In the past, we’ve written on the topic of cellaring beer. I’ve written a few reviews about beers I’ve cellared as well. I’ve had some pretty good results in the past. This Christmas and New Years has provided me the opportunity to drink a few of my cellared products. There is real enjoyment and merit behind aging these beers.
I’ve got some friends coming into town on Thursday and I’ve gone over my cellar list (yes I keep an excel spreadsheet) and am going to crack a few of these beauties. I have to say that I’ve only had one bad cellar experience and it wasn’t self-inflicted. It seems to me that a lactobacillus infection happened at the brewery. Not that I mind lacto at all. In fact, I love it. However, it was not style or type conducive. The bacteria takes a while to do its thing, so I imagine the beer would have been fine fresh. At any rate, it can’t be helped that a brewery mess the bottle up.
Otherwise, I have to commend the idea of cellaring beer to you. Beers often develop in interesting (and rarely unsavory) ways. My current oldest bottle is over 12 years old and I’m holding on a bit longer. However, and depending on style, the beers can become beautiful. More often than not, you will be in for a real treat. Besides, it’s a great test of one’s patience.
Perhaps I’ll offer up a few reviews of cellared beers to you. However, I’d love to hear about your cellar experiences. What has been good, bad, or ugly. By the way, the beer I had that turned bad was Cocoa Loco by Arcadia…didn’t hold up well at all.
I just bought some DFH Olde Timer and thought it would be a good one to delay satisfaction aka cellar. Who knows it might end up like the Tomas Hardy you had saved all those years. However, I will probably have the 4 pack gone before we reach the new year.
Hope you and Andrea had a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 29th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Good to hear from you John. I hope you guys are having a great holiday season. It’s cool that you are cellaring it. I’m sure will be well worth the wait. A couple of years would do it it very nicely. Please let us know how it turns out. By the way, you are welcome to post a review when the time comes.
[Reply]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ThankHeavenForBeer, Michael Reinhardt. Michael Reinhardt said: http://thankheavenforbeer.com/2010/12/29/do-you-cellar-beer-a-coming-of-age/ Well, do you? [...]
Love cellaring. Not only does it increase the potential outcome of the beer, but it is also a personal test of stamina and beer abstinence. Its hard to look at a beer for 12 days, nevermind 12 months.
I just cracked a Brooklyn Black Ops from last year, which was an absolute treat. I have two more that i’ll try to sit on for a few more years.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 5:49 am
You’re telling me about looking at a beer for that long. Honesty, I have a bigger problem not drinking all my homebrew up. I guess that might also slow my cellar desires.
Black Ops is great. I got a bottle from Scott at the Brew Club and had it close to a year. It was terrific.
[Reply]
I started cellaring when I moved in 2009 to a place that had a great (and cool) basement to avoid the LA heat and I have yet to crack a bottle open.
I am coming up against a limit of bottles that I can keep space wise so I will have to start rotating out if I want to save more.
I too have a spreadsheet and can’t wait to see what happens with each bottle.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 5:47 am
I’m learning to rotate and be a bit pickier in my selections. I would love to have a basement but I’ve got a fridge that I use.
[Reply]
Correction to my former post the beer was called Olde School it is a 15% abv barley wine style ale. I didn’t look to see if it was a seasonal or just a limited run from DFH. Cheers!
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 2:05 am
Pretty limited in terms of run amount and I thought that’s the beer you meant. I’ve got a few year old bottle that I’m waiting on.
[Reply]
[...] that makes two beers in a short amount of time that had an infection. I’m not going to continue defaming (not that I really have already) breweries, but it seems to me that I’ve figured something [...]
Micheal, that’s GREAT to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed it. (Now I have to get some to try!)
OK, regarding the cellaring….Are there any beer styles that should NOT be put away for over a year, or would most beers hold up OK? I have some unintentional cellaring going on here, and sometimes I wonder if its such a good idea to buy more beer than I can drink!
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 31st, 2010 at 7:50 am
Some beers are definitely not worth cellaring. Depends on hop content, storage, how dark the beer is, and alcohol. All of these in one beer is ideal. I’ve started mine, generally, at 7% plus. I’ve also done some at the 6 level. Most of mine are 8 and above. I don’t suspect you would have a problem with a stout that’s a bit hoppy and 6+.
[Reply]
Cocoa Loco has lactose added. Milk stouts which are not pasteurized predictably have poor shelf life as there is quite a bit of residual carbohydrate that brett or bacteria can easily metabolize.
I think the last two Hitachino Next Sweet Stouts I bought were bad and I believe Left Hand Milk Stout carries a “keep refrigerated” warning that most of the rest of their beers do not.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 31st, 2010 at 7:45 am
You’re write about lactose being problematic sometimes but I’ve had my Milk Stouts last for few years. It was definitely lactobacillus that was in the brew. However, either of those in a beer is still indicative of brewing issues. Even 5 minutes of boil should be enough to deal with those. So, for my part, I still consider them infections.
You do bring up a good point about the refrigeration and usage of problematic aspects like lactose.
[Reply]
beer_scientist Reply:
December 31st, 2010 at 7:51 am
You’re “right” I meant, not write.
[Reply]