Beer and Baseball Cards

I always buy beer with the intention of drinking it, never for trading or hoarding. Of course, I always buy more beer than I can drink so I end up giving some away or inviting people over to try and drink it up. At any one time I have 4 to 6 cases worth of beer in my house.

 

I'll bet you have a messy attic! I've just been through the process of cleaning out my Mom's house after 60+ years of "collecting", hiding, just plain stashing stuff everywhere. The attic was amazing. I found a letter from George C. Marshall commending my Father's platoon for their action at Leyte (Phillipines) in 1944, lots of old money and forgotten family letters dating back to the 1860s. But most of it was pure dusty junk that should have been tossed years ago. I've been inspired to clean up my own attic. I do have a problem with my rocks and minerals, Indian artifacts, baseball cards, beer cans and bottles...... My in laws regularly deplete my beer and wine, so that's not a problem. I'm a born hunter, gatherer, and collector. Don't let your attic sneak up on you!

 

I always buy beer intending to drink it within a fairly short time period. I did have a collection of empty bottles from many different companies worldwide at one point though.

 

I too collected cards which are still waiting for one day, as the reside in a back room of my basement...and I've often thought about this as I rotate beers from beer cellar storage number one to number two to beer fridge....starting out with a buy two mentality - one for now and one to drink later - quickly evolved into a 200-300 bottle cellar problem a connection with several trading partners.... I attempt to slow down and take buying breaks, but then something happens like Maine Beer Co landing only shelves or a case of BBQ shows up or Pipeworks drools off another new and interesting sounding beer....I generally try and bring in a couple bottles to share at my part time job with other beer enthusiasts (as I've the luxury to do so) but have a general concern of hoping bottles aren't going bad... This beer rotation, excel spreadsheet, and two large basement closets later and I'm hoping I don't have to move anytime soon....

 

My collection sits here on BA. That way I don't have to save empty bottles to show the collection, nor do I need to keep much of a cellar. And since Cigar City is here, I have plenty of new things to trade throughout the year without hoarding.

 

Mine are not empty bottles though......

 

Not sure why people browsing the cellaring section arent more sympathetic but i totally get you. A year ago i had a temperatue controller with a mini fridge and somehow now i have a standup freezer prettymuch packed with things ill drink later. I try to buy beers in 4s,1 for now and 3 for 3 years of aging. Its a sickness and i should stop.

 

Ha, yeah the cellaring sub-forum seems to be filled with non-cellaring folk (cellarists?). I definitely think there's a correlation between a tendency to collect and cellaring beer. The way the beers change over time is a real thing, and yes it's often a positive thing, but with all the beers out there that are great fresh (including most that are great aged), I have a hard time believing cellaring is worthwhile for taste reasons alone.

I have a cellar of about 85 beers at the moment (in a small apartment) and I think it's a combination of interest of flavour development and just having all your favourite beers around.

 

totally agree, there is a common trait most people who cellar or hold on to beer share. I would bet money that every one of us has collected something at one point. I also collected rocks and minerals, sports cards, pogs, jerseys. I even have friends who think I am crazy for buying the beer and keeping it put away intentionally for a later date. But I guess that is why we are all on this site and my friends are not. collectors will always collect something. I even see random things outside the antique shops by my house that I swear I could turn in to something rad for my man space. my wife just laughs at this point.