Will we see Founders CBS bottled again?

Like I would suppose is the case with most folks my cellar is the 'bottom' of my house (i.e., below ground).

In a couple of days I will be brewing a lager beer which I will ferment in my cellar. I have a thermometer right now where I will be placing the fermentor and as of right now (8:50 pm) it is reading 54.7 degrees F.

Cheers!

 

Everyone knows that once a beer is easily obtainable is becomes disappointing and expendable.

This guy gets it.

 

Not to derail this thread but i have cellared beers for nearly a decade and from my personal experience I have found that the specific temperature is less important than people typically emphasize.

Let me rephrase that, I found that the degrees Fahrenheit of the specific temp is less important. I have what I consider a fairly large beer cellar, and by cellar I mean collection of aging beers. I have these split between an otherwise unused closet and multiple dedicated beer fridges. We keep our house really consistent with temps year round, and the closet with its AC vent and lack of windows is probably the coolest and most consistent temp area of the house, I’d guess typically oscillating around 65degrees, or a bit cooler. The beer fridges are kept at fridge temp, but there’s no food in them and they are turned down as low as possible so likely around 45ish degrees , but 40ish on the lowest end.

What I have found is no specific ill effects from the “cellared” beers which have been kept in the closet. I have found that beers kept at fridge temp age slower than those at the higher closet temp, particularly those with adjuncts as the adjuncts seem to fade much quicker with the higher temps. But I have not picked up on any off notes, unexpected oxidation, or other unintended negative consequences of aging at the closet temp.

Now where I have found issue is when I’ve had situations in which beers were exposed to significant temp fluctuations over time/during “cellaring”, and that these are the beers that tend to have much higher rates of oxidation and other off notes, at least in my experience. I will also note that “the cooler the better” is not necessarily inherently all-protective, as I’ve certainly had beers that have quite literally never left the comfort of a consistent, cool fridge, yet have developed a drink-ruining oxidation if given enough time. I am certain that other variables such as bottling/canning technique have just as much if not more of an impact than the specific temp in which the beer is aged.

So long story short; from my experiences I’ve come to subscribe to the notion that temperature fluctuations are very bad for beer, but that as long as your keep a consistent temp thats reasonably cool you should be fine—with the knowledge that with higher temps comes quicker aging.

Sorry about the rant, which was obviously more appropriate for a different thread. We can go back to bitching about how CBS has jumped the shark and is now an overpriced, overrated, shelf turd.

 

As a posted previously: "Dark and cool(er) is best."

I suspect you and I are in agreement here?

Cheers!

 

For sure in agreement. But my point being that if you don’t have a legitimate cellar, don’t fret as you can still successfully enjoy aging beers.

 

Will seasonal temperature fluctuations affect aging significantly? My house is upper 60s-low 70s in the winter and low 70s-low 80s in the summer. I've never had any issues holding on to Willetized, BA Ten Fidy or Bourbon County for around a year but I was thinking of trying to age some of those bigger stouts for longer. I don't have a basement and I can't afford to keep my house a constant temperature year round.

 

Founders CBS is my favorite beer. How good do I think it is? I gave it a rating of 4.92 out of 5 in my review. I think it is as close to perfect as a beer could possibly be. It sure would be nice to have it released again!

 

No. What you really have to be careful of is wild swings (especially often). So, leaving a beer in your vehicle in the Midwest in, say, September or October, where you might get 40 degree temperature swings daily…not great. But a slow change in temperature from 60 to 80 across 6 months, then back, for example? No problem.

The same is true at the cold end and not just the high end, but the cold end is likely less damaging unless you are talking about low ABV beers and the potential of intermittent freezing.

