Storing Imperial Stouts

i think preferred temp is 55 degrees f or lower?

 

Guessing they don't have basements / cellars in Alabama

Nice username btw!

 

It won't mess it up, it will be fine. But at the same time, Narwhal is coming out yearly, so you could just pick up another pack then.

 

perhaps look at craigslist for a cheap "beer fridge" for the garage.

 

70 degrees should be fine. I've stored most of my beers and wines this way, and they seem to be doing fine over the years.

 

You'll be fine. No liquor store has a room temperature of 55 degrees anyway. And no one complains about the taste of an older stout they picked up from there.

 

I buy imperial stouts with a year or two of age all the time from a local store that keeps them non refrigerated, not a bad one yet!

 

But seriously. Pick up a cheap fridge or freezer on craigslist, and a temperature controller if needed. I don't know about Alabama, but here in Texas, we don't have basements. So some kind of fridge will come in handy if you want to store beer.

 

I dont use anything temperature controlled and everyone of my imperial stouts and barrel-aged imperial stouts have held up over the years. As I've told this story once before, I recently had a nineteen year old sweet stout, it was roughly between 11-13% in alcohol. The gentleman had brewed it at forty-nine years old and we drank it nineteen years later, which was a couple months ago. It had traveled the country in a box, it had been left in multiple storage units over the years and it drank like a J.W.Lees Harvest Ale 2002, which we also had, later that night. That beer inspired me to cellar, even more than before.

 

I live in Southern CA and I store my imperial stouts in a cabinet that stays in 70-75 range during the summer. I've got 2 year old Narwhal in there, had one about a month ago and it tasted great.

 

I think you will be fine, the main thing is to keep it dark, which in a closet i assume it will be. I would give it a shot, crack one open in a year and see for yourself. Narwhal is a perfect beer to try this with because its not like your out a ton of money if it fails.

 

I store mine at 98.6 so yeah, you're good

 

Dig a 4' hole. THat should be sufficient to keep the beer cooler.

 

Beer fridge is cheap...and after you get one you'll be shocked that you didn't do it sooner. I've had one for 20 years. Best of all they can take soda & water also and any overflow of food and if it has a freezer...extra ice and a place for a stack of pizzas.

When friends and family come over and they have food and drinks they put them in the "beer fridge"...honestly...everyone I know has one.

I know it sounds funny saying "beer fridge" but it really solves a lot of problems for a minimal price!

 

One good thing about having a 50-55 F cellar is you can drink them at that temperature.