How long is too long...bottle conditioning

This may be an obscure question......how long can you store bottle brew before it "goes bad"? Is there a length of time you can store bottle brew in a dark, cool place? I realize that certain types of beer may store better than others. But is there a general rule...i.e. wheat beer one year, porter two years, bocks three years, barleywine forever? Just started this hobby in the beginning of the year and was wondering what is the tipping point of conditioning a beer and spoiling it.

assuming proper sanitation, good storage temperature & conditions, i'm pretty sure your beer will essentially keep indefinitely.... how long are you planning to store your beers?

My first "baby" is a weisenbier. Just like someone hanging on to their first dollar, just wondering how long I could hang on to a six pack?

November....deer camp...along with a pack of each of everything else that might be ready! Most important thing about deer camp, beer and food! Have to keep up the 4 star ratings.

I've heard and seen reference to wheat beers not lasting as long as many other beers...they're best enjoyed fresh. In my personal experience, I've never kept any around long enough to test that theory.

I have noticed that the hop character of my APA's changes noticeably with time, but again I've never kept one around long enough to say when it became detrimental.

if beer last indefinately, whats the point of commercial beers putting born on dates/ best if consumed by dates on their beer? Is it just propoganda or just trying to sell fresh beer even though it doesnt matter if its fresh or 3 years old?

beer does not last indefinitley! Fresh beer is WAY better then old ass beer...beer is very perishable. (especially very balanced mega swill types)

But the advantage to homebrewing is that the yeast in the beer will keep the beer fresher longer by scavenging oxygine and what not, keeping the beer from oxidizing. But the catch-22 is that eventially the same yeast will start to autolyse, and ruin your beer with nasty off flavors.

If you keep your beer in the fridge it will last a long time, (assuming of course you have good sanitation, good pitching rates, carefull racking, etc...)

generally bigger, darker beers keep longer, and lighter lower abv stale faster.

id say 6 months for a light pale ale, and years for a strong dark belgian, or barley wine.

nothing has ever lasted over a year in my place - I had some blueberry bock for a year and it was as good as first day blueberries and all in it - it was an over the top sweet meal and one was plenty but it lasted! no real temp fluctuations at around 60ish.

I'd think most hoppy stuff would loose character and not age well IMO. I love'dem hops!

my first brew was a belgian wit and I hung onto that first bottle for like 6 months. I poured it out when I noticed white strands forming vertically down the inside of the bottle. It may have been poor sanitation as a result of a beginner or an indication that beer won't last forever. . . Not really sure which, but I bet the conditions were sanitary for the most part, I've been sloppier since!

In my experience I have found that higher gravity beers will hold out longer then lower gravity beers. Some beers Belgian styles, and Barleywines, as well as Thomas Hardy's Ale are designed to be aged. Personally I wouldn't hold onto anything over six-nine month mark.
I usually invite some friends over 2X a year for a tasting event in order turn over all my beer inventory.

sizzle.

There's a few on this board, HB99 and david_42 come to mind, that have had beers on tap for quite a while. If I'm not mistake, david had (had?) some barleywine from 2003? High gravity beers can last years, and need several months to condition after brewing. Normal gravity beers won't last that long. My hefeweizen had a definate cahnge in flavor after about 5 months. It's all gone now. I have also noticed changes in the hop aroma and flavor in IPAs and pale ales. Over time the flavor and aroma become less and less, while the bitterness is still there. I've seen this in commercial examples too. In general though, nothing I brew is around long enough for long term storage to be a problem.

I recently stumbled upon (literally) some homebrews that my dad made when he first started - when Jimmy Carter was in office, I'm guessing. Anyway, I popped one in the fridge for a while and then tasted it . . . it was just as bad as when i used to steal them from the basement when I was in high school :cross: . So . . . bad beer can stay bad indefinitely.

Take that for what it's worth. The longest I've kept a beer is about 6 months. Flavors mellowed a bit.

Brewsmith said:

My hefeweizen had a definate cahnge in flavor after about 5 months. It's all gone now. I have also noticed changes in the hop aroma and flavor in IPAs and pale ales. Over time the flavor and aroma become less and less, while the bitterness is still there.

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This makes sense since hops were originally used as a natural preservative.

As said above, some homebrews hit their peak flavor as early as 3 months, others in 6-8 months and then there are the big beers that can last years. Of course it’s your ability to cellar beer comes into play right off. See this article about aging beer for more info.

Wild