Cellar is warm - cause for concern?

Buy a minifridge. Or a winefridge.

 

Would using the fridge, even without plugging it in, help? Seems like it would still insulate the beer from temperature fluctuations/getting too warm. Or do you already use it like that?

 

Obviously it's not an ideal environment for aging but aside from finding a way to keep them at ~55˚ I don't think there is much more you can do and the main thing the warmer temperatures will affect is the rate at which they age. It'll increase the rate of aging a little, but I don't think it'll be very significant. I keep my collection of bottles in a normal/livable basement in New England so it seems they would be similar.

 

I think it depends mainly on how quickly the temperature has risen. My cellar (i.e., crawl-space) ebbs from 45 in the winter to 65 in the summer, but that change is really gradual and I have not noticed a negative effect. If the temperature is changing 10 degrees in a day, that may be more of an issue. I am in the same boat as you where I have an old fridge but don't want to spend too much on electricity. I keep the beers I want coldest closer to the cement slab but otherwise I don't worry too much about it.

Another option you can consider is utilizing insulation to slow down the temperature swings. I'm not sure how much you have in your cellar, but some coolers might do you wonders.

 

I've been attempting to cellar some of my stouts over the past 6 months and I've come to a crossroad. Prior to these past two weeks my basement has been relatively cool, but lately the heat and humidity has been rising. I'm worried that my small collection could see some negative effects and I'm not sure what my best course of action is. As of last night my basement has risen to as high as 78-80 degrees. For the time being I've brought my bottles into my bedroom with the A/C (probably around 67 degrees) and I'm trying to decide what to do next. I have a 4 pack of KBS, Founders breakfast stout, some local stouts, and I just found a bottle of Parabola today. There is a fridge in the basement that I could utilize but I'm not sure if it will be too cold for aging? I'll drink them if I have to but I was just wondering if you guys may have some go-to methods. Thanks!

 

(not really the answer you're looking for) Welllll you're better off drinking the KBS and FBS....also the Parabola. Those are all great fresh. Parabola does well with age but you're not going to have a huge difference besides a drop off. And yeah, don't f with the heat.

 

I think you'll be ok as long as the basement sees a steady increase in heating and cooling, not a quick spike in temperature. For the humidity part, you can hang some of those things(DampRid) that pull the moisture out of the air. Anything you're overly concerned with drink now or put in the fridge.

 

Thanks guys! I threw what I have into my basement fridge and set it to a lower (warmer) setting. I've heard Parabola does ok around 40 degrees but more than likely I'll look to pop it open within the next couple of weeks, same with the rest. Lots of great info here and I'll make sure to utilize it in the future. Thanks again and cheers!

 

That is what I do. I it stays a pretty constant temperature year round. It is about 55 to 60 degrees though which is a hair too warm.

 

There really is no rule/law for cellaring. Everyone's experiences will differ, and the guy who aged his beer at 55 might have preferred it at 60 if he had done so. Cool and dark are the main things. Cool can be 65 degrees, that's cooler than most homes when the A/C is running. Obviously nothing is ideal besides a nice, dry wine fridge, but that's not an option for most people.

As far as the Bigfoot, I've found it vastly different over all vintages. There's no way to tell how a beer will taste without knowing it's initial history. I've had 2008 before that was great, and 2009 that was a drain pour. You likely had a bad bottle based on all sorts of things you couldn't have known, I wouldn't think a slightly warm basement killed it so fast. I've had a 2001 that was still a bitter bomb, so your bottle might have been dead before you got it.

Also, people's palates are always different so gauging how a beer will taste in X time based on a stranger's opinion is kind of silly. Until I find someone who shares my likes and agrees with most of my reviews, everything I hear/read is just useless. Open another one and see what it does. If it's the same, you can assume you either don't like that particular beer, or that particular 4pk was stored poorly before buying.

 

I've also had underwhelming experiences with aged Bigfoot. I recently opened a 2013 and did not like it very much. I found it was still bitter, but without the flavour/aroma of hops. This resulted in my opinion in an imbalanced brew. My thoughts were, I should probably let it age one more year and see if the bitterness fades, resulting in a more "Englishy" barley wine. If it still tastes like the one year beer, I will probably never again age bigfoot, and just consume them fresh.

 

IMO most beers "kick ass" when fresh!! Much like you I wanted to try aging beers. It's a learning process ....A couple successes, but mostly disappointment. I now only age a few stouts/barleywines but mainly only sours. If a beer tasted kick ass fresh then drink it fresh!!! Don't expect magic from aging, expect change. It's all personal taste but I'd say 98% of beer tastes better fresh!!