I've thought about writing such an article for a long time, but I can't speak to the science side of things. I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on tv. I wish beer had been a topic of consideration during science classes in high school - I would have paid a lot more attention in class.
On the other hand, I love vintage beer. One of our Hogtown Brewers club members, Jim Ritchhart, is a vintage beer fanatic. His 'cellar' is a large stairwell closet in his home. He is also a belgian beer fanatic and goes to Belgium at least once a year. He looks for and brings back vintage beer regularly. He has the patience to store them and then, being a generous guy, he holds occasional vintage beer tastings that rival anything held anywhere. I've had the privilege to attend a number of these tastings. The changes big beers can undergo over long periods of time can be truly amazing.
Yes, I said 'can be', it's certainly somewhat of a crap shoot. The better the cellaring conditions (more stable, temp swings bad, cellar temps in mid-50's-60's) the more likely you'll be successful. Best to have multiple examples and drink one once in a while. There can be a point where quality/flavor begins to be negatively impacted. Many of us don't have the patience or a good space for this, but it can be amazing.
If anyone's interested, I'd love to talk about this more, but gotta go now. In the meantime, check out this site....
http://www.brewbasement.com/