Cross country cellar storage/transporting questions..

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013.

?

Have you ever moved cross country with your cellar?

  1. Yes and I had little to no issues

    3 vote(s)
    75.0%

  2. Yes and it was not good

    1 vote(s)
    25.0%
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  1. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon

    Hello all. So I move in a month, and I'm now packing up my cellar to be ready to travel 3400 miles in 6 days.. I am a trader so I know how to package them so they won't break, and have a container to keep them in throughout the trip, but I'm running into an issue trying to keep them cool (or just not boiling) throughout the transport. I will be going in a Penske truck with a flat bed for my car, and my wife already put the kabosh on turning the car on while it sits on the flat bed with the AC blowing (I thought it was brilliant, she called me crazy :astonished:)

    So my new idea is to pack them in an igloo cooler
    [​IMG]
    now if you look at the bottom it has a plug to drain water from melted ice. My idea is to have a second plastic container
    [​IMG]

    which I can put the dry ice in as i go with a blow off tube going up through the port in the igloo container to keep it cool but not freeze the bottle by being in direct contact.

    So my question to the community is: Am I eccentric or is there any easier way to do this...?

    Please help!!
     
    #1 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  2. Hanzo

    Hanzo Initiate (0) Feb 27, 2012 Virginia

    A good cooler should hold ice for a couple days when traveling (as long as you aren't opening and closing it over and over. I would just put the ziplock wrapped beers in the cooler, top with ice, close it and go. Every two days just drain and put new ice in.
     
    #2 Hanzo, Jul 31, 2013
    ERRL710, LambicPentameter, BottleCaps80 and 1 other person like this.
  3. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,233) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    I'm gonna have to side with your wife on that one, sorry. Hanzo is right, those coolers can hold temps for days, you'll be fine just draining and replacing the ice every day or two. That's why hotels have ice machines. People have been doing it this way for generations.
     
    #3 geocool, Jul 31, 2013
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  4. willbm3

    willbm3 Initiate (0) Feb 19, 2010 Massachusetts

    What everyone else said. One of those coolers filled with ice will be fine keeping everything at least cool for a few days. You would probably only have to change the ice once, maybe twice if it's exceptionally hot.

    FWIW, the thought of running the car on the trailer for AC is pretty fantastic
     
    #4 willbm3, Jul 31, 2013
  5. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon

    My only reservation is that I'm afraid the direct contact of ice to bottle, even if its bubble wrapped to shit, will make the bottles too cold.. are you saying it wouldnt be that big of a deal?
     
    #5 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  6. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon


    I know right!
     
    #6 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  7. bramsdell

    bramsdell Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 North Carolina


    Your bottles won't freeze, therefore they won't get too cold. The cooler will be just fine.
     
    #7 bramsdell, Jul 31, 2013
  8. 2beerdogs

    2beerdogs Grand Pooh-Bah (5,682) Jan 31, 2005 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You could actually put the ice on the bottom. You're not trying to chill them, just keep them cool.
     
    #8 2beerdogs, Jul 31, 2013
  9. willbm3

    willbm3 Initiate (0) Feb 19, 2010 Massachusetts

    I believe there was a thread on here a while back entitled "Relax, your beer can handle it." Other than running a refrigerator in the truck you won't get optimal cellar temperature, but for 6 days you'll be just fine.
     
    #9 willbm3, Jul 31, 2013
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  10. FishPondManager

    FishPondManager Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2012 Colorado

    This. Just cover the bottom of the cooler with unopened bags of ice. Then put a couple layers of brown paper grocery bags on top of the ice. Drain the water at each stop. You might very well get six days out of those bags of ice as long as you don't open the cooler much.
     
    #10 FishPondManager, Jul 31, 2013
  11. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,233) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    Too cold for what? You could store them in the fridge at 32F for months and then move them to the cellar and they would be fine.

    Truth is you could probably put the beer on a hot truck for a week and after returning to serving temperature, 99% of the people on this site (myself included) probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between those bottles and others that had been properly cellared the entire time. But ice in the cooler is a minimal investment to be better safe than sorry, and to please that 1%.
     
    #11 geocool, Jul 31, 2013
    alysmith4 likes this.
  12. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon

    Ooooooh the 1% :wink:
     
    #12 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  13. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon

    My only thing with this is I don't want to freeze the bottles, nor do I want to boil them.

    I appreciate everyone's feedback, thank you all!
     
    #13 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  14. geocool

    geocool Savant (1,233) Jun 21, 2006 Massachusetts

    Face it, 47% of BA's aren't going to even cellar beer at all, they're dependent on bottle shops, so my job is to not worry about those people. You'll never convince them to take personal responsibility and care for their beer.
     
    #14 geocool, Jul 31, 2013
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  15. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon


    *Shaking head in disapproval*
     
    #15 RyanCave, Jul 31, 2013
  16. pest

    pest Savant (1,039) Sep 2, 2007 Ohio
    Trader

    Good god, 3400 miles? You being in Virginia I wouldn't even think the furthest places on the west coast is that far away.....
     
    #16 pest, Aug 1, 2013
  17. RyanCave

    RyanCave Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Oregon

    Stopping at founders, fff, great divide, Avery, crooked stave and my friends brewery just south of seattle on the way :-)

    After all is said and done its just under 3400 miles
     
    #17 RyanCave, Aug 1, 2013
  18. Insubordinator

    Insubordinator Initiate (0) Dec 5, 2012 Wisconsin

    Honestly, beer is far more resilient than people seem to give it credit for. When I moved across country I got beer cases, threw them in the back of my car, and just drove. The only thing I did was take a select few cases up to the hotel room every night becaus 1) I was afraid of them getting stolen or something and 2) I just didn't want to risk it. Fast forward to three years post-move and there's not a damn difference between any of the beers that went across in my truck.

    Sure, the back of your truck is going to get hot as fuck... but if you're trading beer in the summer then so does your FedEx truck.
     
    #18 Insubordinator, Aug 1, 2013
  19. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    Water ice cannot freeze beer, if you're talking about dry ice then that's a different issue, dry ice will definitely freeze beer.
     
    #19 Homebrew42, Aug 1, 2013
  20. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    I guess moving in November isn't an option?
     
    #20 kdb150, Aug 1, 2013
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