Beer Cellar thread - real cellars, closet cellars, fridge cellars, freezer cellars, wine coolers
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davey101
Well-Known Member
This. I only age lambic and yellow cap DFH beers now. Very few beers I aged actually improved.
blue_bleeder
Well-Known Member
FTFM
TheAbyss
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize how bad my beer hording had become until I moved. Having to move and store 30ish full 12 shippers forced a life change. Now I just drink my cellar and only really horde things I love that I cant get year round.
PepeSylvia1
Well-Known Member
Working towards this now...
kscaldef
Well-Known Member
Wait... there are people who don't buy more than they can actually drink?
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
Trady
Well-Known Member
So my wife went on a cleaning binge, and demanded I reorganize my beer "situation". I had about 5 cases of assorted large bottles, and a few cases of smaller format bottles too. Several empty carboys, buckets, empty bottles, way past drinkable cans of Yuengling and other beers that have drifted into undrinkable "cellaring experiments" (or IPA to barleywine conversions, if you're into that sort of thing). We have a basement that's divided into two sides, and the one side had become a refuse bin for random beer and bubble wrap, so it was time to clean it up.
Drained about 2 cases worth of beer that was completely undrinkable (6-pack of 2013 Nugget Nectar was a highlight of the drain session). I took sips of mostly everything, it ranged from 2012 Buffalo Bill's Orange Cream Ale and 2010 Lindemann's Pomme Lambic (this was one of the worst). Rediscovered some great beers I've had down there, which I'll get back to drinking down, may even post some Cellared Reviews.
The cedar chest is just holding some old clothing, but I was happy to get this organized.
This is much better than the 200+ bottles I moved into this house with 3 years ago, glad to have a manageable volume.
Drained about 2 cases worth of beer that was completely undrinkable (6-pack of 2013 Nugget Nectar was a highlight of the drain session). I took sips of mostly everything, it ranged from 2012 Buffalo Bill's Orange Cream Ale and 2010 Lindemann's Pomme Lambic (this was one of the worst). Rediscovered some great beers I've had down there, which I'll get back to drinking down, may even post some Cellared Reviews.
The cedar chest is just holding some old clothing, but I was happy to get this organized.
This is much better than the 200+ bottles I moved into this house with 3 years ago, glad to have a manageable volume.
Brubaker1
Triple Double Diamond Platinum Club Member
I did a woodwork cellar!
Next I need to organize and dedicate an area of shame which will hold all the beers that have no business being here (or anywhere).
Next I need to organize and dedicate an area of shame which will hold all the beers that have no business being here (or anywhere).
So the previous owners of our current house had just completed some renovations/improvements when they decided to get divorced and sell the house. One of those improvements was finishing the basement. However they made what seemed like an unusual choice to create a "secret" unfinished room. The guy had been using it to store paint and other household items. I believe I've put it to much better use. Apologies in advance for the low quality pics.
Door to secret room (also access to electrical box and water shutoff).
Doesn't look like much until you poke you head in and look to the right. A passageway to unknown fortunes! (and cobwebs)
After navigating the dark narrow passage way you just need to locate the light switch and voila, the secret stash appears.
Door to secret room (also access to electrical box and water shutoff).
Doesn't look like much until you poke you head in and look to the right. A passageway to unknown fortunes! (and cobwebs)
After navigating the dark narrow passage way you just need to locate the light switch and voila, the secret stash appears.
Last edited:
BeersMorgan
Well-Known Member
So the previous owners of our current house had just completed some renovations/improvements when they decided to get divorced and sell the house. One of those improvements was finishing the basement. However they made what seemed like an unusual choice to create a "secret" unfinished room. The guy had been using it to store paint and other household items. I believe I've put it to much better use. Apologies in advance for the low quality pics.
All that Schramm's on the top shelf is making my palms sweaty.
ExPimp
Well-Known Member
So the previous owners of our current house had just completed some renovations/improvements when they decided to get divorced and sell the house. One of those improvements was finishing the basement. However they made what seemed like an unusual choice to create a "secret" unfinished room. The guy had been using it to store paint and other household items. I believe I've put it to much better use. Apologies in advance for the low quality pics.
Door to secret room (also access to electrical box and water shutoff).
