Shelf-Life of Bottled Homebrew?

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brujo

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I bottled an Irish Stout in about May and then a Euro Bock in June (both were extract kits, my first two batches). I was thinking of saving them for late Fall/Winter for some special occasion or another... but will they be likely to last that long?

Sure, to a certain extent it depends on the ingredients and conditions; I'm keeping them in a light-tight cooler in the basement at about 70degF. I'd hate to waste good beer if they won't even be good by then. Anyone have thoughts/experiences with shelf-life of homebrew?

Cheers!
 
I'm drinking a nut brown that I bottled in November that improved up to late spring and seems to taste the same now as it did then. It's better now than it was at 4 months in the bottle.
 
I think just about any home brew is going to store 6 months if stored in good conditions. Higher gravity beers may not even start getting good until they spend that long in the bottle.
Your best bet is to try one every month or so until either it stops improving or it starts showing signs of getting worse. A stout or bock I would expect to store at least a year maybe a couple years without problem. Now a session beer or a wheat beer is probably not going to last as long.
Craig
 
I have a partial mash recipe of a cocoa and coffee milk stout that I would like to save until next winter. I have been told that all grain recipes last much longer than extract recipes in the bottles. Will my extract stout recipe make it to next winter?
 
beers that age well are typically higher gravity recipes that don't rely on a very hoppy profile for flavor (think IPA as an example of a beer you'd rather have fresh). AG or extract doesn't make much of a difference, IMO. I have an extract barleywine from a few years ago that has aged just fine.

For your question, we'd probably need to know a little more, but flavors tend to fade over time. If you want to slow the aging process, properly storing your beer is the way to go (stable, cool, and dark place). Also, refrigerating the beer will slow the aging even further.
 
It really depends on the style, but any beer will be drinkable for a very long time. They may change but not spoil if proper sanitization was used, and they are stored someplace cool and dark.

IPA's lose that hop freshness pretty fast. Some beers like Belgians age very well. I have some that are over three years old and continue to change.
 
Hmmm. I pretty much knew that a stout would age better than say, a wheat beer, for example. But I was wondering, since this is an extract brew, rather than an all grain, if that shortened the shelf life to less than 10 months or so? Sounds like it won't "spoil". It will be stored at around 68-70F in a room that is dark most of the tome and should not need to be moved often, if at all. I wonder if it will actually improve over that time? I'm also considering the oxygen absorbing caps...any experience with those?
 
Hmmm. I pretty much knew that a stout would age better than say, a wheat beer, for example. But I was wondering, since this is an extract brew, rather than an all grain, if that shortened the shelf life to less than 10 months or so? Sounds like it won't "spoil". It will be stored at around 68-70F in a room that is dark most of the tome and should not need to be moved often, if at all. I wonder if it will actually improve over that time? I'm also considering the oxygen absorbing caps...any experience with those?

Thread hijack alert

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Thread hijack alert

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Really? Yeah, I'm 'jackin' a thread that, before I posted to it today, was last posted to in August of 2007!!! My questions pertain to, let's see...what's the name of the thread? "Shelf-Life of Bottled Homebrew". I have heard that all grain brews last longer than extract brews. I am about to bottle an extract brew milk stout and wonder if the shelf life will accomodate holding on to the bottles until next winter (as we are getting out of the season for this style, for this year). I am also under the impression that oxygen absorbing crowns extend the shelf life and am asking if anyone has had experience with them. NOW, tell me exactly how that is hijacking this thread?! It all looks laser-focused relevant to me. If a moderator disagrees, I'd appreciate an appropriate thread referral. Otherwise, let's help each other out and leave the snarky comments in high school.
 
Really? Yeah, I'm 'jackin' a thread that, before I posted to it today, was last posted to in August of 2007!!! My questions pertain to, let's see...what's the name of the thread? "Shelf-Life of Bottled Homebrew". I have heard that all grain brews last longer than extract brews. I am about to bottle an extract brew milk stout and wonder if the shelf life will accomodate holding on to the bottles until next winter (as we are getting out of the season for this style, for this year). I am also under the impression that oxygen absorbing crowns extend the shelf life and am asking if anyone has had experience with them. NOW, tell me exactly how that is hijacking this thread?! It all looks laser-focused relevant to me. If a moderator disagrees, I'd appreciate an appropriate thread referral. Otherwise, let's help each other out and leave the snarky comments in high school.

Dude it was a joke for all the reasons you just stated. Get a grip.

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That was a joke? Geez...that's the second time on this site that someone has done this to me. I have a good sense of humor and I'm pretty laid back, but more than one of you here has a pretty antagonistic view of "joking".
 
That was a joke? Geez...that's the second time on this site that someone has done this to me. I have a good sense of humor and I'm pretty laid back, but more than one of you here has a pretty antagonistic view of "joking".

Maybe be less sensitive?
 
I guess...I thought I had paid a membership to join a supportive community of brewers, not the general internet. Oh wait...I'm the only "supporting member" here. Now this thread is jacked. Anybody have any recommendations on the stout?
 
