Unopened beer collection.

[passedpawn]

To quote Michael Jackson: "If you see a beer, do it a favour, and drink it. Beer was not meant to age."

I've found this to be true for almost all beers. While a month or two might improve a beer, more than that tends to see degradation of it. This is certainly true of hoppy beers.

I had a RIS and a barleywine that did improve with time, so I'd say that Jackson's advice is more of general rule than a law.

 

[Stauffbier]

Unopened beers are like unspent money.

I can still spend a dollar bill that I've saved for 10 years!

 

[lou2row]

This sounds like alcohol abuse to me.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

Give us a list of some of your prize possesions?
I heard rogue, sn25, what else?
Igotsand

Well I dont think I have lots of "prize possesions". Uhhh Rogue 10,000 brew ale. Have a Budwiser Private Reserve 07. Serria Navada 25th annaversary ale. More or less I buy craft brews and save the bottles for my collection there all unopened and I have drank them all (one of my rules). I do have a Ommagang ( not sure if a I spelled that right) tripple. Its 6 or 7 years old, wich I am not ageing. Just beers I drink and save. Ive had lot more. Some of them darn 4 packs I just cant drink 3. And then I won't buy them again. ( because im always trying to drink new beers). All in all nothing really that special but they are to me.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

To quote Michael Jackson: "If you see a beer, do it a favour, and drink it. Beer was not meant to age."

I've found this to be true for almost all beers. While a month or two might improve a beer, more than that tends to see degradation of it. This is certainly true of hoppy beers.

I had a RIS and a barleywine that did improve with time, so I'd say that Jackson's advice is more of general rule than a law.

I have a beer EKU 28 has a quote from micheal jackson on the back of that one. I have it ageing 1 year so far for. Haha. And yeah its more like the parates code, More of a guideline anayways.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

I can still spend a dollar bill that I've saved for 10 years!

Uh huh. Don't matter. Its a wast of money to a sense. But I enjoy drinking my beers and having the intigrity to save them. Money is also a prized possesion but we'll all end up spending it one way or another.

 

[Wine2Beer]

Why not drink them fresh, fill with water and re-cap? No one will ever know the difference.

shhhh...don't tell the secret, but that is what most wineries and breweries do as far as the bottles they have out on display showing medals won, etc. The display bottles are filled with water and re-capped/re-corked. Sitting out on display is a recipe for something getting broken somewhere down the line. Enjoy the contents, keep some wine tucked away in the cellar, but just use water for those collectible/display bottles.

 

[SilverZero]

shhhh...don't tell the secret, but that is what most wineries and breweries do as far as the bottles they have out on display showing medals won, etc. The display bottles are filled with water and re-capped/re-corked. Sitting out on display is a recipe for something getting broken somewhere down the line. Enjoy the contents, keep some wine tucked away in the cellar, but just use water for those collectible/display bottles.

I was talking to somebody at a winery in Calistoga and she said they'll fill (with water), recork, and refoil a bottle for a small fee, like if you have a wine or champagne from your wedding or whatever.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

So who would agree on taking the last year of my collection and drinking them, recap for my collection. There still would be 120 or so that I would leave full. Yay or Nay?

 

[Stauffbier]

So who would agree on taking the last year of my collection and drinking them, recap for my collection. There still would be 120 or so that I would leave full. Yay or Nay?

We've all been giving you hell, but if it makes you happy to collect full, unopened bottles you should keep doing it. Don't let us bully you in to opening your collection...

 

[iambeer]

You must have sacred willpower to not open those 200 bottles.

Even if I wanted to, I could not *not* drink those bottles. I like some of the label art, but I have no problems recycling bottles. The only thing I collect is memories, and I'll take those with me to the grave! (evil laugh)

 

[passedpawn]

We've all been giving you hell, but if it makes you happy to collect full, unopened bottles you should keep doing it. Don't let us bully you in to opening your collection...

Yea, Stauff is right, and I apologize for the jeers. Collect away, I'm a collector too (stamps - yawn).

 

[Stauffbier]

I'm a collector too (stamps - yawn).

I collect rocks. They're all over my house and around my property..

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

We've all been giving you hell, but if it makes you happy to collect full, unopened bottles you should keep doing it. Don't let us bully you in to opening your collection...

Yea a little bit. Still not gonna open em. Keep it going. Maybe I should start getting more LE bottles. Will be soon cause when I get my HOme Brew coming in I wont really have to buy as much beers. I did pick up the Stone Ruinition (spelled wrong im sure) IPA linited edition 22oz. Drank one then saved one. 22 bucks right there. Good IPA BTW.

 

[Stauffbier]

I actually have a Coors bottle that was never opened that I found in a basement of a building I was working on a few years back. I believe it's about 30-40 years old. About half of the beer has evaporated, and it looks quite nasty! I'd say keep up with your collection. It's no more wasteful than drinking it and peeing it out. At least not from a monetary perspective. In 50 years your grandchildren will be happy to own it (or not)..

 

[Mikespunchlist]

I don't know how the caps on the bottles will fare but I had a few six packs of some beer I collected over the years at Daytona Bike weeks back in 1982/1983/1984 time frame that ate right through the cans. They were some collector cans of Harley beer with the dates on the cans. I think different years were made by different breweries but I'm sure some were Stroh's. They were stored in my basement in a plastic storage tub with the top on somewhere around 72 degrees year round. The stuff actually ate right through the aluminum cans. I also had a couple of cans of Gilley beer from Mickey Gilley's giant bar that burned that was right outside of Houston Texas. All ruined.

 

[JordanThomas]

Frankly, collecting a bottle without drinking it is just wasteful. Waste of money, and a waste of beer. It's like collecting cars without driving them. Meh, you're a beer museum. Only, no one would know the difference if you drank them and then re-filled them with water/food coloring mixes and re-capped them.

