Stardew Valley: Casks And The Cellar, Explained

This article is part of a directory: Stardew Valley: A Complete Guide and Walkthrough

Stardew Valley players begin their game as a humble farmer with limited resources. Eventually, this can evolve into an enormous fortune of gold as players unlock more productive farming and mining methods. One of the best ways to amass a fortune in Stardew Valley is through the farmhouse's cellar and the casks that can be placed inside.

Upgrading the farmhouse in Stardew Valley and unlocking those casks can be a bit of a challenge, however, especially when it comes to optimizing the layout of this room and choosing the right items to age. For those Stardew Valley players who are looking to learn more about this feature of the game, this guide is here to help.

How to Unlock the Cellar in Stardew Valley?

While the farmhouse that players begin the game with is an heirloom of their grandfather, they have the option to change it radically. In order to unlock the cellar part of the farmhouse, players need to purchase the third upgrade for this building through Robin, Stardew Valley's carpenter. This third upgrade costs 100,000 gold, a serious investment in the early stages of the game but one that can quickly pay for itself.

stardew valley casks opening — Casks and stardew valley

After three days of work, players will find a new set of stairs that leads down to the cellar. Fortunately, this upgrade also comes with a set of 33 casks that players can use right away. For those looking for more of these casks, however, the recipe comes with this upgrade as well. In order to craft one, the cost is just 20 wood and 1 hardwood. On top of this, players that choose the Artisan Profession in Stardew Valley can further increase the profits these items can offer.

How to Use Casks in Stardew Valley?

Casks are primarily used to age products such as Wine, Pale Ale, Beer, Mead, Cheese, and Goat Cheese. With one of these items in their active inventory slot, players can interact with the empty cask in order to store the item of their choice. This will begin the aging process, which varies dramatically between items. Interestingly, some of Stardew Valley's most profitable crops will become some of the most profitable aged products.

Name	Ingredient	Base Price	Iridium Price and Age
Wine	Any Fruit	3x Base Fruit Price	(3x Base Price) x 2, Aged 56 days
Pale Ale	Hops	300 Gold	600 Gold, Aged 34 days
Beer	Wheat	200 Gold	400 Gold, Aged 28 days
Mead	Honey	200 Gold	400 Gold, Aged 28 days
Cheese	Milk or Large Milk	230 Gold	460 Gold, Aged 14 days
Goat Cheese	Goat Milk or Large Goat Milk	400 Gold	800 Gold, Aged 14 days

The impact that aging has on the value of the different types of wine can be especially dramatic. Over the course of the 56 days it takes to turn Starfruit Wine to Iridium quality, its value jumps 2,250 gold. Instead of waiting all that time, however, casks will show the progress of the item inside, and players can strike it with an Axe, Hoe, or Pickaxe in order to remove the item early. Casks function similarly to Stardew Valley's Preserve Jars and Kegs in that they can greatly increase the value of the item placed inside.

full accessible cellar stardew valley — Fully accessible cellar in stardew valley

When it comes to optimizing the cellar in Stardew Valle y, players have a pair of layout options for non-mobile versions of the game: completely fill the area with 189 casks or lay out 125 in a specific manner. With the first choice, Stardew Valley players will have to fill each barrel before blocking it completely in but open up 64 more money-earning casks. The second choice has fewer casks, but each one is accessible, and none have to be removed to access others. Either way, players will quickly learn that aside from the two highest-yield wines, Cheeses give the best value because of their quick turnaround.