I have high gravity extract brews that are older than this thread--they are aging just fine. Not sure where you heard that AG ages better than extract, since it's all the same once the yeast takes over. O2 absorbing caps are supposed to maintain a better environment longer than standard crowns, so I just look at it as an added layer of protection. Those are all I've used for years.
 
I drank a Bourbon Barrel aged IBIPA last night. It has been in bottle 3 years and is freaking great. It all depends on the beer but some will last and change in bottle over time.
 
I bottled an Irish Stout in about May and then a Euro Bock in June (both were extract kits, my first two batches). I was thinking of saving them for late Fall/Winter for some special occasion or another... but will they be likely to last that long?

Sure, to a certain extent it depends on the ingredients and conditions; I'm keeping them in a light-tight cooler in the basement at about 70degF. I'd hate to waste good beer if they won't even be good by then. Anyone have thoughts/experiences with shelf-life of homebrew?

Cheers!

I have several beers over a year old, they taste the same if not better now.

Cheers :mug:
 
I took s BIAB / All Grain class at my HBS yesterday and was told that there is something about the properties of all grain brewing that acts as a natural preservative, that you don't get from extract brewing. If so, it sounds like extract beers, especially darker and/or higher gravity ones at least a couple of years with no problems. In fact, what I'm hearing is that they improve up to a point. I guess where that point us depends on the individual beer style and batch. Thanks for the input folks! I'll use oxygen absorbing caps and, after a sample bottle or three, I'll stash the rest for next January.
 
I guess...I thought I had paid a membership to join a supportive community of brewers, not the general internet. Oh wait...I'm the only "supporting member" here. Now this thread is jacked. Anybody have any recommendations on the stout?


You are wound a little too tight. Maybe switch to boxers and ditch the panties...


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I guess...I thought I had paid a membership to join a supportive community of brewers, not the general internet. Oh wait...I'm the only "supporting member" here. Now this thread is jacked. Anybody have any recommendations on the stout?

So you're saying you think everyone should treat you differently because you paid for a membership? :rolleyes:
 
Ok lets not give the guy/gal too hard a time. My poking fun at the resurrected thread from 2007 started this. I mean I am the reason for the "high school" references even tgough I was channeling my inner high school self from when this thread was created. All is well and all is good. I had good intentions. The OP circa 2014 should post a new thread where his questions can be appropriately addressed.

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I took s BIAB / All Grain class at my HBS yesterday and was told that there is something about the properties of all grain brewing that acts as a natural preservative, that you don't get from extract brewing. If so, it sounds like extract beers, especially darker and/or higher gravity ones at least a couple of years with no problems. In fact, what I'm hearing is that they improve up to a point. I guess where that point us depends on the individual beer style and batch. Thanks for the input folks! I'll use oxygen absorbing caps and, after a sample bottle or three, I'll stash the rest for next January.

My guess is that there were crossed wires about all grain storing better than extract. In the bottle, extract and all grain come from the same ingredients at some point it's just that the producer mashed those grains for you.

However all grain ingredients can store longer than extract at room temperature. If you have uncrushed grain kept well, cooled and vacuum sealed, it's probably going to keep longer than DME or LME stored the same way.
 
I guess...I thought I had paid a membership to join a supportive community of brewers, not the general internet. Oh wait...I'm the only "supporting member" here. Now this thread is jacked. Anybody have any recommendations on the stout?

Hello Mattmmille, don't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch, we have a wonderful brewing forum here, with a huge amount of people with a lot of brewing knowledge willing to help.

I was a supporting member last year, just haven't gotten around to it this year, I didn't read the entire thread, but to answer about your extract stout, IMO it should be fine at a year even longer, higher alcohol beers will last longer as alcohol is a preservative, I have not done researched about if all-grain will last longer than extract.

Always jerks on any forum, just ignore them and weed through the BS and use the good info you get here, thats what I do and it has really paid off for me and my brewing.

Glad You Are Here and Good Luck !

Cheers :mug:
 
Jokes/sarcasm don't always translate well on the internet. You lose the vocal inflections and other social cues that normally come when telling a joke in person, so it can be easy to misinterpret as a result. I think it's perfectly reasonable that mattmmille took the original comment (correctly or otherwise) as being snarky and hostile, even if that wasn't the poster's intent. Some of the comments that followed sure were.

Take it easy on the guy, move on, get back on topic. Jeebus....

As for the AG vs extract shelf-life thing, that sounds like utter rubbish to me. The beer won't spoil, but the flavor will change over time. A higher gravity stout should age nicely.
 
I was not once hostile to anyone. Snarky... that's a matter of interpretation I suppose but a bad apple I am not. I would myself interpret mattmmille response to myself just being silly quite aggressive and over played. Either way no sence in arguing over something so silly. Lets call it a miscommunication or at worst a disagreement and move on. Take care.

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Happened onto this thread and hope this question is appropriate to the topic. This is something I've wondered about long before home-brewing:

Regarding long-term keeping, how is beer affected -- if at all -- by taking from several weeks of fridge storage and moving them to room temp storage? And vice-versa? And if given the choice between spending its entire life cold or at reasonable room temp, which is preferable?
 
