Letting in the funk: Creating a perfect beer cellar

To age or not to age — is that the question? Nowadays, aging seems to be the answer.

In the craft beer world, trends like cellaring, trading, verticals and bourbon barrels, among other things, factor into building a cellar full of craft beer goodness.

But how do you go about it? Where should you start? What beers should you be on the lookout for?

Bobby Vedder, Development Manager of the Craft and Import Division of Powers Distributing, said there are several attributes buyers should look for when picking beers for their cellars.

“You want to find a beer that is not hop-forward. Hops are the first part of the beer to go,” he said. “You want beers with a tremendous amount of flavor. Corked 750 milliliter bottles age the best. High alcohol, say anything higher than six or seven (percent).”

Vedder is a big proponent of the cage and cork bottles. When you can find them, he feels they’re the way to go.

“The cage and cork has really revolutionized beer aging due to the fact that it’s not goin

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