When do you call a beer 'cellared'?

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SeaWatchman

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This is one of my biggest pet peeves in beer now.

Scenario: It is July 2013. stupac2 has just started the "July Cellar Reviews" thread on some site and reviews a beer that's a few years old.

Next beerbro posts: Just opened my [insert beer that was released 4 months ago] man it's doing great!

4 months old is not cellared. Neither is 6 months. Maybe a year... maybe.

Protip: Just because you get a beer when it comes out and forget about it in the fridge for a few months does not mean you've cellared it.

[/rant]
 
I've tried to address this before... e.g. stashing beer to drink within 2-6 months without any desire for a change in flavor, maturation in the 6-24 month timeframe (hop & certain other flavors fade, synthesis of flavors in many non-lambic sour beers), aging in the 2-5 year timeframe (characteristic toffee/treacle flavors begin to develop in barleywines/old ales, reduction of perception of fusel alcohols, beginnings of soy sauce flavor in dark beers), and cellaring for 5+ years (oxidative flavors become more prominent, lambics transition from bright/citric tartness to deeper/earthy sourness, etc).

However, the fact remains that "cellaring" is by far the coolest-sounding word to use for hoarding beer, so everyone will continue to do so ;)
 
Yeah, I'm in the camp that believes a beer isn't technically "cellared" until it has spent a solid 18-24 months in a closet. That's like .31 Tom Cruise Units (TCUs) on the cellar scale. Can we do that actually? Make a Tom Cruise scale for beer cellared in a closet? All other beers use months/years as the scale?
 
I really thought from that second line you'd be making fun of my for not knowing what month it was.

I probably facepalmed at that response, since 4 months is clearly not cellared, but whaddayagonnado?
 
Yeah, I'm in the camp that believes a beer isn't technically "cellared" until it has spent a solid 18-24 months in a closet. That's like .31 Tom Cruise Units (TCUs) on the cellar scale. Can we do that actually? Make a Tom Cruise scale for beer cellared in a closet? All other beers use months/years as the scale?



How many R. Kelly units (RKUs) in a TCU?
 
I think 1 year is pretty reasonable because then you are looking to do side-by-sides and verticals with fresh batches.

Aside from IPAs (which shouldn't even really be in the discussion), are there any beers that change massively over 6 months assuming reasonable cellaring conditions? Maybe beers that are heavy on peppers or other adjuncts?
 
I think 1 year is pretty reasonable because then you are looking to do side-by-sides and verticals with fresh batches.

Aside from IPAs (which shouldn't even really be in the discussion), are there any beers that change massively over 6 months assuming reasonable cellaring conditions? Maybe beers that are heavy on peppers or other adjuncts?

BP Victory at Sea. It's always too hot on release, really mellows in a year and you get way more of the vanilla/chocolate/other-stuff-that-makes-it-awesome.
 
I think 1 year is pretty reasonable because then you are looking to do side-by-sides and verticals with fresh batches.

Aside from IPAs (which shouldn't even really be in the discussion), are there any beers that change massively over 6 months assuming reasonable cellaring conditions? Maybe beers that are heavy on peppers or other adjuncts?
I like certain coffee stouts (reg Speedway, KBS, etc) with 6-9 months on them; too hot initially and plenty of coffee after that period.

BP Victory at Sea. It's always too hot on release, really mellows in a year and you get way more of the vanilla/chocolate/other-stuff-that-makes-it-awesome.
Victory at Sea also has so much vanilla from the start... too bad aging it seems to thin out the body too quickly. Possibly a result of being a (imperial) porter
 
I thought any beer no longer available on shelves was considered *cellared*, JEG gave me the definitive guide on this I thought.

All **** aside, I only use that term for something properly cellared for 2 years or more.
 
I honestly don't care either way. I'm more interested in how old it is, than what adjective to use.

2010 Abyss, not cellared Abyss.

As a verb, for example "I cellared it for X amount of time" I have no problem. I can see some beers being great in 6 months, so I'm fine with saying it's been cellared for 6 months. There's no need for an arbitrary cutoff. Nobody will agree on it anyway.
 
If it doesn't have a serious layer of dust on it I would say it's not cellared yet. I don't care about someone's tasting notes on an '09 darkness. I'm more interested in what a 70 year old barley wine tastes like.

Since I really only know a tiny group of people that are in to antique beers I think the cellaring section is usually about as lame as a 5 year vertical of Hopslam. I'd rather not see it at all because I think it gives people the impression they are achieving something from cellaring hoarding everything in their site.

Those are my 2¢. Drink beer frosh krew!
 
If it doesn't have a serious layer of dust on it I would say it's not cellared yet. I don't care about someone's tasting notes on an '09 darkness. I'm more interested in what a 70 year old barley wine tastes like.
1379422_10202130239923346_280920538_n.jpg

(dustiest bottle I have)
 
Lp framboise ages rally badly, so I'm curious about rose, never had one more than a couple years.
Bro, we finally disagree on something again....I was at a tasting recently and had a 2003 LPF that was fantastic. I know Rempo , claaark13, aasher, Bobby91w and Shaggs were all there....surely I wasn't alone in loving it.

Full disclosure my memory is **** but I *think* you guys were all there?

And Shaggs may not have had any, it may have been spilled on him.

Oh and I forgot muskabeatz was there too I think.
 
Bro, we finally disagree on something again....I was at a tasting recently and had a 2003 LPF that was fantastic. I know Rempo , claaark13, aasher, Bobby91w and Shaggs were all there....surely I wasn't alone in loving it.

Full disclosure my memory is **** but I *think* you guys were all there?

And Shaggs may not have had any, it may have been spilled on him.

Oh and I forgot muskabeatz was there too I think.
Well you're a dumb smelly hippy who can't taste.

Or, I dunno, we like different things. I had a 2004 that was cellared at Toronado before my buddy got it, and no one at the tasting thought it beat fresh lpf.
 
Well you're a dumb smelly hippy who can't taste.

Or, I dunno, we like different things. I had a 2004 that was cellared at Toronado before my buddy got it, and no one at the tasting thought it beat fresh lpf.
That sounds like a personal attack man, we need a ruling here!

This act of aggression will not stand, man.
 
I get annoyed by people who say their beer is cellared in a regular fridge (~35F). No matter what amount of time has passed, any change in a beer stored at this temp will not be the same as one stored at 55F+.


And my beer is not cellared. It's crawlspaced.
 
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