Officially Started My Cellar!!!

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by thegodfather1076, Apr 27, 2012.

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  1. thegodfather1076

    thegodfather1076 Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2009 Ohio

    So I have been wanting to start a beer/wine cellar for about the past 6-9 months but was very unsure about what path to take and what all was involved. I have done a ton of reading and researching on the subject and finally felt comfortable enough to give it a go. I have a very cool basement that stays fairly dark and have some storage cabinets built against one of the basement walls that I feel will be the perfect place to store my brews as they age. Last night I went out and bought 5 bottle of the 2012 Edition of Stone RIS and the plan is to drink 1 now, 1 at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years. This will be an extreme test of will power for me but I am excited!!!!

    I figure I will prob look to add to my cellar collection once a month or maybe every other month. If anyone(especially those from OH and the Akron area that might know what is available around here) has any suggestions or recommendations of brews I might want to look to add please feel free to chime in!!!

    Thanks all!!
     
    #1 thegodfather1076, Apr 27, 2012
  2. thegodfather1076

    thegodfather1076 Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2009 Ohio

    Also I want to place some type of thermometer in the cabinet and would love suggestion or examples of anything anyone else is using!!!
     
    #2 thegodfather1076, Apr 27, 2012
  3. Jparkanzky

    Jparkanzky Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2011 Ohio

    I use this thermometer:

    http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Servic...E88E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335541781&sr=8-1

    Off the shelf worth holding onto:

    Bigfoot
    Siberian Night
    Palo Santo Marron
    Expedition Stout
    Founder's RIS (I don't hold onto Breakfast Stout)
    Cantillon and other wild-ales etc.
    FFF Behemoth (I would advise against drinking it fresh, other than 1 to try!)
    BA Boris
    D.O.R.I.S.
    KBS
    Blackout Stout
    Backwood's Bastard
    Old Raspy
    Stone Old Guardian
    Heavy Sea's (a lot of the Below-Deck's Stuff)
    Yeti/Oak/Choc./Espresso/etc.

    There are a lot more I'm sure, and I'm sure I'm missing some big ones, but those would keep you busy.... some are obviously seasonal.
     
    #3 Jparkanzky, Apr 27, 2012
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  4. thegodfather1076

    thegodfather1076 Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2009 Ohio

    Thanks for the info man!! I am excited for this!!
     
    #4 thegodfather1076, Apr 27, 2012
  5. mcaulifww

    mcaulifww Initiate (0) Aug 18, 2011 Virginia

    Hey! I just started my cellar about 2 months ago. I try and wait a month each time getting cellar beers. I've got bigfoot old rasputin and yeti in there now. I'd recommend some of the belgians (Chimay, Duvel, La fin de Monde) as I've head they age really well. I plan on getting a few of those as well. Good luck!
     
    #5 mcaulifww, Apr 27, 2012
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  6. vivasbeer

    vivasbeer Zealot (519) Feb 3, 2012 Michigan
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    #6 vivasbeer, Apr 27, 2012
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  7. spry

    spry Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2009 Michigan

    Famous last words! :slight_smile:

    Stone IRS is a good start. Old stock and Alaskan smoked porter are my recommendations for orher cheap options.
     
    #7 spry, Apr 28, 2012
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  8. Bluecane

    Bluecane Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2011 New York

    Just wanted to add Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, as it might even be cheaper than anything on this list, but is still regarded as a great beer to cellar. (I haven't tasted one, yet, but I have 3 I put away that have been hanging around for a few months now.)
     
    #8 Bluecane, Apr 28, 2012
  9. brooklynbrews

    brooklynbrews Initiate (0) Jan 21, 2010 Uzbekistan

    Agreed, bcs is so much better with a year or two of age.
     
    #9 brooklynbrews, Apr 29, 2012
  10. vande

    vande Initiate (0) Jan 26, 2007 Illinois

    Starting a cellar can be a.) expensive, b.) addictive, c.) yet a helluva lot of fun... be wary - it'll not take a lot of time for that cellar to add up.. I started with one bottle, and am close to 300 or so...
     
    #10 vande, Apr 29, 2012
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  11. darkmoon66

    darkmoon66 Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2011 California
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    a 2008 Stone RIS is the beer that convinced me to start my cellar, such an amazing beer with some age on it. I just started mine maybe 2 months ago and I feel like it is coming along nicely. I find myself wanting more than just a bottle or 2 of everything, but that gets expensive :slight_frown:
     
    #11 darkmoon66, Apr 29, 2012
  12. Blanco

    Blanco Savant (1,243) Oct 11, 2008 Pennsylvania

    I use a digital thermometer I bought at walmart for $15-20. It comes with a base that I keep in the main area of my house and it has another sensor unit I keep where I store the beer so I don't have to leave the house to see what temp it is. Works fairly well, but is limited to about 35ft. The unit I bought allows you to have multiple sensor units so you can keep track of temps in more than one spot. This isn't the exact unit I got, but it's similar.

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Accurite-Digital-Wireless-Thermometer/16888916
     
    #12 Blanco, Apr 29, 2012
  13. vande

    vande Initiate (0) Jan 26, 2007 Illinois



    Nice! I need to get one of those..
     
    #13 vande, Apr 29, 2012
  14. Soonami

    Soonami Initiate (0) Jul 16, 2008 Pennsylvania

    Anyone have specific recommendations (or build plans) for racks to store wine or beer bottles on the their side?
     
    #14 Soonami, Apr 29, 2012
  15. thegodfather1076

    thegodfather1076 Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2009 Ohio

    @vande I think I can keep the expense down with limiting myself to 1 purchase a month with a $40-60(but it may be less then that just depends on what my finances will allow that month) cap on it!!! Im sure it can get addictive!! Im addicted already and I've just started!!! There is just so much to learn with beer overall...I love it!!

    @darkmoon66 How many bottles have you compiled in those 2 months?? I wanna try for multiple bottles of everything I get but like you said that gets expensive and might just not be feasible!!
     
    #15 thegodfather1076, Apr 29, 2012
  16. darkmoon66

    darkmoon66 Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2011 California
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    #16 darkmoon66, Apr 29, 2012
  17. Jerriko

    Jerriko Crusader (432) Jan 6, 2008 Washington
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    Stone IRS is a great beer to have in the cellar. Always tasty and ages well. I've found the best way to not drink the stuff that I buy before I want to is to have way too much beer in my cellar. That way I can't make up my mind and then I walk away and have something local and fresh.

    Recently though I feel it's gotten out of hand with the number of bottles I have, so I've been on a mission to open a bunch of stuff in my cellar. So far it's been great and I've had no regrets.

    I found that adding some classics barleywines, quads, stouts, and sours is a good way to start.

    Chimay
    Rochefort
    Bigfoot
    Thomas Hardy's
    J.W. Lee's
    Abyss (if it's distributed)
    Old Raspy
    Stone IRS
    Bourbon County
    3F Oude Gueze (again if possible)

    All will make for a fantastic cellar and you won't have to worry about drinking them as long as you keep some 'on hand' beer (usually pale ale and IPA for me you shouldn't have a problem letting the beers age.

    Good luck on your cellar and enjoy the feeling when you have someone over and you pull something out you've been saving to share.
     
    #17 Jerriko, Apr 30, 2012
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