 

I would suspect the less fluctuations the better but the negative experiences I was referencing had more frequent fluctuations than just seasonal (for example I accidentally had some beers in a non-temp controlled garage, those can have pretty significant fluctuations even from day to day; and even a storage unit which was supposedly climate controlled but to what extent I’m not sure). Once discovered that they were there, and then later tried, many of them were off to various degrees. I would suspect it’s less concerning if it’s seasonal variation with prolonged periods of consistent temps so you would probably be fine with your situation especially for the beers you mentioned (BCBS IMO seems to age remarkably well); however the cellaring purest are probably losing their minds at the idea of aging beers in the 80s (which even for me seems quite high).

Not sure your space or financial situation, but if possible I’d consider looking into a beer fridge. If you look around you can probably find a working used fridge for a couple hundred dollars. When I first had the idea to cellar I purchased a used refrigerator for $250, looked like shit but the thing ran fine. Fast forward 8-9 years and it’s still kicking and is home to my most celebrated cellar bottles (also I took on the hobby of covering it with beer labels from some of my favorite beers, so it’s not longer an eye sore and now it’s a functional display piece [ok a bit of a stretch but it’s no longer an eye sore and i personally love it with all the labels lining it]).

Even if that’s not an option I’d still try aging those beers, what’s the worst that can happen other than they end up not being good? So either way, give it a try, and when you do head over to my far and away favorite BA thread, Cellar Reviews *insert year here* and post about your experiences! Also a good place to get info on cellaring as there are some great BAs over there with tons of cellaring experience.

To tie it back to the original thread, I’ve personally been really pleased with how CBS has aged. Interestingly, it tends to hold up better than KBS IMO. Also, I’m in the likely rare camp who thinks FBS is optimal with around a year on it as opposed to fresh. To each their own!

 

The biggest barrier for me in terms of getting a beer fridge is the cost of running it. I try to keep temperatures below the 80s but it can be hard in the summer on some days. At least its not that hot consistently.

I try to not age any beers past 2 years max since these aren't exactly optimal conditions. I've bought 4 year old liquor store shelfies on sale though and they usually hold up alright.

I'm curious if there is any harm in storing older beers warm after they have been kept in a fridge for a long time. A local shop has 2019 CBS 4 packs in their cooler. I assume they've been stored cold the entire time. They don't sell singles so I would have to dish out $25 and probably store some of the bottles on my shelf for at least a few weeks.

 

Not really an issue to purchase cold beer and then not store it cold but keep in mind that beer in general suffers from oxidation faster at high(er) temperatures. I suppose not a big issue for beer styles where you want oxidation effects (e.g., develop sherry type flavors in Barleywines).

Cheers!

 

Expect to see CBS return in the 12 oz four pack to close out 2023.

A certain lizard is also expected to re-emerge after a long hibernation next Summer.

Hear me now, believe me later @BigIronH .

 

I never doubted it. Happy to hear. Will be enjoying much of this.

p.s. where did you get your information?

 

@ChicagoJ I gotta know too!!

 

The suspense is killing me!

 

Lizard of Koz?

 

They still have "TBD" listed for most of their limited BA releases, but linked below is the 2023 calendar. There are three gaps I have not identified (???), will all likely be KBS variants, either existing or perhaps new.

https://foundersbrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/MicrosoftTeams-image-10-1.jpg

Grateful 4 Giants (OG, not the haze varients) will continue year-round. I always buy this fresh when I see it, the best WCIPA available here year-round (Fat Heads would give it a run for the money if it were available in IL, Beachwood Amalgamator or Melrose beats it but only drops once a year each September in Illinois).

One beer I wish they would bring back but won't (at least until 2024) is Mosaic Promise. I was always good for 1-2 15 packs of this one, though Centennial IPA is not a bad "consolation prize".

For the limited BA releases (no MI only markings!):

• January - Sweet Repute
• February - TBA is KBS Chocolate Cherry
• March-July - TBA is ???
• May-June - TBA is ???
• August - TBA = Lizard of Koz!!!
• September-October - TBA is ???
• October - TBA is French Toast Bastard
• December - TBA is CBS

Cues When in Rome.