beer life

[the_bing]

how long can one reasonably expect beer to last for in the bottle?

does beer go 'off' eventually? i imagine so, but if so, how long...?

 

[marksa222]

pretty sure it depends on the type of beer and what you consider "life".

A few examples; hoppy beer like american pale ale can lose a lot of the hop character after a few months. A strong abv beer should last longer than a less strong one, and wheats are meant to be drank young.

If you use plastic bottles, I've heard it won't last much longer than 6 months.

If it's in glass, i've heard of beers being opened 10-15 years after bottling, and although oxidised, and have lost all hop character and carbonation, it's been infection free and drinkable.

 

[robsan77]

If its full of alcohol and has been filled well then stored at low temps, then it could last over a year no problem.

If its low alcohol, not filled well and stored at room temp or with temp fluctuations, you may find it can be going off in a matter of weeks! (also some yeasts allow the beer the oxidise quicker (wlp002))

 

[rpt]

If its full of alcohol and has been filled well then stored at low temps, then it could last over a year no problem.

Some beers (e.g. RIS) aren't ready to drink until they have had at least 18 months in the bottle.

 

[the_bing]

guess i need to sort out proper storage for my brews then...

 

[the_bing]

interestingly, Roger Protz in his book 200 beers to try before you die (a christmas present :thumb: ) suggests buying bottled Worthingtons White Shield beer and laying it down for some years to let the flavours develop...

 

[ian808]

many years ago I had started brewing again and checked out all my kit that was in garage and found 3 bottles that I had escaped my sight when finishing all my home brew when I had been brewing. These 3 bottles were at least 3 years old and when chatting to a mate who also brewed, he told me they would be great, so I tried them and they were. I kept one for my mate but after a week of not seeing him I drank it as well :cheers

These were in proper bottles (brown glass) so as long as there stored I think they'll last many a year

 

[graysalchemy]

I find most of my beers (5.5%) start coming into their own after 6 months and are still fine 12 months later. The exception to this is my Hoppy pale ale which uses a lot of late hop additions, these tend to lose the aroma after about 2-3 months but evolve into something quite different but equally pleasurable. My barley wine is only now coming into its own after 27 months and I suspect it will still be being drunk for another 18 months.

:thumb: :thumb:

 

[Duxuk]

My hoppy pale ales, with mainly American hops, reach their peak after about 6 weeks in the bottle. The freshness and intensity of the hops then diminishes, but they are still good to sup :drink: