In these tumultuous times, it's hard to know where best to invest. Americans seem to be equally disillusioned about the prospects of leaving their money to banks, the stock market, or to a retirement fund. While these options are failing all around us, it's nice to know that there is an alternative: invest in beer. I'm not talking about pouring money into a new brewery (although that's not a bad idea) or buying case after case of PBR to get drunk and forget your financial worries (this is a bad idea), I'm talking about aging beers. The idea of having a beer cellar is one that takes some getting used to for most of us who are sick of hearing rich wine snobs flaunt their extensive cellar of Bordeaux from the 1970s. As with many things beer-related, aging beer is a less pretentious proposition than aging wine, but still there are guidelines that must be followed.

First, we discuss beer style.  Not all beers can be aged successfully. If you put a sixer of Yuengling in the cellar for a year, all you're going to have is stale Yuengling. To begin with, the beer must be strong: 8 percent is the generally accepted low bar. With a few exceptions, the beer should be on the malty/sweet side of things: although hops will mellow with up to a year of age, they start to break down as you get into the multiple year range and can contribute some funky/bad flavors. That said, taking an overly hoppy double IPA and giving it six months to mellow out has worked well for me in the past. Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, Belgian Quadrupel, and Belgian Geuze (sour beer!) are some favorite aging candidates, but it's worth trying other reasonable options. But vintage Sam Adams Boston Lager? Thumbs down.

The other main consideration when aging beers is the environment, and this is one area where wine and beer get along quite well. The ideal environment seems to be right around traditional cellar temperatures, which tends to be between 50-60 degrees, depending on which beverage nerd you ask. Keeping the room dark is another must, as sunlight, especially, can cause off-flavors to develop in beer. For the average D.C. resident, the basement of a rowhouse is more likely to be a separate apartment than a place to age beers. Also, temperature fluctuations in half-underground basements may be too extreme and cause the beer to age too quickly and violently. As a result, it might be a good idea to get dedicated storage: wine drinkers seem to be fond of the dedicated wine fridge, and there are many sizes that can be made workable in tiny studios all over the city. I've got a small 12-bottle unit that works quite well and doubles as a place to rest a beer glass while sitting on the couch. If you've got the space, modifying a full- or half-size fridge is another option: fridges can frequently be found very cheap or even for free on Craigslist, and adding a temperature controller (to allow it to run at 55 degrees) can be done for around $50.

As far as taste goes, age tends to take harsh flavors and mellow them out: overly-toasted malts subside into subdued coffee notes, higher alcohols fade into warmed sherry, and a simple malt character can evolve into a wonderfully complex blend of sweetness. If that last sentence nerded you out, suffice it to say that they tend to taste really really yummy. As for the "how long should I age this beer" question, most beers tend to peak after a couple years of aging. However, there are certain very-high-alcohol beers that will age gracefully for over 10 years. If you are keen to try some aged beer before you start dabbling in aging your own, there are a few options. You can stop by Brasserie Beck or Birreria Paradiso, both of which have a few aged beers on their lists (and ask your server, as there may be some off-menu options that drift in and out of stock).

Technical details aside, this is all about maximizing your investment in flavor. In a time when many 401k plans are worth less than you've put into them, it's time to stash away some Imperial Stout for the rough years yet to come. Tasting the refined result is when you'll know that at least one of your investments has appreciated.