before, 4 Canadian

. Gerenally, what might be the effect of the vibration these beers? Josh, you mentioned that one year here equals two in a proper cellar.

Cheers, Joe.

Mississauga Matt · Post by **Mississauga Matt** » Sat Aug 03, 2002 9:01 am

Joe, the only way to determine if the vibrations harm the beer is to conduct a test. Following the time honoured scientific method, we need to separate your cellared beer into two batches in order to observe the effect of vibration.

Oddly enough, I have a nice cool and stable basement where the Thomas Hardy Ale, Lee's Harvest Ale, McAuslan Vintage Ale, Westmalle, and Bush de Noel can be the "control" part of the test. I unselfishly offer my help in the name of science as well as for the greater good of man.

You can keep those 4 Canadians for the vibration test. Seems like an even split.

Then a year from now, you sample the Canadians while I sample the stuff I got stuck with, after which we submit a report of our findings to this site.

Sounds like it has Nobel prize potential, don't it?

Whaddaya say?

Kent · Post by **Kent** » Sat Aug 03, 2002 9:42 am

Not that Matt's idea does not have merrit, but perhaps this idea would be more rewarding to Joe. Isolating the bottles, perhaps on foam, may reduce vibration. An easy way to check would be to sit a glass of water on it. My bottles are sitting in this fashion about 1-2 ft away from the furnace without any visible movement in the water.

Hopefully the beer is ok (I don't hold out any hope for the Canadian).

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kent on 2002-08-03 09:46 ]</font>

Mississauga Matt · Post by **Mississauga Matt** » Thu Aug 08, 2002 8:53 am

I was flipping through Michael Jackson's New World Guide To Beer last night, and in the section on Berliner Weisse Jackson says that it used to be customary in Germany to bury bottles of weisse in order to speed along the ripening process.

'Course, you wouldn't want to be like a squirrel and forget where you buried that baby.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mississauga Matt on 2002-08-08 08:54 ]</font>

Tar Bowel · Post by **Tar Bowel** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 9:44 pm

Remember when you guys were talking about this?

Good times Good times.

We were all so much younger (it being the past and all).

-Chin Chin