Cellaring versus Storing

Actually the opposite. Warmer temperatures accelerate oxidation processes so flavors related to oxidation (e.g., sherry type flavors) will occur more quickly at warm temperatures.

This post might get more 'hits' if it was posted in the Cellaring forum.

Cheers!

 

Higher temp = faster aging process

 

Dogfish 120 and BCBS stored at 70 degrees for a couple of years are still going to be good. I would not have any concerns about throwing that stuff into your newly-controlled cellar.

 

That is the theory. The 'magic' of 55 degrees F, as I understand it, it that is just the suggested temperature of aging wine. If there is some scientific studies which quantify that 55 degrees F is the 'sweet spot' I am not aware of them.

Generally speaking the beers that are cellared are higher alcohol type beers (e.g., Barleywines, Quads, Imperial Stouts, etc.) and sour beers. I am not a big cellaring guy so hopefully others will provide their opinions here.

Cheers!

 

There is a rule of thumb that a beer stored in your car trunk during the summer for 3 days at 90 F ages as much as a beer stored in your closet at 72 F for 30 days or in your fridge for 300 days.

That said, I store my stuff in a basement that is generally cooler than the house. I keep the beer in foam boxes. In the winter it stays in the fifties to sixties and in the summer it is in the high sixties to the low 70s. For a beer that you can safely cellar for 5 years I find that they last at least 4 in decent condition. I had some Westmalle Tripels that went south after 3 years that that may have had something to do with what happened to the beer before I bought it because I had a case of Chimays that did fine. I drank the last of those at 4 and a half years and it was quite nice.

 

Temperatures are not as important as darkness, but at the same time you don't want to store them in extreme heat or cold a dark place in the basement should be fine. Seasonal temp changes are fine.

 

So to my understanding, cellar beers to preserve the beer on how it was intended to be for future consumption and store beer for aging it?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X

Read this if you're interested in getting serious about cellaring. Written by someone who Like the previous poster commented, 70F isn't "bad," it just ages beer at a rate of closer to 2 "aged years" per calendar year instead of 1 "aged year" per calendar year, if that makes sense.

 

Pretty good read, gets a little too scientific at times, but I recommend it. It even gives recommendations that the author has found age well (that you might not expect would have aged well).

 

What would be the best entry level equipment for cellaring?

 

Honestly, it doesn't hurt to "cellar" at temps below 55F, so any old fridge will do.

But if you're looking to go the chest freezer route, find one that is anti-frosting or frost free, whatever they call it. Last thing you want is moisture getting into any cardboard boxes you might store in there. I bought a Johnson Controls A19AAT-2C temperature controller and once it came I realized it's plug and play - it works by plugging into the wall then the freezer plugs into it. When the thermocouple senses temperature above the set point, it closes the circuit and allows the freezer to run to cool the unit back down to the set point. Easy.

 

Cool. Thanks! A chest freezer and this controller is much cheaper than a wine vault!

 

I believe the rule is to cellar beer cooler than their fermentation temperature, this is so that left over yeast don't start behaving unpredictably producing new compounds. So 55 is a safe temperature guideline since it covers the vast majority of cellared beer. At least this is one reason why 55 is recommended.

 

Cellaring beers at temps below 52° can ****** the aging process, where as temps far above 55° can accelerate aging but with less than pleasant results. A beer with a shelf life of 4 months if kept at 42°, would have a decreased shelf life (under 3 months) if stored st 86°.

 

Oh and I thought it might go without saying but probably should add that the thermocouple/probe (looks like a copper tube with a pointed end) needs to go in the chest freezer...otherwise, if the room the freezer is in is a temperature higher than the probe, your freezer is going to run forever.

Since my freezer was inherited when I bought my house is old, I just added foam where the seal hits the chest and left a slot for the thermocouple wire to sit in. Works fairly well, but I'm sure a more elegant solution could have been devised for the management of the probe.