Aging beers in a closet, thoughts and inputs please.

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

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  1. Charliechu

    Charliechu Pundit (794) Jul 1, 2013 California
    Trader

    I am running out of room in my refrigerator for the beers. I have a closet downstairs where the temp ranges from 68-70. Knowing that the ideal temp should be at 50-55 degrees, but I am running out of room. Any thoughts on what I should do ? I have mainly imperial stouts, barley wine and barrel age in my collection.

    Cheers Guys!
     
  2. harrymel

    harrymel Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2010 Washington

    2 parties exist:

    A) Beer can only be cellared at 55F, anybody that does otherwise is ruining beer.
    B) Nobody I've met can taste the difference between a beer cellared at 55F or 70F.

    No really good evidence has been provided from what I've seen on either side of the coin. As such, trust your feelers.
     
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  3. ant880

    ant880 Savant (1,179) Nov 7, 2010 New York
    Trader

    Start drinking
     
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  4. headylamar

    headylamar Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2010 New Jersey

    my working theory - temperature fluctuations and exposure to sunlight harm the beer more than the 65-70 degree temp. The beer may be negatively impacted in years 4 or 5+, but the majority of my stock is gone by year 3 and i have yet to see any negative impact from my "cellar" conditions.
     
  5. Charliechu

    Charliechu Pundit (794) Jul 1, 2013 California
    Trader

    Thanks guys,

    Thats my train of thoughts too. Direct sun light is probably more damaging for the beers than anything else. About Temperature fluctuation, I been chilling them for about 2 months now at 50 degree, but i may have to move them to another location which is about 68-70 degree. Thats a plus 20 degree increase. I am afraid that would change the chemistry of my beer greatly. Any thoughts?
     
  6. kdb150

    kdb150 Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Unless you are storing them under constant sunlight or flourescent light, or at temperatures below freezing or above 75 degrees, your beer will almost certainly be just fine. Now, the conditions WILL affect how your beer ages, but will it even be perceptible? Nobody knows.
     
  7. trh70

    trh70 Initiate (0) Dec 31, 2011 Florida

    I live in south west florida area. That means no basement and a whole lot of hot weather. i store mine in a closet that stays at a temp of 68-70. I have yet to notice any problems with beers after 3 years of aging on them.
     
  8. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Changing temperature like that once (or even a handful of times) will almost certainly not cause perceptible changes in the beer.
     
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  9. beercanman

    beercanman Initiate (0) Dec 17, 2012 Ohio

    That is how everyone starts. You will be fine. If your gonna do long term I would find someway to get closer to the cellar temp. I couldn't taste any difference in the beers I had that were stored at around 70. I'm very lucky the place I live has a air/humidity controlled cellar in it
     
  10. barleywinefiend

    barleywinefiend Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2007 Washington

    I "cellared" nearly 100 bottles at room temp in my closet while living in CA. I noticed that most of my bwines faded faster but had little off-flavors.
     
  11. Cubatobaco

    Cubatobaco Pooh-Bah (2,057) Jan 27, 2013 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I feel a lot better having read this thread. A lot of us aspire to have a "true" cellar, but some places, like where I live, do not have basements, etc. I have stored wine in several places over the years, and as someone who is particular about subtle nuances, I only noticed minimal changes while stored in a closet (66-70). I have converted my girlfriends spare bedroom closet into my "cellar" and, having only been doing it for a year, I can say I am satisfied until I can find a temperature contoled unit.
     
  12. FatsBelvadere

    FatsBelvadere Initiate (0) Feb 1, 2013 Texas

    Can I get people's opinion. Recently obtained 3 dark lords '11-'13 . Also have some other similar bottles. The DL's have been held in a real cellar until now. I have a fridge or my closet. I plan on drinking in the next 6-9 months. Where would you keep them for this time . Thanks for any advice.
     
  13. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Answer #1: Wherever you keep your soy sauce.

    Real answer: it probably doesn't matter for that time frame, but I try to keep as much beer as possible refrigerated.
     
  14. atypic

    atypic Initiate (0) Apr 8, 2011 North Carolina

    Personal experience + opinion: I've been "cellaring" for about two years now in a non temperature controlled basement. Over the course of the year, temperature varies at least 20 degrees, probably more. I think beer is a lot tougher/hardier than many give it credit for. Keep it out of sunlight, try to reasonably moderate temperature/humidity to the extent feasible, it'll be fine. If you want to push cellaring to the extremes by keeping beers for a decade or more, you probably want ideal temperatures/humidity (and you're still increasing your risk of failure). If you want to play it safe and cellar for an average of 2-4 years, I think you'll be fine in a dark closet.
     
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