Last weekend I shared a few beers with a friend. The beers were not what I expected, they were better than expected. I thought we were going to have a bunch of over aged drain pours... One was a Goose Island Pere Jacques from '07, I also had an old DFH 120 min, and a Midas Touch from '10 I believe. These were great beers. My friend teased me that I had a 6-beer wine cellar. It got me thinking... Just how does one start a beer cellar? I know what I like, but I don't really know the current trends and what will age really well or what will increase in value over time. I also don't really know how to get the beers that might be hard to find. I have a couple bottle shops around here in Central/Western MA, but again, I may try something new here 'n there but don't really know how to go about starting a cellar. Do most of you collect to collect? Or collect to drink later? Or collect as an investment to sell later to buy more things? Regarding a cellar: how much does temperature really matter? I have a root cellar under the front door steps that I've kept things in. It drops to maybe 40 deg in the winter and goes to 65-ish in the summer. If we have a spell of some really hot days, it might get to 70. I haven't checked the temps, these are just guesses. Of course, the temp changes are gradual. The area is 3-4' under ground on 3 sides and opens to the basement. I'm curious of your thoughts. Thanks.
Not sure if this is your first time visiting this forum, but you used the word "collect" 4 times, which is like 5 times too many. And "sell" and "investment" are big nonos. Yikes, dude! We don't collect; we carefully select beers that are worthwhile for cellaring. We usually drink one and put the other into the cave. Never forget that; we cellar so we can drink, not for the sake of collecting or investing, or selling. Regarding the specifics, I'll let the rest of the crew handle it, since I "cellar" in my small apartment closets, which are absolutely not ideal conditions.
Thanks for explaining some things about this forum. I am new to this forum, so thank you. When I wrote "collect", I meant to have for my enjoyment, like someone might have art that is worthwhile for having for enjoyment (of course, beer is a consumable product, art doesn't disappear into the recycle bin...). I'll use "select" in the future, it's more accurate about my interest. The other things, I just didn't know. I know there's a lot of trading that happens (different forum, I know), and I was really referring to that and value/fair trades, etc. I later saw how this is addressed in a different forum. I must have been tired and over complicating things. As I looked at other posts on this and other forums, it looks like people get things they're interested in and maybe a few things out of their comfort zone. And, like you said, enough of the item to enjoy when the flavor peaks. Ultimately, it's pretty simple, I guess. Given I'm limited to the space I have, I shouldn't complicate the storage part either. I don't know how to find beers I want or read about if they're not available in my area. Any suggestions for that? Thanks.
I'm pretty new to BA as well, about two months now. I can tell you that trading is an awesome way to make connections with folks in different parts of the country and so also to be able to access beers outside of your normal distribution. That in mind, I recommend doing your homework on trading. Understand that there are many ways to trade whether it's matching price ($4$) or matching rarity or a combination. The big idea is to make sure you get what you're looking for and to not insult folks at the same time. If you are open about being new most folks will help guide you through the process. This truly is a community and I've been overwhelmed by that fact in the best possible way. As far as cellaring goes, there are a few points to address from your post. First, temperature is a BIG deal. The idea is that you want to store beers at a lower temperature than when it was fermented. For most ales that means somewhere below 60 degrees. Generally accepted cellar temp is 55. What that does is slow down the natural chemical reactions that occur inside of your beer. If you're really interested, pick up this book. http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-...F8&qid=1426786944&sr=8-2&keywords=beer+cellar. It helped me understand the whole process immensely. The other portion is understanding what elements of a beer make it good to cellar. The other thing you can always do is follow the cellaring forum on BA and learn from what other people have tried. Remember, cellaring beer is supposed to be FUN. The idea is that it is a bit of a science experiment. The key is to be able to make that experiment as delicious as possible (aka don't attempt to age an IPA). Best of luck!
I'm curious to hear how others in hot/humid locals cellar. I've filled the used $10 fridge gotten at a yard sale, and really don't have room in the garage for another...
