Thoughts on warm beer shelves

I've never noticed any changes in taste so it's not a big deal to me.

 

I'm never sure if it's because of the beers usually on the warm shelf (Euro imports) or because of the shelf itself (often in direct light), but I've had bad bad luck with 'em.

 

I think your approach seems best, given your situation. I would only fill it with heavier styles (stouts, porters, barleywines, etc. . .) and sours/brett beers, but definitely not IPAs, lagers, Hefes, blonds, etc etc.

 

I personally don't like it. Oxidation occurs at a much faster rate at warmer temperatures. Even with oxygen fixing crowns, oxygen ingress is inevitable.

 

Just throw all the Bud, Coors, Miller Lite on the shelves. If you need more space, throw the Heineken and Corona on the shelves. That'll free up a lot more space.

Oh but keep the PBR chilled please.

 

I've got no problem with warm shelves as long as the rotation is fairly quick and the shelf isn't blasted by sunlight 8 hours a day.

If you'd like to do some research on a terrible example of a warm shelf, I can show you a spot in Greeley.

 

My biggest annoyance with warm shelves is when I am buying beer to bring home and drink right away. Want my stuff cold so it can be enjoyed right away. Otherwise, what FishPondManager said.

 

Even the biggest store in Casper doesn't have enough cooler space for all the beers they carry, which is much less than what you blokes in CO are used to seeing. You do what you have to...

 

Kick all the ciders out of the cooler.

 

I cringe whenever I see lighter styles or hoppy beers on warm shelves. I just won't buy those beers at all if I see them on warm shelves (or I'll go somewhere else to buy them that I know has kept them in the cooler). I don't like the idea of darker styles on warm shelves either but unless there's a layer of thick dust on the bottles I usually don't let it deter me from buying them. That's just what goes through my mind when I consider buying beer from a warm shelf.

 

The places that do a poor job with warm shelf beer don't even ask themselves these questions or consider any of the things you are. You're already in the 99th percentile of stores. You'll be fine.

 

We had to expand to warm beer shelves. Too much stuff coming out not to. Bottle conditioned, big beers, and the like go there. It's in the back of the store, by the coolers, so no sunlight at all. Fluorescents, unfortunately, but total darkness during closing hours.

 

You break it, you buy it, Fido

 

It hasn't really prevented me from buying beers off the shelves. If it's an IPA I'll check the bottle date, or ask when it was delivered it there is no date.

Most of the bottle shops that I visit do try to keep their shelves away from windows. Some are converting their lighting to LED lights. And, they do for the most part keep heavier beers and sours on their shelves.

 

warm? do you mean room temp? like 70-80F ? please tell me you not saying you HEAT a beer row?

 

I have trouble finding a local store that actually has decent craft beer in the coolers. When I do go back to check the cooler, its stuff like Rogue's Deadguy Ale, and crappy seasonals then all the BMC beers and months old Torpedo. So I resort to checking bottle dates.. Luckily the dry shelves are way from sunlight. If no bottle date I don't even bother unless it's highly acclaimed. There just aren't enough stores in my neck of South Jersey that care about the BAs like us

 

If a store does high volume then it doesn't matter to me.

Last night I happened to stop in a local grocery store that has beer(a rarity where I live), and they had so many out dated IPAs on warm shelves like FD The Truth, Lagunitas Daytime, some Maine IPAs and Pale Ales months old. I was sad.

Also most places near me that have single beers for sale usually have a majority of them on regular shelves.