Doesn't look like much until you poke you head in and look to the right. A passageway to unknown fortunes! (and cobwebs)
After navigating the dark narrow passage way you just need to locate the light switch and voila, the secret stash appears.
Sex dungeon or grow room, it's probably why they got a divorce as well.
Yea, especially that HoD front and center, those tall slender bottles don't have the greatest center of gravity... I keep all my Schramm's bottle horizontal now after a close call.
Trady
Well-Known Member
Mom's spaghetti
Lutter
Well-Known Member
Previous owner's secret bating room?So the previous owners of our current house had just completed some renovations/improvements when they decided to get divorced and sell the house. One of those improvements was finishing the basement. However they made what seemed like an unusual choice to create a "secret" unfinished room. The guy had been using it to store paint and other household items. I believe I've put it to much better use. Apologies in advance for the low quality pics.
Door to secret room (also access to electrical box and water shutoff).
Doesn't look like much until you poke you head in and look to the right. A passageway to unknown fortunes! (and cobwebs)
After navigating the dark narrow passage way you just need to locate the light switch and voila, the secret stash appears.
All that insulation is making me feel itchy.
duketheredeemer
Well-Known Member
So I had a bit of a catastrophe last night:
I had pulled all my beer out to audit what I had against my online list, clean off some mold, and look at the condenser to see if there was a clog in the drainage system keeping the humidity up (hence the mold to clean off). Pulled out all the shelving and the condenser cover and cleaned those as well.
As I'm finishing putting everything back in, one of the clips that holds the top shelf on the right fails, dropping the left half of the shelf onto the beer on the shelf below it, which then fails and falls onto the shelf below that, which fails and falls onto the beer on the floor of the fridge. Some bottles from the top two shelves fall out, but I'm right in front of it when it happens, so I smoosh my body over the opening and try to stop the flood of bottles. Surprisingly, I'm mostly successful. After pulling out a few bottles sticking out/wedged between me and the door frame, I manage to close the right door. Opening the left door, I was able to slowly pull everything out through the other half of the fridge.
Amazingly, I only lost five bottles (one which had its cap knocked loose I was even able to drink with dinner), and nothing I can't replace. Lots of stuff was shaken up real good, which I'm not happy about, but I think the rest will all be okay.
Here are the culprits:
If you have a TRUE commercializer, I highly recommend replacing these turds if you bought it used. They're supposed to be hard to install/move, but you can't use pliers lest you bend them. I didn't, but I did notice a while back that while some of the clips were quite rigid and challenging to put in, some just slid right on in with no resistance at all. I strongly suspect this was what lead to the failure, as the shelf wasn't even full when it fell and every beer store in the world uses a setup like this one.
Didn't plan on solo doming this last night, but it was absolutely fantastic, and I'm going to really miss it when it's gone:
Hug your bottles tonight.
I had pulled all my beer out to audit what I had against my online list, clean off some mold, and look at the condenser to see if there was a clog in the drainage system keeping the humidity up (hence the mold to clean off). Pulled out all the shelving and the condenser cover and cleaned those as well.
As I'm finishing putting everything back in, one of the clips that holds the top shelf on the right fails, dropping the left half of the shelf onto the beer on the shelf below it, which then fails and falls onto the shelf below that, which fails and falls onto the beer on the floor of the fridge. Some bottles from the top two shelves fall out, but I'm right in front of it when it happens, so I smoosh my body over the opening and try to stop the flood of bottles. Surprisingly, I'm mostly successful. After pulling out a few bottles sticking out/wedged between me and the door frame, I manage to close the right door. Opening the left door, I was able to slowly pull everything out through the other half of the fridge.
Amazingly, I only lost five bottles (one which had its cap knocked loose I was even able to drink with dinner), and nothing I can't replace. Lots of stuff was shaken up real good, which I'm not happy about, but I think the rest will all be okay.
Here are the culprits:
If you have a TRUE commercializer, I highly recommend replacing these turds if you bought it used. They're supposed to be hard to install/move, but you can't use pliers lest you bend them. I didn't, but I did notice a while back that while some of the clips were quite rigid and challenging to put in, some just slid right on in with no resistance at all. I strongly suspect this was what lead to the failure, as the shelf wasn't even full when it fell and every beer store in the world uses a setup like this one.
