Woof...HUGE difference with "fresh" vs "not-so-fresh" commercial brew

So with a part-time job helping expand a local a local convenience store into a bottle shop, I've had my fair share of quality "rarities" over the last month or 2. I brought home a sixer of Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down ale a few days ago & loved the living hell out of it. So when that pack ran out, I snagged another from a shipment that arrived earlier today, and all I can say is WOW. Granted, I didn't check the dates on the first sixer, but here's some of the differences I noticed:

Older sixer: heavy/sweet malt flavor, almost a toasted bread-like nose, noticeably thick mouthfeel, head retention was quite good.

Newer sixer: hops are insanely more prominent, huge floral nose and definitely some Simcoe going on in there (it's that noticeable), much more thinner mouthfeel & head died down much faster compared to the older one.

So what I'm wondering is if anyone else has had an experience like this? I didn't notice anything particularly "wrong" with either brew (on the contrary, they're both excellent!). Considering the difference between the two, I can only surmise that the first sixer had to have been near or past it's shelf life, or Lagunitas really screwed up one of the batches.

Not quite as dramatic. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of my favorites. It's consistently good in bottle from the local grocery. I recently had the rare chance to try a glass of the same brew on tap. It was a clear notch up in freshness, hop aroma and flavor from what I drink in bottle. The stuff in bottle is great. The stuff on tap was darned near a spiritual experience.

I know that hops fade over time. So maybe that's what's with the difference. I don't know about the rest though.

2wide said:

Not quite as dramatic. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of my favorites. It's consistently good in bottle from the local grocery. I recently had the rare chance to try a glass of the same brew on tap. It was a clear notch up in freshness, hop aroma and flavor from what I drink in bottle. The stuff in bottle is great. The stuff on tap was darned near a spiritual experience.

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Keep in mind that SNPA on tap is a decidedly different beer. Lighter, dryer but similar balance. I think on tap it is about 5.0, in the bottle 5.6%. On tap definitely comes off more grassy and fresh, less earthy from the pearle, more cascades.

2wide said:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of my favorites.

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I used to live on the east coast, and always thought SNPA was trash. When I moved out to CA I had it again and it was a much, MUCH better beer. With SNPA, I think the beer is just a vector for delivering those hops to your senses. Let them fade (which they will), and there's not much left to enjoy.

I think this is one of the real rewards of being a homebrewer, because unless you regularly visit a brewery or brew pub, you simply aren't going to have fresh beer.

Anything hoppy is 1000% better fresh. APAs, IPAs, IIPAs, are all much better in the first couple months, and all better if they are kept cold.

Freshness isn't as big of a deal for malty beers, but ya, freshness makes a big difference.

Tried myself a Greene King IPA (English brew) about 2 weeks ago at a bar. The weak 3.6% alcohol aside, it honestly tasted like I was drinking wheatgrass juice. Don't think the bottle enjoyed the trip over to CA very much...

My SWMBO and I recently found some bottles of XX Sweetgrass DIPA from Grand Teton that were bottled in 2008. There was little to no hop flavor left, but kept the big malt sweetness. The beer was cloudy and creamy and almost tasted like a mild barley wine. We liked the 'style' enough to grab a second bottle and the liter swing-top bottle it comes in is a nice addition.

I noticed the same with Pursuit of Hoppiness (also Grand Teton). Think it was about a year old when I had it, but it resembled more of a red ale than an IPA.

I had bought a SN harvest ale one night. When I tasted it it was not what I expected. I was very malty tasting like the op had stated. I was bummed. I was expecting a great tasting hoppy beer but got this thick syrup like beer. I checked the date at the top of the bottle and it was from the previous year. I was a little peeved. I'll never make that mistake again.

2wide said:

Not quite as dramatic. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of my favorites. It's consistently good in bottle from the local grocery. I recently had the rare chance to try a glass of the same brew on tap. It was a clear notch up in freshness, hop aroma and flavor from what I drink in bottle. The stuff in bottle is great. The stuff on tap was darned near a spiritual experience.

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Stop it, you're making me drool.... Hmmm road trip to Lubbock or Chico.... Sorry I think Chico would win out. Only SNPA I have ever had was in a bottle, and that bottle travelled 3,400 miles to get to me. Well actually further cause my brother-in-law brought it back from San Diego.

Found a Hop Henge that I didn't realize I had, probably two months old, definitely less hop aroma and taste than new.

cmoon said:

I used to live on the east coast, and always thought SNPA was trash. When I moved out to CA I had it again and it was a much, MUCH better beer. With SNPA, I think the beer is just a vector for delivering those hops to your senses. Let them fade (which they will), and there's not much left to enjoy.

I think this is one of the real rewards of being a homebrewer, because unless you regularly visit a brewery or brew pub, you simply aren't going to have fresh beer.

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I lived in San Diego for 17 years and now live in Baltimore, so I agree with that for the most part. As a SNPA lover for many years, I still buy it out here and I think, for the most part, it's not as fresh - though I still get some good six packs every now and then.

I was in London last month, and was surprised to see it on tap in a pub. It was just EXCELLENT. It was a fresh and perfect glass(es), and I was amazed to have found it this good half way around the world.

I have this experience with Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Only a few times, on both coasts, have I experienced a truly fresh bottle. On those few occasions, the spicyness of those hops really came out in smell and taste. I feel like I'm always searching for that perfect six pack again, but I rarely find it - though they are usually quite good nonetheless.

The same thing goes for most European beers, unfortunately. The usually taste old to me, so I generally don't buy them. Of course, I love my Belgian ales and for some reason, Samuel Smith's usually tastes great anyway - but for the most part, American micro brews and home brews are the best beers you can drink in the States.

On one of my trips to DFH a few years back I participated in a taste perception study...afterwards I confirmed they were trying to nail down at what time point 60 Min lost enough fresh hoppiness that it should be pulled back off the shelves.

I'll say it was dramatic to me the difference between fresh 60 and a few months old.

i am extremely hesitant to buy hoppy beers in bottles if they don't have a date code. i've been burned too many times. you're looking for a sticky, resinous hop flavor and you get a malt bomb... that's disappointing. especially when you drop good money on them.