Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Barleywine

I just picked up a bottle of Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Barleywine. Is there any point in aging this beer? I was thinking about just putting it in my cellar for 4 or 5 years and opening it for a special occasion. If this beer will age well, should I keep it on its side or stand it straight up and down?

I think it would age well for a few years. Leave it upright, as the only reason corked wine bottles should be laid down is to wet the cork.

IMO, the Black Barleywine was my favorite of the 30th's.

r2eng said:

Leave it upright, as the only reason corked wine bottles should be laid down is to wet the cork..

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I was wondering about this myself, actually. Why is it less important that beers have their corks wet then wines? Isn't the purpose of keeping the cork wet so that it doesn't disintegrate when you take it out?

In general, wines with corks (except sparkling wines) are not pressurized, the the wet cork keeps the seal. Well, it's supposed to. Corks can dry out and shrink which allows O2 to enter.

Champagnes and Belgians have pressure-resistant corks (mushroom shape). Some Belgians have the yeast on the bottom so upright keeps the yeast settled on the bottom.

Again, this is from research and talking to people over the years so some opinions could differ. Also, I cannot believe storing beer laying down is "bad", just not "preferred".

Beer shouldn't be stored on its side as storing it on its side exposes a greater surface area should there be any oxygen in the bottle, doubt if this iis a concern with a commercial brew as I'm sure the bottle was purged with co2 prior to filling but homebrew I know shouldn't be stored on its side, just my .02

anyone ever tired to come up with a recipe for this?

i have 3 bottles in my basement. my local liquor store still has a good stash of them as well....