Didn't plan on solo doming this last night, but it was absolutely fantastic, and I'm going to really miss it when it's gone:
Hug your bottles tonight.
SeaWatchman
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So I had a bit of a catastrophe last night:
I had pulled all my beer out to audit what I had against my online list, clean off some mold, and look at the condenser to see if there was a clog in the drainage system keeping the humidity up (hence the mold to clean off). Pulled out all the shelving and the condenser cover and cleaned those as well.
As I'm finishing putting everything back in, one of the clips that holds the top shelf on the right fails, dropping the left half of the shelf onto the beer on the shelf below it, which then fails and falls onto the shelf below that, which fails and falls onto the beer on the floor of the fridge. Some bottles from the top two shelves fall out, but I'm right in front of it when it happens, so I smoosh my body over the opening and try to stop the flood of bottles. Surprisingly, I'm mostly successful. After pulling out a few bottles sticking out/wedged between me and the door frame, I manage to close the right door. Opening the left door, I was able to slowly pull everything out through the other half of the fridge.
Amazingly, I only lost five bottles (one which had its cap knocked loose I was even able to drink with dinner), and nothing I can't replace. Lots of stuff was shaken up real good, which I'm not happy about, but I think the rest will all be okay.
Here are the culprits:
If you have a TRUE commercializer, I highly recommend replacing these turds if you bought it used. They're supposed to be hard to install/move, but you can't use pliers lest you bend them. I didn't, but I did notice a while back that while some of the clips were quite rigid and challenging to put in, some just slid right on in with no resistance at all. I strongly suspect this was what lead to the failure, as the shelf wasn't even full when it fell and every beer store in the world uses a setup like this one.
Didn't plan on solo doming this last night, but it was absolutely fantastic, and I'm going to really miss it when it's gone:
Hug your bottles tonight.
So long as no lambic was lost.
duketheredeemer
Well-Known Member
So, final update:
I found some bubbles coming out from under a cap of a '16 BBomb for a total loss of six bottles. Three '16 BBomb, a '15 Meph, a '13 Meph, and an '09 Michael. I was able to drink two of them, so only four were a total loss. Not too bad considering like 150 bottles were on the shelves that failed!
I spoke with True's customer service and found the correct replacement shelf clips and once I had them in hand, replaced every shelf clip in the fridge:
They're all well-attached now, and are all shiny and stuff. I also enquired about the shelf load limit, as they don't publish it anywhere. If you have a True with the standard white shelving, it's "about 150 pounds, evenly distributed and gently placed." For comparison, that's about 10 pounds more than a packed-full shelf of C&C 750s, so it should be fine if nothing is broken and you're careful.
Still, when I put everything back, I made sure to better distribute the weight among the shelves, so no one shelf would be just totally full. I also tried to leave a 3-4 inch gap in the back for better airflow. I don't think it really needed the latter, but the manufacturer recommends it, so I might as well.
Here's a couple pictures of the fridge fully re-organized:
I found some bubbles coming out from under a cap of a '16 BBomb for a total loss of six bottles. Three '16 BBomb, a '15 Meph, a '13 Meph, and an '09 Michael. I was able to drink two of them, so only four were a total loss. Not too bad considering like 150 bottles were on the shelves that failed!
I spoke with True's customer service and found the correct replacement shelf clips and once I had them in hand, replaced every shelf clip in the fridge:
They're all well-attached now, and are all shiny and stuff. I also enquired about the shelf load limit, as they don't publish it anywhere. If you have a True with the standard white shelving, it's "about 150 pounds, evenly distributed and gently placed." For comparison, that's about 10 pounds more than a packed-full shelf of C&C 750s, so it should be fine if nothing is broken and you're careful.
Still, when I put everything back, I made sure to better distribute the weight among the shelves, so no one shelf would be just totally full. I also tried to leave a 3-4 inch gap in the back for better airflow. I don't think it really needed the latter, but the manufacturer recommends it, so I might as well.
Here's a couple pictures of the fridge fully re-organized:
Auror
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Just bought a house in the burbs with a basement, so I'm excited to leave the coat closet box cellaring behind.
