Beers for the Cellar—A Selected List

September 1, 2005 By Alan Moen

Virtually any beer over 6 percent ABV is a likely candidate for cellaring. Here’s a short list of some of my favorites and when I would recommend drinking them.

—A.M.

Barley Wines

Anchor Old Foghorn—1-3 years

Thomas Hardy’s Ale—3-10 years

J.W. Lees Harvest Ale—2-5 years

Rogue Old Crustacean—3-5 years

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot—2-4 years

Alaskan Big Nugget—2-4 years

Midnight Sun Arctic Devil—2-5 years

Glacier Brewhouse Big Woody—2-5 years

North Coast Old Stock Ale—1-4 years

Elysian Cyclops—1-3 years

Stone Old Guardian—2-4 years

Flying Dog Horn Dog—1-3 years

Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws—2-5 years

Full Sail Old Boardhead—2-5 years

BridgePort Old Knucklehead—2-4 years

Boundary Bay Old Bounder—2-5 years

Big Time Old Wooly—2-4 years

Dogfish Head Olde School—2-4 years

Strong Ales

Alaskan Smoked Porter—1-5 years

Fuller’s Vintage Ale—2-3 years

Full Sail Imperial Porter—1-2 years

Gale’s Prize Old Ale—1-5 years

Harvey’s Elizabethan Ale—1-5 years

Samuel Adams Triple Bock—2-5 years

Samuel Adams Millennium—5-10 years

Samuel Adams Utopias—3-10 years

Dogfish Head Immort Ale-2-4 years

Fish Old Woody—1-3 years

Hair of the Dog Adam—2-5 years

Hair of the Dog Fred—1-3 years

Unibroue Terrible—1-3 years

Unibroue 10, 11, 12—2-4 years

Unibroue Fin du Monde—1-4 years

Unibroue Trois Pistoles—2-4 years

Ommegang Three Philosophers—2-4 years

Imperial Stouts

A. LeCoq Russian Imperial Stout—1-4 years

North Coast Old Rasputin—1-4 years

Rogue Imperial Stout—3-5 years

Snoqualmie Falls Mad Russian 1999– now!

Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout—1-4 years

Moylan’s Imperial Stout—2-4 years

Great Divide Yeti Stout—1-3 years

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout—2-5 years

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout —1-3 years

Wheat Wines

Big Time Old Sol—1-3 years

Belgian Ales

Chimay Cinq Cents (red)—1-4 years

Chimay Grande Reserve (blue)—2-5 years

Chimay Blanche (white)—1-3 years

Westmalle Trappist Tripel—1-4 years

Westamalle Trappist Dubbel—1-2 years

Orval Trappist Ale—1-3 years

Rochefort 8—1-3 years

Rochefort 10—2-5 years

Westvleteren 12—2-5 years

Abbaye De Rocs Grand Cru—2-5 years

Abbaye De Rocs Noel—2-5 years

Duvel—1-3 years

Scaldis Noel—2-5 years

La Chouffe N’Ice—2-5 years

Liefmans Goudenband—1-3 years

Lindemans Cuvée René—1-3 year

Rodenbach Grand Cru—2-4 years

Vapeur En Folie—2-6 years

Vapeur Saison de Pipax— 2-4 years

Strong Lagers

Samiclaus—1-4 years

EKU 28—1-3 years

Silver Gulch Grand Reserve—1-3 years

Hermannator Eisbock—1-3 years

Paulaner Salvator—1-2 years