Best by date question

Skins_Brew · 01-28-2008, 10:57 PM

So, i have been reading these boards multiple times daily for the past few months and it seems the consensus is that the longer a brew ages, the better it is. Anyway, i was at the grocery store today and i picked up a six pack of Harpoon Octoberfest. I got home and was looking on the bottle to see where the beer was brewed and it says best by 12/13/07. Dont get me wrong, this is one of the better beers i have ever had, but if beer improves with age, why do they put the 'best by date' on the bottle?

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 01-28-2008, 11:01 PM

I *think* legally EVERYTHING has to have a best by date on it. I mean water has a best by date on it.

flowerysong · 01-28-2008, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redskins838892

So, i have been reading these boards multiple times daily for the past few months and it seems the consensus is that the longer a brew ages, the better it is.

...to a certain point. Which varies, depending on the style of beer and who you ask. As with wine, beer does not improve indefinitely, and after a certain point will start to decline. Some beers reach their peak in weeks, others in years. In general beers with higher levels of alcohol age better, and also tend to require more aging in the first place.

Another point to keep in mind is that unpasteurised beer will age better. While I won't go as far as some people do and maintain that all of the positive benefits of aging are due to the presence of the yeasty beasties, they definitely do contribute to the character of bottle-conditioned beer and there's a fair amount of evidence that they provide an amount of protection from excessive oxidation.

**DeathBrewer** · 01-29-2008, 12:13 AM

only SOME beer gets better with age. for instance, strong belgian beers are usually better after a few years of conditioning, but most wheat beers are best within 6-8 weeks of their bottled date, then start to decline.

**Nurmey** · 01-29-2008, 12:18 AM

The best if used by date was thought up by an advertising agency some time back to sell BMC. It probably isn't a bad idea for dead, pasteurized, filtered commercial beer but has little to do with live-yeast homebrew.

Dr Malt · 01-29-2008, 06:37 PM

Beer in bottles does not age well due to the fact that: (1) the act of bottling does introduce some air into the bottle, (2) glass is permeable to oxygen, (3) even brown bottles do not keep out all light, (4) unless it is bottle conditioned, there is no viable yeast present in the packaged beer, (5) the beer may not be stored at proper temperatures. Thus, as a bottle of beer ages, it is best consumed within 90 to 120 days of packaging. This is especially true of commercial beers as the company wants you to experience their beer when it is fresh.

Dr Malt

flowerysong · 01-29-2008, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Malt

(2) glass is permeable to oxygen

Say what?

Glass is impermeable to oxygen. While the closure may be slightly O2 permeable, the amount of leakage is small enough that bottles can be stored for years without excessive oxidation taking place.