I looked through this thread, but didn't really see a type of shelf I was interested in, but half the pics in here are nuked anyways. A thread on RateBeer had a mockup of something like what I'm looking for if possible:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HoA3RarTeBEULDTTrpX7xVI-ldYV7qcpq4zPoduryR0/edit?usp=sharing
Anyone have or have seen anything like this? Wine racks (and stupac2's) seem to mostly tilt the other way. I'm not the most handy, but if there's an easy DIY similar thing I may attempt.
I looked through this thread, but didn't really see a type of shelf I was interested in, but half the pics in here are nuked anyways. A thread on RateBeer had a mockup of something like what I'm looking for if possible:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HoA3RarTeBEULDTTrpX7xVI-ldYV7qcpq4zPoduryR0/edit?usp=sharing
Anyone have or have seen anything like this? Wine racks (and stupac2's) seem to mostly tilt the other way. I'm not the most handy, but if there's an easy DIY similar thing I may attempt.
stupac2
Well-Known Member
That is suuuuuuuch a waste of space. If you're going to get that close to upright just buy a wire rack and put something on it to even it out. Way better bottle density.
Auror
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More tilt to fit more bottles per space is fine with me. Just that tilt direction which seems to be rare and somewhat visible labels for display. I keep my cellar manageable (~100 bottles) so space isn't as big a premium in my situation.
stupac2
Well-Known Member
Well if you tilt it more then you won't be able to see the labels. Why tilt it at all? Why not just use a normal shelf? Even a standard bookshelf will be better than that. Those racks look like they hold 30 bottles and I'd guess are about 2' wide, so 100 bottles is 8' total. My racks do that with 4' total. I just don't really see the point here, that thing looks complicated as hell to build (the first more so than the second), doesn't seem like it would hold bottles securely (admittedly less of a concern if you're outside of earthquake territory), doesn't hold very many bottles for the cost/energy of putting it together, and I don't really understand why a small amount of tilt is desirable compared to upright or on its side.
All that said, if you like the aesthetic or whatever then go for it. But if you're not very handy it might be best to find something commercial, around here craigslist has a ton of them available, I'd just pay attention there and see if you see something you like.
cayenne1
Well-Known Member
Finished my lambic (95% lambic) cellar a couple months ago. Holds around 600 bottles. Racks custom made to fit both 375 and 750s. I got wine cellar cooking unit from VinoTemp installed and the glass ijs UV resistant. The lights were only turned on for the picture i rarely turn it on.
omegagogetass4
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Who
Finished my lambic (95% lambic) cellar a couple months ago. Holds around 600 bottles. Racks custom made to fit both 375 and 750s. I got wine cellar cooking unit from VinoTemp installed and the glass ijs UV resistant. The lights were only turned on for the picture i rarely turn it on.
...
Who are you?
abawol01
Well-Known Member
BRB. Showing this to my wife to prove I don't have a problem.
Finished my lambic (95% lambic) cellar a couple months ago. Holds around 600 bottles. Racks custom made to fit both 375 and 750s. I got wine cellar cooking unit from VinoTemp installed and the glass ijs UV resistant. The lights were only turned on for the picture i rarely turn it on.
Wow.
I've very often thought of what I'd do when (YES, WHEN, *******) I win the lottery/get rich. That kind of climate-controlled beer cellaring room is right up there. Just incredible work, nicely done.
Amazing.
Amazing.
omegagogetass4
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How long did this take you?
Finished my lambic (95% lambic) cellar a couple months ago. Holds around 600 bottles. Racks custom made to fit both 375 and 750s. I got wine cellar cooking unit from VinoTemp installed and the glass ijs UV resistant. The lights were only turned on for the picture i rarely turn it on.
cayenne1
Well-Known Member
Thanks! It’s definitely been a dream of mine for years and I still need to pinch myself that’s it’s not just a dream anymore ha.
cayenne1
Well-Known Member
Hard to say exactly because I knocked down and completely rebuilt and expanded my house so that was all going on during the same time. The house project as a whole was 2 years almost. It took my cabinet guy a couple months to design and perfect the racks.
omegagogetass4
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Its absolutely stunning. On a completely unrelated note, are you looking for roommates?
