Hopefully you have had a chance to read our previous articles on cellaring and aging beers, as well as Part I & Part II of Cellaring Tips & Tricks, and have considered to exploring the hobby – or perhaps you already have a beer cellar that is encroaching on your living quarters. While the day that aged beer is overflowing out of my beer closet is still years away, I have nonetheless come across some tips that just might help out novice and veteran alike. So in the same spirt of prosperity that spawned our other articles, I offer my research in several installments throughout the weeks ahead.
How much of each beer to cellar?
Well, first off, cellar whatever you can (or are willing) to cellar. Not everyone can afford to cellar more than one bottle
of each vintage, and that’s fine. However, when at all possible you should follow the “Rule of Three”. The Rule of Three is simply that you should attempt to cellar at least three bottles of any beer. Why three? The first, because your willpower will fade, the second because you might want to trade, and the third is so you might actually cellar something! Wine drinkers have a policy of purchasing wine by the case, and that has a lot of merit if you can afford it. I, however, get distracted by the number of beers available (and I’m curious how they all will age) that I think the rule of three is best for me currently (though I would like to buy cases of a few of my favorites).
Take tasting notes each time you drink a bottle for comparison later. This will provide a good indication of what and for how long you should cellar. Life has a way of making us forget things like the details of a beer, so make sure you keep track. Speaking of keeping track…
Keeping track of your cellar:
My second January of cellaring taught me a lesson, and that is: When buying multiples, even in a small cellar, it quickly becomes confusing and difficult to keep track. Enter Cellar HQ, an online database that allows beer drinkers to keep track of their cellar. It has most of the beers already in the system, and that saves you time, and I personally prefer this to using spreadsheets. It is also available anywhere you find internet access (for those unexpected trades that actually do happen) and best of all it’s free! It is simply the best option out there for managing your cellar, and it also allows you to view others as well. The other options I will recommend is wine tags, or using a label makers and paint markers to label the bottle directly; as these options are immediately visible and do not require technology to be successful.
Racks & Shelving:
This is not an area to go cheap on, since the shelving or rack is the only thing that prevents your beloved collection 
from becoming fodder for the recycling bin. Beer alone weighs in excess of eight pounds per gallon, not including the glass. This puts a 750ml bottle at roughly two pounds, and a 22oz bomber only slightly less. Multiply that weight by a hundred bottles, and you can see that there is a heavy issue here with the weight equaling that of a grown man. Most good quality shelving units, and racks, should be able to withstand the weight without issue – just don’t go too cheap. I have seen people go with MDF and utility shelving brackets, and let me tell you – it is a scary sight. When your cellar looks like you’re storing your beer on a roller coaster track, it’s time to look for a different option. I have found that most bookshelves are up to the task of holding your beer, and these can be found in any number of styles.
Catch us for our final installment next week on how to cope with little or no cellar space!!
- Ben W.
Filed under: Beer 101, Beer Cellaring Tagged: basement, Beer, beer cellar, bomber, budget friendly, cave cellar, Cellar HQ, cellar racks, cellar shelving, cellaring, craft beer, crawl space, homebrew, rule of three, small cellar, weight tolerance
