Storage recommendations?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Feb 19, 2017
Messages
15
Reaction score
58
Location
Washington State
I'm on a quest to get my hands on a beer from every state for my husband's 50th birthday - which is in about six and a half months.

Any recommendations on how long I can store the various beers I collect before taste becomes an issue? I will be storing the beer in a basement closet - about 60 degrees and dark. He prefers IPAs, but I'll be collecting whatever I can get!
 
oh-my-takei.gif

Welcome to Talkbeer!
 
I store saisons and lambic in my closet, and my window AC unit probably keeps the temperature like - kinda stable? The beer will be fine, but IPAs are generally better fresh.
 
Thanks, iong516. What would you consider fresh? Should I start collecting two months out? One month? Thank you!

Despite what some people will tell you, there are a lot of IPAs that will stay good for 1-2 months or even longer if they are kept cold in the fridge. I wouldn't have too high of hopes if you're storing them at room temp in a basement. Maybe if you work on getting them a month out they would still be okay.

You're better off doing this with almost any other style of beers but IPAs/pale hoppy beers. Does your husband like stouts, porters, sour ales, barleywines, saisons? Those would all be good choices for this.
 
Well for your husband's sake, I'm glad you decided to ask us before storing IPAs in a closet for 4-6 months! IPAs are always best when extremely fresh. As JulianB pointed out, some can be still alright when not extremely fresh, if kept cold. Keep in mind - this doesn't mean 1-2 months from the store shelf, but rather 1-2 months from packaging, best-case.

Anyway, as Julian also said, almost any other style will fare better over time than IPAs and pale ales. If he only likes hoppy beer, you may want to rethink the strategy a bit. If he likes other styles too, focus on collecting those now, and arrange for some fresh shipments from friends/family/etc. who live in states where you are getting any hoppy stuff closer to the date in question, as well as a fridge to keep the hoppy stuff until the day arrives.

Very nice thing you're doing for your husband! Hope this is helpful.
 
Also to consider - is your husband a big 'beer guy'? For me I prefer my family not give me beer and glassware as I have enough as it is. Just something to consider if he already is collecting stuff on his own.
 
Despite what some people will tell you, there are a lot of IPAs that will stay good for 1-2 months or even longer if they are kept cold in the fridge. I wouldn't have too high of hopes if you're storing them at room temp in a basement. Maybe if you work on getting them a month out they would still be okay.

You're better off doing this with almost any other style of beers but IPAs/pale hoppy beers. Does your husband like stouts, porters, sour ales, barleywines, saisons? Those would all be good choices for this.
Great advice, JulianB. He also enjoys stouts and porters so they might be good options for the more difficult to find states that I will be collecting a little earlier. I will definitely take this into consideration.
 
Ive been exchanging boxes of beer with people all over the world for about a decade now and I dont think ive had a beer from every state....

If you can pull this off in 6 short months, I say go for it...6 month old ipas or not thats an awesone gift.
 
Also curious what your username is going to change to once you tick off this quest.
Ive been exchanging boxes of beer with people all over the world for about a decade now and I dont think ive had a beer from every state....

If you can pull this off in 6 short months, I say go for it...6 month old ipas or not thats an awesone gift.
Thanks, stakem! I've been planning for about six months already and am antsy to actually start collecting in the six months I have left. For the tougher states I think I'm going to start sooner rather than later.

Overall, it's been an incredibly interesting (and frustrating) journey. We'll see if I can actually pull it off. I appreciate your support and the advice of all those on this forum.
 
What are his favorite beers? Does he like local beer or does he go to specialty shops always looking for “rare” beer.

Also what states do you need help with? I’m sure we can help.
 
What are his favorite beers? Does he like local beer or does he go to specialty shops always looking for “rare” beer.

Also what states do you need help with? I’m sure we can help.
Thanks for your support, wyatt!

I don't think either my husband or I could name a single rare beer, so I definitely wouldn't call him a rare beer guy!! Our vacations always involve a brewery stop where he can try a flight/sampler of local beers. He loves the variety and experience. That's actually what gave me the 50 beers idea. How much more variety can you get than 50 totally random beers with styles from across the nation?!

I'm making fantastic progress on finding sources for the beer. I had essentially given up and thought the project would be impossible, but I'm down to just a couple states that I haven't sourced yet.

I don't have any leads on New Jersey at all. Maine and possibly Alabama may also cause some trouble. Overall, though, I'm hopeful!
 
Jersey and Maine should be easy enough, I can ship a Jersey can or something if you like, and Allagash is all over the place.
I would never turn down help, especially with New Jersey! It looks like Flying Fish has a pretty wide distribution network - but nothing that I can find in the Pacific Northwest (I live in central Washington).

