My main cellaring concern. Anyone agree?

There are lot of people, myself included, in the opinion that if you've never had the beer before, try it immediately. They're ready to drink when they're released. Well, except Dark Lord. That beer is never ready to drink. (Full disclosure: I had a 2008 bottle in 2012 and it was good).

The "problem" I have personally is that I send stuff to my cellar at first for storage, and then I do sometimes end up accidentally cellaring something for too long. Though, I keep a constantly updated Excel sheet of my inventory so I've sort of mitigated this risk, but nothing is fool-proof.

 

Yes but what are you comparing the changes to? If you've never had it before, you don't know how it's changed from when it was first bottled, or after a year, or two...etc. etc.

In terms of when, you'll get some general guidelines if you search around, either for styles or for particular beers, but there are a lot of variables that can potentially affect the outcome, so those may or may not be helpful.

 

Well, you are comparing it to other beers that you've had, particularly of the same style, just as you do any time you have a beer for the first time.

I totally understand the value of drinking a freshie to establish a baseline, but if you're playing it conservatively (like the OP), then you want to drink that one beer that you invested money (and, in this case, time) into at it's peak of deliciousness, even if you've never had and never will have that beer again.

Sorry Matt, I know this doesn't answer the question, but I struggle with this issue myself, as I have limited space and finances, but have witnessed first-hand (first-palate?) the glory that is cellared beer.

 

As far as how long, that really depends on each individual beer. May have to do some searching for threads on particular beers or googling. There is no single sweet spot and even the sweet spot for each individual beer will only be the opinion of some other person. There will be some consensus at times but for the most part, check reviews and if you have to make a choice, choose younger than older as the worst that could happen is the beer hasn't changed much....better than finding out it fell off a cliff.

 

Knowing when a beer is going to be perfect after X time is pretty much impossible to just KNOW. You'd have a better chance at predicting the second coming.

Trying the beer over the course of months/years is the only way to know if you prefer it after 6 months, 1 year, 4 years, etc.

 

My rule:
If it tastes great fresh, there's no advantage to aging it. Period.
If it tastes too hoppy or boozy when fresh, then perhaps it will balance off with some age. (6 months to a year)

Certain flavors drop off quickly, too. Coffee or coconut for example. Any coffee stout I have goes straight to the fridge.

 

Being new to cellaring beers myself, I have found that the darker the beer the more likely that it will age well.
IPA's and lighter colored beers probably should be opened and drank while leaving the place you bought it.
But after paying for it first of course. I think maybe you should drink your Lawson's soon. If I run into Sean
here in Vermont in the near future, I'll ask him about cellaring Maple Tripple, or cellaring in general. He's smart.

I've have started to drink my cellared beers lately, because I'm worried about how they will hold up.
Had some Firestone Walker Double Jack and Wookey Jack that I think I stored too long. Whereas the
Anniversary XV, XVI and XVII, plus the Parabola and Scuaba seemed to be just fine aged a little.

 

To midigate the issue of inability to buy multiples I grab bottles for the cellar and drink fresh on draft when I can.

 

Although this is a good rule, I completely disagree when it comes to gueuzes. They are delicious fresh and the right ones age so well that I prefer them aged.

 

im kinda in the same boat. most limited beers ill be only able to buy singles of. the cellaring for me is more saving it for the right occasion instead of being able to compare the differences before/after aging

 

I mainly buy a lot of beers in season, i.e. BCBS and have them around for when the mood strikes. I tend to lay off stouts and barley wines in the summer then I start trying them again in the fall. While a beer like BCBS is good fresh, it seems to improve over the year. By that point I'm running out of the last years vintage and ready to buy the next release and the cycle starts again.

 

Well said! This describes me exactly!

 

I would have to disagree. I love the taste of a fresh Bourbon County Stout, but I also love the taste of a 2008 Bourbon County Stout. Same logic applies to Expedition stout, many Cantillon beers, and many other beers. Point is, while some beers may not get noticeably better with age, some maintain their qualities for years, and some actually do improve with age (WWS, Cantillon, Samichlaus).

 

I share your dilemma. I do sometimes buy a stash of things but more often ones and twos that then await some sort of occasion. I've rarely thought I pulled the trigger too soon, more often too late -- though even then, it's usually past the point in some interesting way. Talking mostly Belgians, here, I find that most everything shows some age by six months. Only a fairly delicate brew or something totally hop-centric is still holding on at that point.

The thing that I'd like to make a rule of, but certainly have a hard time abiding by, is not to wait for too special an occasion. Anytime I have a captive audience interested in tasting something, even if not that much of a beer person, I try to get down to the cellar and pull bottles. Usually I'll open a couple and let people try; a few times I've swung and missed and had to kill a couple beer or a big bottle by myself -- with therapy and prayer, I've eventually gotten over the trauma!