quote: Originally posted by mitchforgie I also have a bunch of Unibroue stuff in a box in storage that I just have been forgetting to open since I moved over a year ago. I doubt they will be better, but who knows?!

Great topic. I cellar a lot of beer mainly for two reasons: I trade quite a bit and have family/friends that bring me bottles when visiting. Couple that with working quite a bit and a cellar problem is realized. I'm a big fan of sharing many that come my way, and schedule coordination with a tasting group can get difficult more than 4-6 times a year. I agree with a lot of what has been said. Most beer is best in the short term, but there are obvious exceptions. I enjoy verticals of strong, barrel aged stouts like Bourbon County and Parabola. Quads, as has been mentioned, are another favorite of mine to try in different vintages. Some annual releases, like Dark Lord and Darkness, I find repulsive fresh but awesome with some age. I believe that gueuze/lambic and other wilds are better with age. Nothing is worse than saving an awesome bottle only to find that it peaked long ago. The craziness of CBS confounds me. That beer was the prime example of something to drink fresh, yet people still go crazy for it. A friend brought a bottle to a large tasting in January and while still a very good beer, it is a shell of what it was on release in 2011. I think optimally my cellar size would be around 25-40 bottles. I better start drinking.

I should go open one now!

quote: Originally posted by eaglefan538 quote: quote: Originally posted by mitchforgie I also have a bunch of Unibroue stuff in a box in storage that I just have been forgetting to open since I moved over a year ago. I doubt they will be better, but who knows?! Definitely report back.

I'm at this point again. Not wanting to be bursting at the seams, but always have something special on hand. With the exception of about a dozen bottles or so, I'm trying to drink everything else down.

I use to trade a lot. Saved everything for special occasions that never came. Been drinking a random bottle of this or that every week & downsized from 14 cases of beer to 4 in a year. Shot back up to 8 with my infatuation with ciders, but I seem to be holding steady at 6 now, with 2-3 just for cider. At least I have no qualms about drinking the good stuff whenever anymore. Unless you invite me to a tasting a month from now, then Ill start holding back & everything with start all over again. [}:)]

quote: Originally posted by fretwalker What does it take to uncellar a bottle?

I no longer stress over my cellar.......drink up Johnny!

80% of my inventory is 2013. IPAs and most lagers aren't aged at all. Barleywines are kept at least one year before drinking. Most of my Impy Stouts are cellared for a while. I have one 2008 Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter that I have no idea why I haven't drank it. A lot of bigger bottles I take to local bottle shares, of which there are quite a few of now around here. Some of my stock is strictly for special occasions: holidays, family events, anniversaries, birthdays, milestones. I try to keep my list current although I'm not proficient with Excel or other spreadsheet formats. I too miss some beers from time to time and drink them past their prime. There is a loose method to my beer madness. Conclusions: 1. I spend too much money on beer. 2. I have a lot of beer. 3. My friends love me.

There was a time when I had a massive "cellar", which was more of collection kept in a temp stable room of my house (under my stairs). Had a lot of beer go to shit, which was my fault for not being a lush I guess. If I keep a beer for 6 months these days, it's a rarity. I had everything from 5 years of Dark Lords to 8 year verts of OSA, 9 years of Keizer Blue's, etc. Tried keeping up with the cool kids. Drank a lot of great beer, drainpoured a lot too. Anymore its about trying to find the freshest beer and enjoy, including stouts. More power to those that do.

quote: Originally posted by Stoutlover72 There was a time when I had a massive "cellar", which was more of collection kept in a temp stable room of my house (under my stairs). Had a lot of beer go to shit, which was my fault for not being a lush I guess. If I keep a beer for 6 months these days, it's a rarity. I had everything from 5 years of Dark Lords to 8 year verts of OSA, 9 years of Keizer Blue's, etc. Tried keeping up with the cool kids. Drank a lot of great beer, drainpoured a lot too. Anymore its about trying to find the freshest beer and enjoy, including stouts. More power to those that do.