Kegs and Kitchen

Welcome to the first installment of the new series, From the Cellar, where I talk about a very special bottle that I’ve got stashed away in a dark closet, otherwise known as my cellar. As much as I wish I did, I don’t have a real cellar. I live in Texas. I could build one yes, but I prefer my lightproof cardboard box with dividers, in the innermost closet of our house. It’s not ideal, but it does the trick.

If you’ve never heard of cellaring beer, you’re not alone. When most people think of a cellar, they immediately think of wine. Cellaring beer is starting to become more common though. Vertical tastings, where one tastes several versions of a specific beer, from different consecutive years are starting to pop up at some bottle shops and on the blogs of other beer geeks. Here in Austin, one of my favorite local shops The Whip In has a beer cellar with some real treats from years gone by, stashed away awaiting their triumphant return. Their list is much more impressive than mine, but I’m working hard to assemble an equally extensive museum de beer.

Right now, I’ve got four bottles each of about five different beers that should do pretty well with some aging. Three of those five are from my favorite brewery of all time, Dogfish Head. They seem to brew quite a few beers that benefit from a few years in a cool, dark environment.

I was recently on the hunt for a new one to add to the collection. My wife was on her way to Spec’s for some wine and I asked her to pick up a few bottles of the Fuller’s Vintage that had just been released. I figured they would know exactly what she was looking for, and that they would have it. They didn’t.

I went a day or two later to confirm, and to talk to Steven, the beer dude that’s always there, about getting it for me. I was pretty surprised when he didn’t even know what I was talking about. He called his distributor though and found out that they would be getting some in. Now I have four of those sturdy mahogany boxes in my closet waiting to see what a few years of maturity might do for them.

I couldn’t resist trying one though, so I got an extra. I want to have a point of reference for where each beer began to compare it to over the years. This post will serve as that reference. It will also be fairly short and sweet compared to other beer reviews as this isn’t really when this beer is meant to be consumed and it would be unfair to judge it right now.

Bottle #119614- Pours a deep copper color, with orange hues. The head is tan and creamy. Reeks of malts. The aroma also reminds me of freshly tilled earth, from the yeast left in the bottle. This malt bomb is thick and oily, bitter and boozy and will most likely be delicious in a couple of years. Right now though, it’s just too much. I can’t wait to try this one again over the coming years. I expect it to mellow out quite a bit and to give those sweet malts their spot at center stage. The British hops should be much more subdued and the alcohol a little more hidden. See you next year ‘07 Fullers!

So, the next time you’re out shopping for some new brews to try, consider getting something that you can age. If you have a beer lover in your life, this would make a great gift. Get a few bottles of something special and they can think of you each year they open the cellar to check in on it.

The criteria for a good candidate for aging are fairly simple. Not all beers will benefit from years in the cellar though. Barleywines, Imperial Stouts, Old Ales, Belgian strong ales, these would do well. IPA’s, not so much, as their hop flavor will start to diminish almost immediately and could be gone in as little as a year. One exception to that theory that I have in my cellar is Dogfish Head’s 120 Minute IPA. At 20% abv this beer is begging to be sent to time-out. Also, with the amount of hops they used in brewing and dry hopping, it’s unlikely that it will ever be unnoticeable.

Any beer that says it’s “bottle conditioned” would probably be a good candidate for cellaring too. This means that they’ve left yeast in the bottle which will continue to change the profile of the beer for many years to come.

The only hard part about cellaring is the patience. Knowing that you’ve got these special brews patiently waiting for you to bring them out can be a real test of your will. The rewards should be worthwhile though. Just think of it like that old friend from college that you only talk to once or twice a year, but when you do it’s like the world stands still for the two of you to get caught up on each other’s lives. It will be so much more enjoyable if you delay that gratification, and let that beer rest. It will thank you for it.