Deep inside your your favorite bars in Austin, tucked away in cool, dark corners, are some of the rarest beers in the city. These brews are made in extremely limited quantities and are typically the priciest beers in a brewery’s lineup. They will be stored, or “cellared,” for years to allow time to enhance the unique qualities of each brew.

This is the subculture of aging beer—and it is big business in Austin and throughout the rest of the country. The practice of saving limited-release beer has taken off over the last few years, as Austin’s best breweries and overall distribution networks have matured.

To be clear, these aren’t your pale ales and lagers that are being aged for years at a time. If you’ve ever opened a Firemans 4 that has been hiding in your refrigerator’s veggie tray for too long, you’ll know why some beers have an expiration date. Instead, Austin’s bars store your stouts, porters and dark ales. The boozier, the better.

Don’t stop reading now. You’re about to get a behind the scenes look into the cellar programs for storing rare beers at some of the top bars in Austin. [Read more…]