Shelf life of GF beer

My friend's mother has a gluten allergy, and asked me about brewing beer that is GF. My buddy and I were thinking of brewing her a 3 gallon batch of something, but were concerned about the shelf life. She doesn't drink very often, and we're worried that it may not age very well. Those of you that know, what kind of shelf life can you put on a GF beer? What base grain might age better? Part of my concern is that she only likes smaller session style beers. Help steer me in the right direction. Thanks.

Hound_Dog said:

My friend's mother has a gluten allergy, and asked me about brewing beer that is GF. My buddy and I were thinking of brewing her a 3 gallon batch of something, but were concerned about the shelf life. She doesn't drink very often, and we're worried that it may not age very well. Those of you that know, what kind of shelf life can you put on a GF beer? What base grain might age better? Part of my concern is that she only likes smaller session style beers. Help steer me in the right direction. Thanks.

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I swapped some gf beers with midfielder5 and received this beer- it was 6+ months old and it was fantastic. And- just last night I had the last of my gf wit's from my drop down that I made last Thanksgiving, so about 7 months old- it too was awesome. Still fruity and no off flavors. I think the longer you can age a gf beer, whether you use grains or not, the better. The sorghum twang goes away over time but then again, it goes well with some styles. I would say just brew it and let her drink them as she can. Good luck and make sure you post your recipe.

I'm right there with icasanovas post. My oldest is 5-6 months old. Every time I crack one open they just seem to taste better and better.

My wife cracked a 2-year old one last night. The flavor nor smell seemed to be much different than it was at 6-months. But this was a high-gravity beer that needs awhile to mellow in even non-GF beer.

The sorghum-based Pale I did in Oct-09 is still doing nicely. The hop aroma is fading a bit, so it tastes more like a Special Bitter.

I've also noticed a mellowing of the hops as they get older, but no off flavors or decline in quality. I've only made GF beer so I have no reference to standard home made stuff.

I thank you for enriching the life of a celiac with good beer!

At what temperature is everyone storing their beer in the long term as it ages in the bottle?

peterbronski said:

At what temperature is everyone storing their beer in the long term as it ages in the bottle?

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Until about a month ago it has been at room temp, maybe 68-72. Now it's in a basement and thats probably a constant 65 for now... Never had any problems in the past storing it at room temperature, though I never turned off the air or heat.

Thanks for the info. My GF Belgian Wit (made with malted millet and chestnuts) has definitely turned. I think it was the combo of the low alcohol content, oils from the chestnuts, and the warm storage temp (about 72-75 F). It's only been bottled for four months or so. The good thing was I only had six or so bottles left, so not a great loss.

peterbronski said:

Thanks for the info. My GF Belgian Wit (made with malted millet and chestnuts) has definitely turned. I think it was the combo of the low alcohol content, oils from the chestnuts, and the warm storage temp (about 72-75 F). It's only been bottled for four months or so. The good thing was I only had six or so bottles left, so not a great loss.

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Yea, that's probably it and the fact that a Wit doesn't have a whole lot of hops doesn't help either.

I really dont think any beer should spoil after 4 months...a wit would surely be past its prime in those conditions, but not spoiled unless something else went awry.

I have drank low gravity, low IBU beers from 5 years previous, out of normal bottles with no oxy-absorbing caps. Definitely not the best beer I have ever had, but also definitely not spoiled.

Hops fade over time, as people have said. I'd add more hops than you might normally (but I like hops!).
I would also store them (or at least a 6 pack a time) in the fridge. The yeast will drop out and the beer will be clearer.

In any event, if she drinks just one beer a week, the ~24 bottles will be gone in 3 months. That is not too long of a time. I have kept GF beer (porter and English pale ale) for 6+ months and they have gotten better over time.