How to cellar your beer at home

• Darkness is key: If you can store the bottles in complete darkness. Ultraviolet (UV) light can react with hops in the beer, turning the beer ‘skunky’ and unpleasant. Coopers Vintage Ale does come in brown glass bottles, which helps minimise this reaction. 

• Stable Temperature: Find a spot with a stable, cool temperature between 10°C and 15°C (50°F–59°F). Avoid areas prone to temperature swings; a garage could experience high temperatures and then cold temperatures across seasons and should be avoided if possible.

• Suggested Locations: A dark cupboard, under-stairs storage, a dedicated wine fridge set to 11°C, or a cool basement or cellar could all be practical spots to cellar your beer at home and offer you the best results.

• Always Upright: Unlike wine, store Coopers Vintage Ale standing vertically, not on its side.

• Yeast Compactness: Upright storage forces the live yeast sediment to form a tight, compact cake at the bottom of the bottle rather than coating the side wall.

• Cap Protection: Keeping the liquid away from the crown cap can prevent long-term degradation and metal contact off-flavours within the beer that could occur after years of storage on their sides. 

• Tag the Year: Label each carton or bottle clearly with its Release Year and Date Cellared. Each Coopers Vintage Ale has the year on the label to help you with this. 

• Keep a Tasting Journal: Start a spreadsheet or notebook detailing key elements of your aged beer. This is where it gets fun, and you can note down all the exciting changes you notice in Vintage Ale flavours. 

• Note down: Vintage Year, Date Tasted, Aroma, Mouthfeel, and Flavor Profiles (e.g., hop bitterness dropping off, rising notes of raisin/figs/sherry).

• The 12-Month Check-In: Open one bottle every 12 months to track that year’s progress and evolution in taste. Drinking multiple years alongside another is called a vertical tasting. A vertical tasting is more common with wine, but because Coopers Vintage Ale ages so well, you can also do it to really showcase the differences between years and hop varieties. 

• Serve Properly: Pour gently into a tulip glass at 8°C–12°C (slightly warmer than standard fridge temp) to let the complex aromatics open up. You can leave the bottom 1cm of yeast sediment in the bottle for a clearer pour. Or swirl and pour into your beer if you prefer the full yeast character. You can also gently roll your Coopers to unlock that character Coopers flavour and mix the yeast through the bottle before you pour into a glass too.

• Know the Sweet Spot: Most Coopers Vintage Ales hit their peak maturity between 3 and 5 years, though well-stored bottles can easily age well for a decade or more. As your beers age, they change and develop; it will come down to personal preference as to what year you will like the best. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Cellaring Your Beer

How have the recent Coopers Vintage Ale releases changed in taste?

How long can I age Coopers ales for?

• Coopers Best Extra Stout can be cellared for 3 – 5 years.
• Coopers Vintage Ale can be cellared for up to 5 years.
• Coopers Sparkling Ale can be cellared for 1 – 2 years. 

Can I cellar all of Coopers Ales?

Why are Coopers Vintage Ale, Coopers Sparkling Ale and Coopers Best Extra Stout good beers to cellar?

• Beers which are bottle conditioned, with live yeast inside the bottle, 
• Beers with higher alcohol content or 
• Beers with darker or heavier malts are normally the best beers for cellaring. This makes Vintage Ale, Sparkling Ale and Best Extra Stout excellent beers to cellar at home.

What is a beer vertical tasting?

Want to start your Vintage collection today?