1. You should not try to cellar most of the beer out there - Most of the beer you purchase will just deteriorate with age. Learn to spot the signs of a promising cellar dweller.

2. Don’t be afraid of the dark - Light is one of the big enemies of beer, and sunlight can permanently skunk up a beer in a matter of minutes. Do your best to keep your beers in the dark.

3. Not too hot, not too cold, jusssssst right… - Beers should typically be kept in a temperature range of 40 to 65 F. A good rule of thumb is to store your beer at the temperature it’s recommended to be drank at.

4. Not too dry either! - Not a big deal with beers that are capped, but too dry conditions can have an adverse effect on the cork in your brew.

5. No swinging - Beer likes constant temperatures. Large swings of temperature have been known to cause havoc in a beer cellar.

6. Your frat buddies were right. More alcohol is always a good thing - The higher the ABV% of your beer, the better chance it has of improving in your cellar.

7. Bottle Conditioning is not a workout routine - Bottle conditioned beers are beers that are finished in the bottle. Some are even still actively undergoing fermentation. They typically are great for the cellar.

8. Stand ‘em up before you knock ‘em down - Most evidence seems to suggest that you should keep your beers standing up during storage instead of laying down like you do in wine.

9. Patience, Grasshopper! - Beer cellaring is a hobby measured in years. No patience = empty cellar.

10. The Internet is your friend - More and more info about this hobby is always available. Check out the breweries home pages for info on specific beers, and Beer Advocate’s site has a fairly active forum on beer cellaring and aging. I’ll also humbly suggest checking out my site www.brewbasement.com for the best aging info out there.

jason@brewbasement.com