My guess is that there were crossed wires about all grain storing better than extract. In the bottle, extract and all grain come from the same ingredients at some point it's just that the producer mashed those grains for you.

However all grain ingredients can store longer than extract at room temperature. If you have uncrushed grain kept well, cooled and vacuum sealed, it's probably going to keep longer than DME or LME stored the same way.

Makes sense...thanks!
 
I was not once hostile to anyone. Snarky... that's a matter of interpretation I suppose but a bad apple I am not. I would myself interpret mattmmille response to myself just being silly quite aggressive and over played. Either way no sence in arguing over something so silly. Lets call it a miscommunication or at worst a disagreement and move on. Take care.

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Sounds like a plan. Consider it in the rear view.
 
This might be a little off-topic as well but do I need to worry about the orientation of the beer-bottles when I store them?

That's probably nit-picky but I know for wine it matters how you store the bottle because of the cork in the bottle. Any problem laying beer bottles down on their side to store them that I should be aware of?

I've got a cellar under my stairs that seems ideal for long-term storage, it's cool dark, and temperature stable. The only problem is it's tiny... If I could lay bottles down on their side I could shelve a lot more of them in there.
 
The yeast cake will settle on the side of the bottle instead of the bottom, making it difficult to pour without disturbing the sediment. I suppose you could always reorient the bottles on end for a while prior to opening. Not sure what the impact would be of moving the yeast around at that point.
 
Happened onto this thread and hope this question is appropriate to the topic. This is something I've wondered about long before home-brewing:

Regarding long-term keeping, how is beer affected -- if at all -- by taking from several weeks of fridge storage and moving them to room temp storage? And vice-versa? And if given the choice between spending its entire life cold or at reasonable room temp, which is preferable?

Until recently, I was under the impression that you would get "skunky" beer if it went from refrigerated to room temp or warmer, like outside in warm or hot weather. Just in the last day or two, I read a blog from a brewery owner (can't remember which one, but it was a larger craft brewery) and he said that it is not true. His beer is held in cold storage at the brewery, but ships in unrefrigerated trucks. I'm not sure if that has something to do with pasteurization though. So, would it still be an issue for home brew beer? Anyone else?
 
Until recently, I was under the impression that you would get "skunky" beer if it went from refrigerated to room temp or warmer, like outside in warm or hot weather. Just in the last day or two, I read a blog from a brewery owner (can't remember which one, but it was a larger craft brewery) and he said that it is not true. His beer is held in cold storage at the brewery, but ships in unrefrigerated trucks. I'm not sure if that has something to do with pasteurization though. So, would it still be an issue for home brew beer? Anyone else?

As long as you're not doing any wild temperature swings your homebrew will be fine.

If you're just going back and forth between fridge temp and room temp (~30F - ~75F) there won't be a problem. I've heard a lot (and experienced while moving) that if it's going up and down into the 90's etc you can get some off flavors.
 
The yeast cake will settle on the side of the bottle instead of the bottom, making it difficult to pour without disturbing the sediment. I suppose you could always reorient the bottles on end for a while prior to opening. Not sure what the impact would be of moving the yeast around at that point.

Also wonder which is better: to have the beer in direct contact with the cap, or have the CO2 "buffer" between the beer and the cap. I don't know of anyone who stores beer on its side, even for the sake of convenience or cost-savings. Doesn't mean it isn't done; I just haven't heard of it. Wine is stored on its side in the case of a cork stopper. The cork can dry out over time and air can leach in causing the wine to spoil. On its side, the cork swells and seals the bottle better. This would not seem to apply to beer or any other carbonated beverage where the carbonation is maintaining a constant "push" against air infiltration.

As far as the yeast trub potentially getting stirred up when the bottle was stood upright, I agree you'd probably end up drinking more of it than from an upright bottle. But if sideways storage is your only option, maybe try turning the bottle slowly 180 degrees before pouring so, hopefully, most of the trub stays on the "ceiling". Once the level falls below the trub, you shouldn't get much in suspension. Even if you do, it won't drastically affect the taste.

Do you have any other upright storage options in your cellar space? Putting in some extra shelving? Hanging the bottles from nails with wire?
 
Yeah, I absolutely have places I can store them upright. I was only wondering because due to the height of the bottles the shelves I have setup in their currently aren't an optimal use of space. But I have plenty of room to get me started. If it really becomes an issue I can always re-space the shelves to make it more efficient.

Thanks for the thought of this one everyone; it sound like the answer is it might be OK, but probably more hassle than it's worth.
 
As long as you're not doing any wild temperature swings your homebrew will be fine.

If you're just going back and forth between fridge temp and room temp (~30F - ~75F) there won't be a problem. I've heard a lot (and experienced while moving) that if it's going up and down into the 90's etc you can get some off flavors.

Agreed that you need to keep the temperatures in the normal range and you will be fine...this is from my experience. Also from my experience most of the time you get a skunky beer it is due to UV exposure. That is why beer in green bottles doesnt keep as well on the shelf as brown bottles. Also a reason why certain beers taste better depending on where you buy them. The different stores store/display them differently.
 
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