Armand'4 and Golden Blend

Actually, there is a convincing case for storing carbonated beverages with corks upright.

Champagne producers (real Champagne) commissioned scientific studies to determine how best to store their bottles. The answer is upright. The positive pressure keeps the cork moist. On its side, it actually has the opposite effect of what storing a non carbonated beverage on its side will do: it weakens the seal.

Now, clearly there are tons of people who store champagne and beer with corks on their side, anyway, and sweat by it. One could probably safely assume that this isn't clearly and hugely detrimental to the beer. But right now there's only compelling evidence that upright storage is better, and some hearsay won't trump that for me, anyway.

 

Yeah, I saw someone bring that up for the first time after that initial post. The problem is that all I can find is that they did a study and came to that conclusion, which I think is interesting, but really I want to see the experimental design and how they came to those results to actually trust it.

 

A well aged bottle will have such compacted yeast from vertical storage you won't find any trouble pouring clear.

As long as we're going anecdotal, guess how in de Verzekering tegen de grote dorst stores all their vintage lambic, gueuze and kriek? Upright. Guess how they serve them? In baskets.

 

I don't disagree, however, the point of that study was to answer that question. Now, they could be wrong or have flawed methodology, sure. But presumably upright storage is more of a pain in the ass, and they have a great deal of incentive to find out what the best answer is. Also presumably, if the people interested in the results found them incomplete or in other ways lacking, they would not have issued a concrete answer.

None of which is to say those presumptions are correct, but that argument and evidence is far more compelling than people saying: this worked for me!

So until I can find issue with that study, that is either I find fault with it or someone raises an objection to the conclusions actually drawn by that study, it is much more compelling to me than anything anecdotal.

 

Oh I absolutely agree. But at the same time I stand by "expedience is the main determining factor" stance. I recently acquired a 40-bottle rack that stores them on the sides, and as soon as I finish earthquake-proofing it you'd better believe I'm filling that thing up (I'm desperate for storage). Of course, right now it's only has Bruery bottles in it...

 

They don't store it all upright, as the bottle of '84 Eylenbosch I purchased there had its decades-old yeast cake on the side. As long as we're going anecdotal.

 

I shall rephrase: everything I saw in the cellar was upright.

Experience from people only trying things one way tells you nothing one way or the other. And since we're talking about long term storage, it's exceedingly difficult for anybody to gather enough experience to make their opinion terribly valid. Certainly it does nothing at all to contradict the findings of that study.

 

I think you misread me, I said "expedience" not "experience".

 

I misread you

 

I pour all my lambic into Heady Topper cans and store them in my closet. Temps range from 68°-85° throughout the year. I have some hand bottles from the pub (RIP, but now an expensive BBQ joint) which once held HT that I've been aging for a few years. The Barq's root beer bottles seem to be aging the best.

 

But are these cans and root beer bottles upright or on their side? 60 degree angles?

 

I don't know, maybe. One fell over onto my yoga mat last week.

 

ISO: Yoga-mat aged Barq's Lambics FT: pickitupformebro?