No one can stop you, but I couldn't justify the waste, personally.

 

[atom]

Yea a little bit. Still not gonna open em. Keep it going. Maybe I should start getting more LE bottles. Will be soon cause when I get my HOme Brew coming in I wont really have to buy as much beers. I did pick up the Stone Ruinition (spelled wrong im sure) IPA linited edition 22oz. Drank one then saved one. 22 bucks right there. Good IPA BTW.

that's a shame... 10th anniversary ruination is too good not to drink (fresh).

 

[mewithstewpid]

i just drink them and then save the empty bottles for display. that way i get to enjoy the beer and the bottle.

but i understand where you are coming from in terms of collecting

 

[krenshaw]

i collect bottles, and i keep a cap after carefully removing one so i can put it back on top.. i currently have about 15 cases full of empties that are waiting for a display in our current place

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

Yea about the caps. So far my 25 annaversary ale from Serria Navada (07?). Looks like the cap was scratched on gravle. But im sure a bit of WD-40 will help clean it up. Also I think my 07 Serria Navada Big Foot is cap isn't all that great but still in good shape. Heres a pic. Donr have them up yet. Sorry bad pic was taking from my ipod in a darker room.

 

[JordanThomas]

OK, now I'm mad. All that wasted beer. I'd be ashamed.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

OK, now I'm mad. All that wasted beer. I'd be ashamed.

Quite in fact im the oposite. Proud of that. Really the only thing thats kinda annoying is its finally starting to waste my space. Oh and Im broke at the moment and I have no beer in my fridge. Do have 5 gallons of pprter and 5 of oktoberfest fermenting.

 

[jesseroberge]

Hello fellas, Im pretty new to the forms but not beer. I was wondering if anyone does the same as me. About 7 years ago I started collecting beer bottles after I hade some good craft beer. Now im up to 200 bottles or so. Including a Rogue 10,000 brew ale. I have to say all these bottles are unopened for my collection. And my rule is that I have to drink the beer before I collect it. Does anyone else do this kind of collecting? And me I dont see the point if somone collects bottles that are drank. Just seeing if anyone has same intresest. If so i would love to hear about it.

Who knows, he will probably give this collection to his kids or grand kids, and since he has unopened MINT condition bottles maby worth thousands of dollars, never know what brewery will shut down and anybody who has a bottle of unopened brew will be rich to other collectors, I realy find that the way he does it isn't bad at all, drink one, save the other... If you guys have the show " antique road show" you know what mint condition things can be worth...

Anyhow only no 2 cents...

 

[tnvol]

Space would be the biggest issue for me, but I think it's kinda cool.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

Who knows, he will probably give this collection to his kids or grand kids, and since he has unopened MINT condition bottles maby worth thousands of dollars, never know what brewery will shut down and anybody who has a bottle of unopened brew will be rich to other collectors, I realy find that the way he does it isn't bad at all, drink one, save the other... If you guys have the show " antique road show" you know what mint condition things can be worth...

Anyhow only no 2 cents...

First guy with good reveiw! Thank you. And yes stuff that is unopened and not used always worth more in the long run.

 

[jesseroberge]

first guy with good reveiw! Thank you. And yes stuff that is unopened and not used always worth more in the long run.

+1

 

[iambeer]

Not to be a downer but....

I think it's a waste to not drink the beers (of course), but I also think you have very high expectations as to what these bottles will be worth someday.

The price of the bottles in say 50 years will probably be the same as when you bought them--if they are highly prized. This is because bottles usually go from a retail value to a used wholesale value right after you place them in a private collection. Or down to $.05 value when you open the bottle. Or the price drops down as the beer inside the bottles get nearer to an expiration date.

Only then, after the bottles are worthless for years do the bottles slowly grow in price for the sake of nostalgia--if anyone actually has an interest.

So you are essentially loosing a lot of money right now and you probably won't live to see these bottles ever be worth the price you purchased them for again, if ever. Whoever inherits this will sell wholesale right away (or just give/throw it away) as inheritors usually do with stuff like that. There are better things to collect if you are going to sell to a memorabilia market IMO.

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

Not to be a downer but....

I think it's a waste to not drink the beers (of course), but I also think you have very high expectations as to what these bottles will be worth someday.

The price of the bottles in say 50 years will probably be the same as when you bought them--if they are highly prized. This is because bottles usually go from a retail value to a used wholesale value right after you place them in a private collection. Or down to $.05 value when you open the bottle. Or the price drops down as the beer inside the bottles get nearer to an expiration date.

Only then, after the bottles are worthless for years do the bottles slowly grow in price for the sake of nostalgia--if anyone actually has an interest.

So you are essentially loosing a lot of money right now and you probably won't live to see these bottles ever be worth the price you purchased them for again, if ever. Whoever inherits this will sell wholesale right away (or just give/throw it away) as inheritors usually do with stuff like that. There are better things to collect if you are going to sell to a memorabilia market IMO.

Not doing it for money. Just mentioned stuff is worth more unopened that goes with just aboit anything. I do it for me and me only no one else. Well I guess the people that like it puts a smile on my face. Seems everyone on here can't grasp my point. Its not wasteful to me. Only when Im out of brews.... Like now =(

 

[JordanThomas]

Not doing it for money. Just mentioned stuff is worth more unopened that goes with just aboit anything. I do it for me and me only no one else. Well I guess the people that like it puts a smile on my face. Seems everyone on here can't grasp my point. Its not wasteful to me. Only when Im out of brews.... Like now =(

I heard you have about 200 unopened beers. How are you out?