Beer Forum

Should corked beers be cellared on their sides like wine?

JC

I personally have not corked any beer, but have done hundreds of bottles of wine with corks. What I do with them is after bottling leave them upright for 7-10 days then lay them down. Natural corks should be laid down so the liquid inside the bottle keeps them moist and maintains a good seal, otherwise they will dry out, get brittle and can leak. Are they naturally carbed or keg filled with beer gun? I would say let them sit upright for a few days, then lay them down for aging whatever time period you want. Before opening I would stand the up for a day or two to let any sediment settle to the bottom.
So to give ya my answer, yes. Keep in mind though i havent cellard beer yet, just wine and some sparkling wine.
-Crut

I just picked up an Allagash - Hugh Malone Ale 750ML. It is a corked bottle..

Sounds like there are plenty of arguments on both sides, which tells me that either upright or laid down will work just fine.

Beer Advocate has a nice article with several reasons why you should store your corked beer bottles upright:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store.php

Michael Jackson, on the other hand, says lay them down

MJ wrote:5. What advice would you have for the novice who is contemplating laying down some beers?

MJ: Never refrigerate the beer, as this will prevent the yeast from working. Keep it somewhere dark, not too damp or musty, with a cool and reasonably consistent temperature. If it has a real cork, lay it on its side, in a wine-rack. When you are ready to serve it, carry it gently, so that the yeast sediment is not shaken.

Thanks for the info guys! The BA article was very interesting!