I think you're right about Maine - I should definitely be able to find an Allagash. Thanks for this suggestion! Also, I've found that Shipyard does make it to Seattle and Portland, OR.
 
I'm certain I can walk into the beer store across from my apt and find something from NJ, message me if you want a beer for cost and a shipping label.
 
Check out France44.com for some upper Midwest goodies shipped right to your door. Let me know if you want recommendations.
Thank you! I have definitely incorporated France44.com into my plan. Also, Bruisin' Ales in North Carolina has a great selection of states.

Recommendations for Wisconsin or Ohio? Favors IPAs followed by porters or stouts, then on to lagers, red ales, etc. Fruity beers are at the bottom of the list.
 
Thank you! I have definitely incorporated France44.com into my plan. Also, Bruisin' Ales in North Carolina has a great selection of states.

Recommendations for Wisconsin or Ohio? Favors IPAs followed by porters or stouts, then on to lagers, red ales, etc. Fruity beers are at the bottom of the list.

I can track down some New Glarus. They typically have an Imperial IPA called Scream in Spring/summer otherwise I’m sure moon man or spotted cow would do the trick
 
what did you find for south dakota? i’ve heard both dakotas are hard
I've been so lucky with the amazing offers for help on this project. The neighbor of a coworker was taking a hunting trip to South Dakota and brought back something from The Knuckle Brewing Company in Sturgis. ND was available from France 44 - a Drekker.
 
I think Sea Dog and Shipyard might be easier to get in Washington State than Allagash. But I'm pretty sure I can get Allagash online from Craft Beer Kings. Either way, I think I'm on the home stretch! Thank you for the tips!
sounds like youve completed a lot! which states are u missing?
 
Can you believe only one?! Down to Maine, which I can purchase from Craft Beer Kings. They won't be the freshest, but it's about the novelty, really...


Ya know,I honestly thought you were ****ing with us when you joined. Pretty cool to watch you see this through to fruition.
 
Ya know,I honestly thought you were ****ing with us when you joined. Pretty cool to watch you see this through to fruition.
My Craft Beer Kings package came in the mail yesterday. I officially have everything in hand except those that are always offered locally. They'll probably taste terrible by April....but who cares!

Now, figuring out how to manage a 50-beer flight/sampler for 10+ people is the next logistics hurdle...

I will be back to post pictures and details in a few months. Thank you for all of the support!
 
So the big event was in April...and it was epic! A total success. We ended up with 51 beers (Washington D.C. was a bonus beer!). None were so old that they were not drinkable. Most of the beers were stored refrigerated for 1 to 6 months.

For the actual sampling we had guests walk from station to station for about 17 tasters. There was a break of an hour or so between each round, with three rounds in total. I estimate about 12 people made it through the entire thing - including the birthday boy, of course!

I made a fact sheet for each beer and then a map for each region. I'm posting a sample of our home state of Washington and the regional maps along with some photos.
Fridge.jpg View 1.jpg View 2.jpg Before pour.jpg Pour.jpg After round.jpg Kicking off.jpg Complete.jpg Graph.jpg Posters.jpg

Thanks to all for your suggestions and replies!
 
The maps and the full list. Some of the states had more than one option for guests to choose from.
 

Attachments

  • The Lineup.pdf
    568.6 KB · Views: 7
  • Washington.pdf
    149.9 KB · Views: 0
  • FarWest rfs.pdf
    215.3 KB · Views: 1
  • GreatLakes rfs.pdf
    123.5 KB · Views: 2
  • MidAtlantic rfs.pdf
    149.3 KB · Views: 1
  • NewEngland rfs.pdf
    107.2 KB · Views: 1
  • Rockies rfs.pdf
    95.7 KB · Views: 0
  • South rfs.pdf
    171 KB · Views: 0
  • Southwest rfs.pdf
    142.8 KB · Views: 1
  • Plains rfs.pdf
    106.1 KB · Views: 1
So the big event was in April...and it was epic! A total success. We ended up with 51 beers (Washington D.C. was a bonus beer!). None were so old that they were not drinkable. Most of the beers were stored refrigerated for 1 to 6 months.

For the actual sampling we had guests walk from station to station for about 17 tasters. There was a break of an hour or so between each round, with three rounds in total. I estimate about 12 people made it through the entire thing - including the birthday boy, of course!

I made a fact sheet for each beer and then a map for each region. I'm posting a sample of our home state of Washington and the regional maps along with some photos.
View attachment 2057 View attachment 2058 View attachment 2059 View attachment 2061 View attachment 2062 View attachment 2063 View attachment 2064 View attachment 2065 View attachment 2066 View attachment 2067

Thanks to all for your suggestions and replies!
This is extremely impressive! and you are very awesome for putting it all together for your husband. I hope he returns the favor on your birhtdays
 
Back
Top