Can/When will bottled beer go bad?

[Skillafizer]

Yet another possible noob question here. I've commonly heard (and seen, elsewhere on the interwebz) that bottled beer usually goes bad anywhere from 6 months to 2 years out from first bottling the beer. Can anyone give me guidance as to the specifics of this? I've seen people on here talking about leaving a specific kind of beer or a beer plagued by a carbonation problem for months, even years, to mature and mellow out. On the last bit I just mentioned, is the 'leaving the beer for months/years' thing usually specific to secondary fermentation or does it apply to the post-bottling/kegging period as well? I am new to brewing and try to brew with my dad when he's state-side (works overseas) but don't want to brew beer without him that he wants to try, just for it to go bad sitting around before he evens gets home.

 

[brewcat]

It depends on a lot of factors. An IPA will quickly lose its freshness but won't necessarily be bad. A belgian dubbel will improve after months to years. I think people are normally talking bottled and kegged beer when aging.

You can slow aging by refrigerating. My beer never seems to stick around long enough to start losing flavor. In fact the last beers are the best. The only way to tell is tasting notes throughout a batch.

 

[afro_lou]

I wouldn't say it "goes bad," as beer doesn't usually spoil. It certainly can over-age, but that can be a little more dependent on what's in the recipe and the time-frame of your aging schedule.
Typically, a malt forward higher gravity beer will benefit from aging, while a highly hopped beer is usually enjoyed fresh. Of course, these are more guidelines than anything. You could age an IPA and it probably wouldn't be terrible, it would just most likely not be very hoppy.

To part 2 of your question, you can age in whatever vessel you prefer. There are benefits to each way of aging, and there are tons of threads on here extolling the virtues of each.

One thing to be sure of if you are aging is to make sure the beer is well cared for. IE no big temperature swings, not sitting out in the sun, etc, etc.

 

[RitalinIV]

Skillafizer-

The answer depends on a lot of other variables. First, and perhaps most important, variable is your sanitation method. If you run a clean, well sanitized brewing process, your beer will have a greater chance of lasting longer. Second, you are going to want to store your beer in a cool, dark location. Sunlight and high temperatures will skunk your beer pretty quickly. Finally, the type of beer will determine how long it will stay fresh. I have made stouts that were not ready after 4 months but tasted amazing at the 1 year mark. Conversely, I made a Honey Wheat that went bad after only about 5 months. I brewed a Dry Cider 3 years ago that I just found after cleaning out my basement. I was skeptical and tasted with caution but to my surprise, IT WAS STILL GOOD! It came out at about 9.3% ABV (I keep notes) when i made it and I do believe that was a factor too.

A good rule of thumb would be between 3-6 months but there are exceptions to almost every rule.

I hope that helps! Good luck,

-Ritalin

 

[rockymtnbrewer]

As mentioned above a lot of factors come into play but in general the beers that benefit from long bottle aging are high gravity, low hop beers, like a Russian Imperial Stout or a Barleywine. IPAs and most hop forward beers are best fresh. Most experienced homebrewers say not to use a secondary unless you are adding something, such as fruit or dry hopping. But if you must bulk age get it off the yeast cake from primary fermentation. You do risk oxidation when transferring so i see no benefit of bulk aging over bottle aging. As long as your bottled beer is at a good cellar temp, doesnt have exposure to light and doesnt have an infection your beer shouldn't go bad for a very long time, you would notice certain flavors dropping out, hops first.

 

[MagicMatt]

I concur that a well sealed bottle of beer, where utmost caution has been taken in regards to sanitation and avoiding oxidation, should never ever go bad or spoil. The flavor profile will definitely change over time, but sometimes that isn't a bad thing. I found a bomber of a Porter the other day that I had made sometime in 2008. Yep, 7 years old. And while I don't remember specifically how it originally tasted (and thus could not compare as to whether it was "better" or "worse" than when fresher), the taste was phenomenal and I highly enjoyed every drop. I actually went and looked for more of them, but to no avail.

 

[dwhite60]

I have one last bottle of a Russian Imperial Stout the local
homebrew club made for National Homebrew Day in 1997.

It's changed over the years. It's a little past prime now but the one
I had three weeks ago was still pretty darn good.

Now this was 11% ABV with significant hopping. Higher alcohol
ages better from what I've read.

I have some meads stored away 13 to 16 percent ABV which are
8+ years old. Different animal but none of them seem any worse
for their time in the bottle.

All the Best,
D. White