We live in a world of instant gratification. Need a ride? Uber is there at the swipe of your phone. The drive to rent a movie? It’s hard even to recall in this era of instant movie streaming. And letting your friends know about that awesome DIPA you just had? You can tell not only them but the whole world within seconds via social media. We’re used to not waiting for things, constantly channeling our inner Veruca Salt (from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), “I don’t care how; I want it now!”
So it may seem a bit odd that more and more beer drinkers are starting to cellar beer at home, waiting patiently for years for their barleywines to mellow and their guezues to soften. For many though, the most difficult part isn’t deciding which beers to squirrel away or even when to open that special bottle; instead it’s having the willpower to not start cracking them open a few months in.
Regardless whether it’s impatience, lack of cellar space, or even weak willpower, beer cellars just aren’t for everybody. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the complexity of a finely aged beer. It just so happens that there’s a segment of ever-growing beer-centric bars and restaurants that had the foresight to begin cellaring beers years (or in some cases decades) ago on site.