How long does homebrew stay good for?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mike3701

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
238
Reaction score
4
Location
Glen Rock NJ
Read some threads that say after 4 months it was flat and some others that say after a couple years it tasted better. Do diffrent types of beer last longer? Need to know if i should drink some of my older beers first.
 
type matters :) more importantly, YEAST matters.

what kind of beers do you have?

wheat beers only last a couple of months before they start to taste flat.

certain belgian beers can age for a decade

no matter what, i try to wait six weeks before i really dig into my brews.
 
I hold back a 6 pack of every brew that I make. I recently had a couple that were 6 months old and they tasted great.
 
It depends on the style and how well you bottled it.

A light ale needs to be drank young and fresh, they will normally will get worse with age.
A bigger beer will usually need to be kept for a minimum age and will continue to get better. When I used bottle I always found my last was my best.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
I hold back a 6 pack of every brew that I make. I recently had a couple that were 6 months old and they tasted great.
Good practice. I try to do the same, but in the Summer, my garage fridge is full of crap like....food.;)
 
I believe the threads that you may have read about beer going flat were pertaining to using plastic soda bottles for bottling. In a well sealed glass container homebrew can last for quite some time. For certain brews it is recommended to let them mature for at least a year.
 
My first IPA has lost a lot of the Cascade crispness that made it so great, and it's only been in the bottle 6 weeks. Hop flavor and aroma mellow pretty quickly.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
I hold back a 6 pack of every brew that I make. I recently had a couple that were 6 months old and they tasted great.

I do this as well and will be hosting an Octoberfest gathering for a few of my more appreciative friends. We will be partaking in all of the 13 batches I have made to date. I'm curious to see how some of the first ones (from Feb / March) have aged.
 
I recently found a couple bottles of Brown ale hiding in my cellar from when i first started brewing nearly 2 yrs ago. Opened one up, still carb'd up and tasted Excellent! Gonna keep the other and open it in another couple years;)
 
Geez, I guess I should get to drinking some of the beer that I got... I've still got a couple bottles of my first brew I did a year ago, which is just a simple kit, so hopefully it'll taste right. :D I must admit that I'm a bit jewish when it comes to givin my beer away, and I don't exactly guzzle it up myself, lol.
 
cclloyd said:
I do this as well and will be hosting an Octoberfest gathering for a few of my more appreciative friends. We will be partaking in all of the 13 batches I have made to date. I'm curious to see how some of the first ones (from Feb / March) have aged.

I just did something similar this past weekend. 23 of my homebrews to sample, 8 homebrews from buddies, and about 15 commercial beers. None of us were standing very well by the time 11:00 rolled around.

Obviously we split a beer up into 3-5 samples. No one had a full brew of all, but there were a few that tried. Alas, they failed miserably. :cross:
 
Just found 8 spiced ales (my 2nd brew ever) that are a bit over a year old. Put 2 in the fridge and popped one open last night. Tasted much better than i remember it tasting 10 months ago! Still carbed and fantastic.
 
We have a kegged Scottish Ale that's over a year old. Just tried some the other day and it's still pretty good.
 
Right now I'm pouring off a keg my buddy forgot about in his basement. He brewed a brown ale for my wedding. My 4th annivesery was last month. I'll let you know how I feel in the morning, but the beer tastes good just a hint of sour not skunk.
 
Back
Top