Investing In Cellar Collection

Probably just about any Barrel Aged stout; i.e. Goose Island BCS, or Founders KBS. Also many Barley Wines. The higher the alcohol, the better for aging. Just keep the temp steady 50-60 degrees and out of the light. You can also do an Internet search on how Cellar/age beer.

 

Old Rasputin and founders imperial stout 2 years
Great divide hibernation 1 year
Palo santo marron, I've had it fresh through 3 years and it's been outstanding every time.
honestly I thought speedway was much better fresh to maybe a year year and a half. I had a 2 1/2 year old that had fallen off for sure.

 

For stouts: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/cellar-worthy-stouts.18642/

 

Do read the book "Vintage Beer" by Patrick Dawson. I does include enough information, in an easy readable format, to start and manage your beer cellar. The book is also pretty short so it's a great way to start.

 

Well the stuff I tend to store for more then 5 years is Geuze. The neat thing is that you can store them easily for more then 20 years and the flavor just keeps evolving. Might be hard depending where you live to get ahold of bottles but its definitely worth it in the long run, together with abbey beers.

 

I used to just buy cases and put them in the cellar, marking the date. Sometimes I'd drink them fairly quickly, sometimes they'd stay around for over a decade. My point is that the cellar was intended to drink from. It was there for when you got a craving for a certain beer, and lo and behold, you've got one! It's also fun to go down and choose a beer, and that's great for parties as well. I'm not sure how relevant these are as I haven't really done it in years, but here you go:
Hair of the Dog Adambier
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
J.W. Lees Harvest Ale
Samichlaus
Rogue Old Crustacean
Dogfish Head Immort Ale and World Wide Stout
Samuel Adams Tripel Bock
Thomas Hardy's
North Coast Old Stock Ale and Old Rasputin
Schloss Eggender Urbock 23˚
Rochefort 8
Liefman's Goudenband
Chimay Premiere and Grand Reserve
3 Monts
Anchor Old Foghorn
La Trappe Quadrupel
EKU 28
Victory Old Horizontal and St. Victorious
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Monster Ale
Ichtegem's Grand Cru
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Gale's Prize Old Ale
Harveys Old Ale

 

That's why I buy a case of Halia. My wife loves it, and it isn't around year-round. Buy a case and drink it slowly whenever we want. Have a few beers we do this with that we like well enough we'll drink it anytime. It is nice to have it when you want it.

 

This... It's an easy read with helpful hints and is very affordable on Amazon. Can't recommend it enough. Surprised I didn't remember it on my first post.

 

I don't know if I'm in the minority, but I find that BA stouts aren't as enjoyable with age. I feel like the flavors that I enjoy getting out of the aging (see: bourbon) are lost with time, leaving more of the oak tannins than bourbon flavors.

I think if you're going for long term cellaring, get a beer that has a thicker body as the beer should thin with age. Experiment with the beers that are too bitter or hoppy when fresh as well - those flavors will definitely transform with time.

And yes, Vintage Beer. It will tell you everything you read on here, and then some.

 

I buy multiples of everything. I drink one fresh and think about what 1+ years might do. If it is something that I think will evolve into something different or something better, I cellar it. If I don't think it will change much I drink or trade the other(s). Simple as that for me. Beyond 120 Minute and some barleywines, my cellar is strictly stouts and BA. Anything with adjuncts are drank within a year since I don't want the adjuncts to fade too much.

 

Oh man I just sold off a bunch of 80s/90s Thomas Hardys to a friend- at about $7 a bottle. When one cellar comes to an end, another starts . ***


***Sold my cellar as I can't do the glutens anymore (except when I say "screw it I'll take the pain to do a cellar review"). Tried to trade them off for ciders/meads but that practice is verboten on this site apparently.

 

I have too much in the cellar as we speak. I don't drink as often as there are awesome beers released. However, it only takes 1 or 2 infected beers that were awesome fresh to reconsider your cellaring habits. I have been consciously trying to reduce the cellar (by drinking, not buying as much, or trading) or convert it to lambics/gueuzes for long term aging. I will say, though, that grabbing a vintage BCBS or really great sour from a variety of years whenever you want is really nice.

 

I am trying to drink down my cellar. Most beers taste better fresh in my experience. Imperial stouts tend to age well for a year and then seem to fall off for me. Barrel aged beers start to lose the barrel right away, and so do some fruits herbs veggies spices etc. American barleywines loose their hops and become muddled for me. My best aging beers are english barleywines, high gravity belgians, doppel/weizen bock. It seems malty beers work best for my tastes here, but I have yet to find a beer that has improved over the course of being aged.