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What beer to cellar given limited space?

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by NeedBeerHere, Jan 16, 2014.

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  1. NeedBeerHere

    NeedBeerHere Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2013 Minnesota

    Searched but couldn't find a good answer.

    My cellar/dedicated beer refrigerator is totally full and has been for a few weeks. I've taken over the real fridge (the one for food) and there is barely any room for food. This in addition to a few boxes of beer that I've bought and have left unrefrigerated downstairs are starting to make me worry about the beer aging as best as is possible.

    My PAs, IPAs, IIPAs, any lager (barely ever) sit upstairs (in the food fridge) to make sure they are drank fresh.

    I plan to get another dedicated beer fridge for the other beers I need to keep downstairs. Most of the beer that is downstairs/keep in the dedicated beer fridge are stouts, porters, barley wines, and sours.

    Until I get another fridge which beers do you think would be best left unrefrigerated -- the stouts, porters, barley wines, and/or sours. It's getting to the point that I could fill at least half of another fridge. I need to do something. It's just gonna get worse with upcoming releases and some travel that will likely end up with at least a couple more cases of assorted beer and bombers.
     
    #1 NeedBeerHere, Jan 16, 2014
  2. NeedBeerHere

    NeedBeerHere Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2013 Minnesota

    Any info would be helpful. I just did the big cleanup and put a bunch of bottles on our cold, cement basement floor -- probably the coldest floor in the house. It was supposed to be turned into a sauna so its small and easy to cut the light out of there too. Gonna get another fridge after vacation but by time I get back that fridge will probably be full from releases, road store scores, and brewery stops. Reoccurring problem I think.
     
    #2 NeedBeerHere, Jan 16, 2014
  3. Dupage25

    Dupage25 Savant (1,032) Jul 4, 2013 Antarctica

    Barleywines/old ales and sours should be fine for long-term storage outside a fridge. If the stouts/porters are on the standard or lower end of the alcohol spectrum (anything below 6.5%) I would put them in the same fresh category as IPA's. Smoked ones might be an exception, but I wouldn't bet on it.

    Most people that age beer don't use a fridge and both barleywines/old ales and many sours are considered excellent cellar potentials, so if the goal is actual cellaring (as opposed to making room for IPA's in the fridge) you shouldn't be keeping them in a fridge anyway. Fridges are too dry and usually too cold for proper development. If you are just trying to make room, barleywines and sours can be kept pretty much anywhere for a year or so and be fine as long as they are kept away from light and extreme cold or heat.
     
    #3 Dupage25, Jan 16, 2014
  4. JasonLovesBeer

    JasonLovesBeer Initiate (0) Mar 27, 2013 Canada (BC)

    I am imagining the OP has the same setup as me: regular fridge at 36-40F, cellar fridge at 50-55F, and
    'warm' storage at 70F or so.

    If you have a basement with a cold floor and the air stays at 65F or lower, I wouldn't bother getting a fridge and instead store at that temperature in boxes (kept dark). This is a great temperature for development over medium term cellaring (1 - 3 years I'm thinking). The 50-55F cellar I would reserve for long term (4+ years) which for me would be almost exclusively gueuze and old ales.

    If the basement is too warm or unstable for cellaring, I would try to keep all my sours in the cellar and store barleywines and big stouts in the warm. I'm not sure if it's true, but instinctively I feel that sours have the most delicate balance when it comes to storage due to their extra active ingredients. Stouts and barleywines will do fine for a year or more at above-cellar temperatures (assuming ~9% and higher ABV)
     
    #4 JasonLovesBeer, Jan 17, 2014
  5. sjverla

    sjverla Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2008 Massachusetts

    I don't have a ton of experience with cellaring. But Founder's Curmudgeon is a must. It has blown my mind at 6 and 12 months.
     
    #5 sjverla, Jan 17, 2014
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