How long is too long

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lovemybrew

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I've found a lot of discussions on how quickly we can drink our beer, my question is how long can I keep it.
I know, I know... why keep it when you can drink it...
For example, I brewed a Belgian Tripel in March, and it was suggested it could be kept for up to a year, and it would taste better the longer it is in bottle. I kept a case for a october party I'm having.
I brewed an english nut brown ale in March, and came across a few bottles. I had one, it tasted fine to me, but if I leave the other bottles, will they get funky?

I'm brewing a Bock, an Octoberfest, an IPA and a wheat beer for my fall party. If I have beer left over, what's the guidelines on how long it'll be good for.

If there is a thread out there, and someone could point me to it, I'd appreciate it! I have searched for a while, so if I just haven't looked long enough, sorry!
 
It's really style dependent. I have a two year old barleywine, that is just coming into it's own. Would I keep a pale ale for two years, no. I have had an IPA for close to a year, it was ok, but not optimum tasting. My 1.042 brown porter is delicious after 3 weeks.

I guess generally speaking the higher the alcohol content the longer it will stay at an optimum taste. Although any properly stored beer will last years.
 
I guess generally speaking the higher the alcohol content the longer it will stay at an optimum taste. Although any properly stored beer will last years.

I'd like to qualify this a little more and say the higher alcohol content and maltier that a beer is, the longer it will stay at an optimum taste. Ever have an old DIPA? :(

This is also a bit of a preference thing. I wouldn't take the majority of a batch of anything and lay it down for a year (other than a barleywine, RIS, etc). Set some stuff aside, taste for yourself periodically, and see what you like/don't like.
 
I'd like to qualify this a little more and say the higher alcohol content and maltier that a beer is, the longer it will stay at an optimum taste. Ever have an old DIPA? :(

Hence, the "generally speaking". I prefer drinking all hop bombs early. But they will last a long long time.:mug:
 
As said, it's varies by style. Hops tend to fall off with age so anything that is dependent on hops, especially hop aroma, won't age that well. My APA starts to lose it's luster after about 6 months. I have a batch of brown ale that's still fantastic after over a year. Same with my double chocolate oatmeal snout, but it's a higher ABV brew.
 
I was reading more in depth about hops being a preservative, so ultimately yeah I think the style of beer your brewing would make the most difference. Something with a really high hop bitterness would last longer. I even read something about how certain IPA's are able to be stored for up to 2 years... Although if i can keep a beer around for 2 full years, I got a problem... lol
 
I was reading more in depth about hops being a preservative, so ultimately yeah I think the style of beer your brewing would make the most difference. Something with a really high hop bitterness would last longer. I even read something about how certain IPA's are able to be stored for up to 2 years... Although if i can keep a beer around for 2 full years, I got a problem... lol

The hops may preserve it longer, but the hop flavor is going to fall off over time. So the beer, while still drinkable, won't have the high hop bitterness you may have brewed it for.
 
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