Questioning cellaring beer

I started cellaring earlier this year, and my experiences are similar to many of you. My space (for now!) is limited, as I'm using a locked up cupboard in a basement that's shared with a couple of other people. At this point of my beer career I like trying a wide variety of stuff, so I buy multiples of things I know I like, and one of lots of different stuff. My basement serves as storage for the upcoming occasions I have to open them. This year I'm expanding it, as I plan on storing a lot more wine and port (where improvements are considerable), and some more beer (because I can't stop picking up more and more stuff).

 

"Aging" = setting aside a ~case of an affordable beer with a plan to open 2+ yrs after bottling (SN bigfoot, vintage gueze)

"Cellaring" = 3-24 month window to drink them, maybe tiding you over til the next release or to
mellow' (FIS, Expedition)

"Waiting for a good time to drink" = parking 1-offs or BA'd beers in the basement for hopefully <6months. I've never had a barrel aged (or adjunct added stout) beer older than a year that I thought was "better." I have regretted not drinking ones sooner though.

This is all IMO of course, and through my own trials, successes, and errors.

 

I am just starting to "Cellar and Age" beer. My plan is to acquire different beers that I've read have had successful vertical tastings. BCBS, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Blue Mountain Brewery Dark Hollow, Avery's Czar and "The Demon's of Ale" series. Some of the more affordable versions are bought in quantity so that I can drink a few now and share in the experiences of fresh but also plan to stash for eventual 5 year verticals. Other, more expensive versions are bought in two's to try now and age to 5 years verticals. I don't know if I will attempt longer the 5 years as of yet but it's possible.

 

About 4 years ago I was right where you are. Now, I am about to be ready to open a number of different 4-6 year verticals. Great Divide Hibernation, Zywiec Baltic Porter, a local barrel aged English barleywine, Fuller's Vintage ale (vintages stretching back to 2000), and others. Regardless of the overall results, it has sure been fun slowly building the verticals, and I am sure that I won't regret all the time spent with family and friends opening them all in the coming year or two. From tasting along the way, I think that some of these will yield good results and others may not, but at the very least I gain a lot of insight into how theses beers age.

 

I've found, too, that barrel-aged, for me, is best around a year old. Too sweet when fresh. I operate under those guidelines for most beers. Anything super high ABV like Avery (14-19%) I have no problem with extended aging. So with barleywines (Finest Kind, for example) or Old Ales (Third Coast), I'll drink one and toss another in the cellar and try again in a year, same with most stouts. WWS being the most notable exception.

 

For me, it's not that I "cellar" beer but rather buy what I want and drink when I can. I tend to buy faster than I consume so the bigger beers will sit longer and all the smaller format bottles and hoppy/lov ABV get drank first.