Best before dates on beers

[ammiteur connoisseur]

I've tried doing a search regarding this but the search enging "ignores" the word "before" for some reason??

Anyway I wondered how long is home brew good for I mean off the shelf beers all have either a sell-by or use-by date on them.

I spoke to A relative recently who says he's never had an off beer & he's been brewing & bottling for years & he has drank stuff that's been upto 11 years old! :hmm:

I don't know if it makes any difference but i'm talking about the kit form.

 

[artiums_enteri]

A few factors come into play here. First is gravity. The higher the gravity beer the longer the shelf life. I have a barley wine we brewed when my son was born that we will crack open when he's 21. Now keep in mind it's not going to be the same beer. The hop aroma will be gone, and the malt character will develop some really fascinating characters. Now low gravity beers (1.050 and below) should probably be consumed within 6 months if stored properly.

Second thing to consider is storage. If the bottles are kept someplace where the temp fluctuates throughout the day, is in sunlight, or a warm area you really drop the shelf life of that beer. Stored at a constant cold temp will increase the freshness and shelf life. I keep all my kegs that are conditioning or aging at 34* in the cold storage room.

Next thing to consider is sanitation and freshness of ingredients. If your sanitation is solid then the beer will keep much longer. If not phenols or sour notes will develop. If the hops and malt are fresh the beer will remain tasting fresh longer.

Last thing to consider is oxidation. If the beer was oxidized at any point it will begin tasting like wet cardboard at around month 2.

Usually people recommend drinking those lower gravity beers within 6 months of them being brewed so you can truly enjoy your product. Wheat beers are usually 1 to 2 months on the shelf.


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[Duxuk]

Back in the early 80s when I was a student, I had a girlfriend. Yes they were grand days! Anyway before I get caught up in happy reminiscenses said girlfriend moved into a flat in an old house. One day whilst poking about in a small cupboard (cue the inuendo) I reached up and found about 10 small bottles of Websters Green Label. It must have been donkeys years old. The bottles were from before the days of use by dates and had been bottle conditioned. The remnants of the yeast were like little crystals.
To cut a long story short it was absolute nectar.
I now have a wife who is a stickler for use by dates.
She does, however, have many other endearing qualities.

 

[klaus]

Have mentioned this many times, when I re-started after a few years off I unearthed six bottles of pineapple lager I made in about 2005 so would have been about six years old. This was six of the best bottles of lager I had in a long time (not all bottles the same evening!). Strong and full-bodies, lasting head and fizz and good strength. No doubt the addition of fruit added some extra alcohol - there was a hint of pineapple. This was made with a cheap kit - didn't keep rcords in those days. Have always kept to a good standard of sanitation.