Will beer start to bottle "decondition"?

[stevehardt]

Stupid noob question....

Although I am a new home brewer, I have really seen the value of conditioning.

Is there a point where beer starts to "decondition" if left too long? Is there a point where the tastes stops improving and starts to deteriorate? If so, when does that happen?

Thanks to everyone on this forum for all there help. I've learned a TON!

 

[bchurch]

It really depends on the style and what your storage conditions are like. There really is no one point in time when beer starts to deteriorate.

 

[unionrdr]

Hop flavors/aromas are usually the first to go. But the rest depends on style & gravity. Lighter mid gravity on down will deteriorate the fastest. Big dark beers can take a year or more to get good before slowly deteriorating. It's all relative to style & gravity.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

+1 above. It also depends on your process and storage conditions. If you aerate your beer post pitching, the product will begin to oxidize. If you store in clear glass bottles UV light will begin to break itdown. If you store at very high temps after conditioning you can see spoilage. However, on the scale of things to worry about, I'd say over conditioning ranks just above earthquake damage. Usually I finish a batch 4-5 months after initial boil and have never experienced spoilage, or even a batch that is doing anything but improving with age.

 

[jsv1204]

Wish I would have had the foresight to ask such a question a few years ago. My first batch ever was a weisbier. I set aside 6 bottles to let them mature - bad idea! Popped one open a few week ago and found it modestly palatable - the wheat character was gone and can only be described as drab.

 

[Phalex]

I did a cherry stout a year and a half ago. I've only got 4 bottles left, and I'll miss it when it's gone. It was good after a month in the bottle, but really hit its stride after a year.

 

[keesh]

Wish I would have had the foresight to ask such a question a few years ago. My first batch ever was a weisbier. I set aside 6 bottles to let them mature - bad idea! Popped one open a few week ago and found it modestly palatable - the wheat character was gone and can only be described as drab.

Yeah wheat beers are at the opposite end of the spectrum - a low gravity wheat would be at its peak within the first month or two and under ideal storage conditions, last maybe 4 months before starting to go downhill.

 

[BuddyWeiser]

About a year ago, I read on a box of commercial beer bottles (that shall remain nameless) that the beer should be consumed within 180 days of the date stamped on each bottle.
The reason I read the box was because I bought that beer at a serious bargain price and it tasted pretty awful.
It would seem that deterioration could be the cause for their best by recommendation.

 

[Qhrumphf]

As a couple folks have mentioned, aging = dependent on the beer. IPAs are better fresh (if you want all that luscious hoppy goodness), and wheat beers are better fresh. Sour beers, and really dark and/or strong ones will generally keep a lot longer. Some can keep upwards of 20 years (or so I've read) if stored properly.

The colder you store a beer, the longer it'll keep. The warmer, the faster it'll age. I'd think for the beers that don't age well, keeping close to freezing is ideal (and then letting warm before drinking, obviously), and for sours and stronger/darker beers cellar temp would be ok.

But at the end of the day, I don't think there's any really hard and fast rule. A lot is process dependent (like said above, if you oxidize your beer it's not going to age well)

 

[keesh]

The colder you store a beer, the longer it'll keep. The warmer, the faster it'll age. I'd think for the beers that don't age well, keeping close to freezing is ideal (and then letting warm before drinking, obviously), and for sours and stronger/darker beers cellar temp would be ok.

Sadly for many, including myself before I got into craft beer/brewing, that isn't as obvious as you say. In related news, I have an infrared thermometer coming in the mail which should make enjoying beer @ the proper temps a lot easier.