Aging sours and lambics

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by SourFiend760, Feb 26, 2012.

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  1. SourFiend760

    SourFiend760 Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2012

    Any advice on temp and how to store sours and lambics? im pretty sure Cantillon recommends laying the bottles on their side, can this be done with American c&c sours? It would be nice to get a little wine cooler but the shelving is all designed to lay bottles flat...
     
  2. callmemickey

    callmemickey Initiate (0) Aug 12, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Many people will say that laying corked sours on their side is the way to go. Others will swear by standing them upright. Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen both store their lambics on their side. That said, there is some history of Cantillon bottles slowly leaking while stored on their side. Other brewers like Lost Abbey recommend standing upright.
     
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  3. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    On a visit to the Cantillon brewery I did indeed see lots of bottles on their side in various niches and cubbys in the building. However, that struck me as their way of having enough space to store the bottled beer until they were ready to box it and ship it rather than as a way of cellaring it for an extended time.
     
  4. callmemickey

    callmemickey Initiate (0) Aug 12, 2007 Pennsylvania

    It definitely increases storage space... Cantillon does recommend storing the bottles on the side long term as well. Jean van Roy believes it is better for both the cork and the yeast.
     
  5. NittanyBeerFan

    NittanyBeerFan Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2007 Pennsylvania

    It certainly gives a greater volume of beer access to the yeast, which I believe helps in development of the flavor of the bugs (in Cantillon's case, as you well know, it refers to enamel-ripping sourness).
     
  6. woosterbill

    woosterbill Pooh-Bah (2,733) Apr 6, 2009 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    Storing Lambic on its side also makes it easier to transfer to the proper serving vessel (the Lambic basket, of course) with minimal disruption of sediment.
     
  7. stevefinny

    stevefinny Initiate (0) Aug 28, 2009 New Jersey

    I keep everything in my cellar usually 50 in the winter and 58 to 60 in the summer. I stored tons of c&c bottles on their sides and upright. depends on which shelf or wine rack has space whether or not i store horizontal or vertical.
     
  8. SourFiend760

    SourFiend760 Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2012

    I dont plan on aging anything other than Lambics or Sours so would a wine cooler be a good option and just store the bottles laying flat? I doubt any of the bottles will be stored longer than 5 years
     
  9. cpinto6

    cpinto6 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2010 Georgia

    Don't age sours with very few exceptions. Sours that aren't lambics don't hold up to age well
     
  10. Thorpe429

    Thorpe429 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,655) Aug 18, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    I would say that this is generally true and often overlooked, though some others do hold up. I've had some great experiences with some Flanders-style sours, e.g. Alexander Rodenbach.
     
  11. BeerThursdays

    BeerThursdays Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2010 Delaware
    Trader

    This is just my opinion, but after reading everything I can get my hands on I've come to this conclusion.

    If the bottle has a natural cork, and you plan on storing it for more than 2 years, put it on it's side. Anything else, stand it up.
    If it has a synthetic cork, stand it up regardless of how long you plan on keeping it.
    If it's been on its side for two year, and you don't have a lambic basket to pour from, stand it up for about a week before you drink.
    If it has fruit, don't save it for more than two years past bottling date.

    Again, just the rules I've decided to age by.
     
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  12. Thorpe429

    Thorpe429 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,655) Aug 18, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    These are some pretty good rules to live by. The fruit thing is generally true, though I have found that some krieks will age fairly-well. In general, I don't prefer aged raspberry lambics.

    One other interesting note is that Cantillon started recommending that their fruit lambics be consumed within a year of the bottling date, though there is also a 10-year best-before date. A bit contradictory, but I assume this means Jean Van Roy feels that the fruit aspect of the year is best within one year.
     
  13. BeerThursdays

    BeerThursdays Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2010 Delaware
    Trader

    Yeah, I'm pretty bad at following my own rules. If I can get more than two bottles of something, I'll have some now and even if I don't think I should, I'll end up trying to age one. But if I can only get one, I drink it fresh to see how the brewer wanted you to taste it.
     
  14. cpinto6

    cpinto6 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2010 Georgia

    That's why I said with very few exceptions and that would be one of them.
     
  15. Thorpe429

    Thorpe429 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,655) Aug 18, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes, I agree. I should have worded that original reply better. I meant to indicate that I agree, and then give some Flanders-style beers as exceptions. I don't have enough experience with older Rodenbach, Oebier Reserva, etc to make a blanket statement. Someone who has done a bit more experimenting in that area can hopefully chime in.
     
  16. cpinto6

    cpinto6 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2010 Georgia

    I'm sure it has something to do with that some of them like Fou basically lose all the fruit and turn into a sour bomb after a year. If you like sour bombs though, its not necessarily a bad thing so it depends on your personal preference but if you want the fruit then fresh is best. A 2010 Fou I drank a couple months ago reminded me of the sour jawbreakers that made my lips and tongue crack from eating them too much when I was little.
     
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  17. Thorpe429

    Thorpe429 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,655) Aug 18, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    Fou' Foune is a great example. Even the August 2011 bottling has already lost a bunch of the fresh apricot flavor that it had when it was really young. Of course, if you want straight sour with a touch of fruit, Fou' Foune is a great candidate for extended cellaring. I had a '99 two or so years ago and that was incredibly sour with no real fruit left.
     
  18. cpinto6

    cpinto6 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2010 Georgia

    Going by the 2010 I had I suspect any older than 5 years would basically be str8 up sour with no fruit. Apricot is a subtle flavor and gets overtaken by the sourness pretty quick.
     
  19. futura123

    futura123 Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2010 California

    I had a Fou Foune 2008 not too long ago. Although it lost bunch of fresh apricot flavor, it developed a wonderful deep earthy layer of funkiness with just a tad of fruit sweetness flavor. So memorable. I don't think it becomes that sour bomb at all. All fruit lambic age differently. I knows Cantillon Kriek becomes puckering sour with age for sure. I know there's a tasting group in SoCal opened a ten year Fou Foune vertical lately. Hopefully BA in that group can chime in how Fou Foune develops with extended aging.
     
  20. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    How about La Folie? Will this one age well?
     
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