Cellar Newbie

I'm new to this as well, a month in and I've got 20 or so bottles mostly Mich stuff for now but will expand for sure. It looks like you have some nice brews and wish you well with your project. My cellar is just a space under stair in my basement, cool and dark and in spring I'm going to finish the walls in knotty pine and build shelves. Have fun and drink well!

 

That's a pretty great list for just starting this! I have had almost all of these fresh and aged. The only one that I wouldn't age is the FBS, but it will hold up, just not my flavor preference.

I highly recommend keep some Ten Fidy for more than 1 year. It's awesome fresh, and have had at 1 and 2 years and frankly, I'm not even sure it has peaked. It just keeps drinking amazingly. Same goes for Founders Imperial.

Have fun man!

 

I would be curious on other folks' opinions on Founders Breakfast Stout. It's by far my favorite beer right now, and I recently stumbled on a couple cases at my local Giant Eagle. I was thinking about purchasing a bunch to store in my beer fridge to enjoy throughout the year until it comes out again next year.

Also - anyone have any opinions on how Winter Warmers age? I accidentally came into cellaring beer by being a bit overzealous in my 2013 purchasing of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, as I ended the season with about 18 bottles left (still have about 12). I have since accumulated other 2014 Winter Warmers that I just couldn't get through. If I keep them in a dedicated beer fridge, should they be good for a while?

 

The coffee in FBS definitely drops off after being in the cellar. If you are going to cellar, I wouldn't do it for more than a year. Winter Warmers vary - I've had some aged Prelude (1-2 years) that I preferred over being fresh, but for the most part, you're going to lose the flavor characteristics. Since you have so many bottles of GL Christmas, I would suggest opening some bottles at 3 month intervals to monitor. You can also check BA reviews to see how it's progressing if someone opens a vintage bottle.

 

I think you're good with everything but the FBS. It will cellar for 1-2 years but will lose the coffee and start to develop some oxidized notes. Open one at 6 months intervals to decide for yourself.

 

Don't cellar FBS. If you appreciate the coffee aroma and flavor (which is the whole point of the beer in the first place), then drink it now while it is still relatively fresh. I honestly treat all of my coffee stouts, and most other similar adjunct beers, just like I would hoppy beers. Drink them while the flavors that the brewer intended the beer to have are still present and at the fore front.

 

I started to play around with cellaring about 2 years ago, and I quickly found out that I prefer my stouts on the fresher side. Over 6-12 months and I start to detect some cardboard (from oxidation?). It was subtle, and maybe I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't done mini-verticals. FIS held up better than the others, as did BCBS. But most stouts I will drink within the year.

I'm sure others have different opinions. That's awesome, too.

 

Drink the Bourbon Barrel Quad at around nine months to a year...it isn't great with more time, but nine months is the sweet spot.

 

Big bad baptist, world wide stout, mission dark seas are also great stouts

 

That Dragons Milk will be delicious! Good luck giving all those up in a year. After cellaring for a while, I have become to attached to mine to drink it up in one day. But nice idea of having them bring replacements. Get some DFH WWS and other big stouts in there. Stone RIS also holds up amazingly. Yeti is great and having all the variants may go over well at the party. Although, after all these beers, you may be too drunk to remember the party lol
Cheers

 

I prefer Chimay Red on the fresher side, personally.

 

Looks like you have a solid start! If you can find some Solemn Oath Kavorka RIS, jump on it. Stone IRS, Sweetwater Happy Ending, anything from Unibroue, Bell's Expedition Stout, Bell's Third Coast Old Ale, Founders Curmudgeon would also be nice additions.

 

Get drinking sir!