Cellar beers: the art of time in beer

In beer culture, time does not simply pass: it acts. Some beers evolve, change and gain nuance over months or years. These are known as cellar beers, or beers made for ageing.

While industrial beers are designed to last by inertia, craft beers can be conceived to transform. Each bottle holds a different potential: aromas become rounder, carbonation softens, and malts can take on notes of wine and wood at the same time.

Which styles can be cellared?

• Imperial Stout and Barleywine: they round out with notes of liqueur and dried fruit.
• Sour and Lambic: they develop complex acidity and a vinous character.
• Quadrupel and Abbey ales: they evolve with hints of caramel, date and bread.

How to do it properly

Always store bottles upright, away from light and at a stable temperature (between 10 °C and 14 °C). Avoid the fridge: extreme cold stops the beer from evolving.

Why taste before cellaring

Before cellaring, you need to taste. Knowing a beer fresh is the only way to appreciate its evolution. Taste, compare and discover what time can do: each batch is a liquid lesson.

Craft beer teaches through drinking. Before thinking about ageing a bottle, open a good one and listen to what it has to say.