An Ale to Warm Both Heart and Hand

Allow me to share one of the most unique beer-drinking experiences I've ever had, from just a couple of evenings ago. It all started when I resolved to start opening some of the beers I have had cellared for quite some time now. Since my beer fridge decided to kick off, as I noted in a previous post, I thought I might as well direct my attention to some of the beers that are collecting dust in the deep recesses of my basement cellaring area. After all, I don't have to worry about the lack of refrigeration with these beers!

For those who are not familiar with what I mean by "cellaring" beer - it's really just what it sounds like. You keep the beer in a cool (low 50-55 degrees), dark place and try really, really hard not to drink it before it's time. This is the hard part. The beer calls out to you from the dark, shadowy corner ...

"Drink me now! I won't be that much better in 2 years ... you know you want to ..."

But, if you can resist the temptation, it can be well worth it. Some beers (almost always ales) can "mature" just like wine, and the characteristics of the beer alter ... again, just like wine. Some of them, like Thomas Hardy's Ale, can be cellared successfully for decades (I have a 1998 "vintage" I'll probably hold onto for another few months and drink it once it's a solid 10 years old). The palate will change, the nose will change and you basically can end up with a very different beer from the one you started with, however many years before. Most get better - maturing into a smoother, richer version of itself. Heavily hopped beers, like American Barley Wines, for example, tend to mellow a bit and become more "rounded." Sometimes not so much.

It's an exercise in patience, for sure, and occasionally risk-taking too. Not all beers cellar well. But more on that in a future post.