new to aging/cellaring

Get some Gueuze and age them. They can aged for decades. But for the long run, put them in a temperature controlled environment.

 

Im also new to cellaring. I have a 4 pack of 2014 BCBS in my fridge. I never thought to cellar them. They've been in my fridge for about a month. My question is: Can I take a couple out of the fridge and cellar them now (would be around 60 degrees)? Will the change from room temp to fridge to cellar negatively affect the beer? Thanks!

 

Yes. it will be fine.

 

Thanks! Pulling beers out of fridge now!

 

Slight sideways diversion of the topic, are there any beers that arent high ABV, strong, and 'accepted' styles that people have had success aging?

 

A lot of sour stuff is low abv and ages well.

 

Oh yeah, sorry should have said non-sour also

 

I've read that founders porter is good with a year on it. It's only like 6.5%. I have no first hand experience with that one though.....yet.

 

Yes. Smoked or spiced beers age well, those ingredients help preserve the beer. In the book they referenced a smoked beer from Alaskan and Anchor Christmas. Just had an Anchor Christmas from 2013 and it was great. Way less spice flavor, but still good.

Beers below 8% will be OK for a few months to maybe a year, but I would not let them go longer than that. I got some Sweet Baby Jesus (PB Porter) in a trade that was from May. It is still drinking fine and has tons of PB flavor @ 7 months old.

 

Yes, smoked beers tend to age well, when they are made with real smoked ingredients. The classic being Alaskan smoked porter, which can withstand upwards of 5-8 years and still be wonderful, but there are others as well. Apparently the smoke itself acts as a preservative.

Also, some spiced beers have been known to benefit from a few years. Anchor Christmas Ale is very well documented in its ability to improve over a few years, but then declines rapidly after the 3 year mark. It is usually less than 6% ABV.

 

Ok, so a very similar question was asked previously in this thread but I guess I am just hoping for something more specific. I have enough BCBS that my plan was to have some over the next month or so and to cellar some. Its currently in a refrigerator set as warm as possible, however, I know this is still too cold for long term storage.

My question is, how much "damage" can really be done by keeping the beer at 40 instead of 55-60 as it should be?

Guess I got here a little late for the, don't go nuts/ fall for the hype warning... Honestly though, Im not thinking huge, maybe 10-15 bottles total in the cellar at any time and nothing I can't afford to enjoy fresh also. But I did get sucked in to all the BCBS hype...

 

I don't think any damage is done by keeping the beer cooler (as long as it isn't freezing). The whole deal with keeping beer cold is that it slows down the chemical reactions that occur within. The colder it is, the slower these reactions take place, and the longer it takes for the beer to change.

It's not quite as clear-cut or linear as that (different reactions take place at different speeds at different temperatures), but generally the colder the better.

 

I am going to go with "it depends"

generally agree, but any beers that are still "alive" the cold is going to stop everything from happening.

 

Russian Imperial Stouts and English Barleywines, especially at 10% ABV or higher are a great place to start. These two styles are hardy, basic beers that have the greatest potential for development over time. You'll understand the changing relationship between malt and hop (RIS) and learn to appreciate the effects of purposeful oxidation (Barleywines).

Some starters:
Bells Expedition
Founders Imperial Stout
Stone Russian Imperial Stout
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Sierra Nevada Narwhal
North Coast Rasputin
Wells Courage Russian Imperial Stout
J.W. Lees Barleywine

From there, try your hand at bottle conditioned Belgian style beers. But keep it simple to start. It's very easy to get overextended (believe me).