New Poster. Very OLD Beer

[moshumi13]

I got a home brewing kit and it's been brewing now for a couple years. Six months ago I bottled some. A Mr. Beer 32 oz bottle with sugar to carbonate. It is now and has been in my fridge for a while. It has a very sweet smell now. Is it safe to drink, or have I made moon shine by accident? Any and all help appreciated!

Thanks

PS-I never thought I would have the patience to brew it right in the first place, but it's been in the corner and I've bought beer for myself. So, it's there and I'm apprehensive of drinking it. That's the brew, not the bottle in the fridge I'm talking about. I know if wine smells sweet stay away, but what about home brew?

PSS-I just pulled a little from the brew keg and it smells like whiskey. Is this ok to drink? I'm serious. I'd like to know before I partake or give to my friends.

 

[snowtires]

Did the bottle get hard?

 

[ChrisJPassarelli]

Good question by snowtires -- I'm curious if it carbonated itself after that long.

You wouldn't have made any moonshine and the blindness risk from distilled methanol thankfully, and with good sanitation it shouldn't hurt you. My guess is the sweet smell is going to be from oxidation (which can be described as sherry-like) rather than any remaining sugar.

I personally would be aprehensive about being in a plastic bottle that long. In the same way you're not supposed to reuse disposable water bottles for risk of BPA or whatever chemical it is, sitting for very extended periods with an acidic fluid in it seems like it would run a risk there. ...but then again, that's what they do with Coke bottles, so...


In short, it's beer, and shouldn't have any pathogens in it. That said, it could taste horrid, and except for particular styles that's a verrrrry long time to bulk-age it. What was it, anyway? I'm curious to hear how it is at this point.

 

[revco]

Well, that's not very typical of a beginner home brewer. I remember being so anxious I could barely wait the three weeks minimum.

If it were me, I'd try it in small quantities, just to see. You probably won't die. If it tastes decent, it's probably fine. If not, well, that's up to you...but I wouldn't. I've drank plenty of 6+ month homebrew and it's been fine...but then again, none of it spent 2 years in fermentation and 6 months in the bottle. I dunno...Mr. Beer was never designed for such extremes.

 

[Qhrumphf]

The pathogen risk is for all practical purposes non-existent- beer is not a suitable environment for any known harmful bacteria. As far as chemicals leaking from the plastic, I'd really doubt it, but I'm not 100% (more like 99%) on that. People on here have drank beer decades old, or older. Definitely won't be moonshine. Worst case scenario, it might taste like soy sauce, or vinegar, or something along those lines. But it won't hurt you.

 

[Matt3989]

The pathogen risk is for all practical purposes non-existent- beer is not a suitable environment for any known harmful bacteria. As far as chemicals leaking from the plastic, I'd really doubt it, but I'm not 100% (more like 99%) on that. People on here have drank beer decades old, or older. Definitely won't be moonshine. Worst case scenario, it might taste like soy sauce, or vinegar, or something along those lines. But it won't hurt you.

+1

The reason beer and wine were so wonderful in other time periods (besides the obvious reason) is that it provided safe, potable water. Give it a shot, like Qhrumphf said, no known harmful bacteria can survive in it.

 

[TopherM]

Six months in the fridge at serving temps is nothing. It certain isn't a "Very OLD Beer." I routinely age some of my average gravity beers for a good 3-4 months and have done a RIS for 8 months and am currently aging a Flanders Brown for 12-16 months.

If you had this in glass instead of plastic, the beer would be very similar to how it tasted 3-4 months ago, if not better. The only worrisome variable, like everyone else said, is that plastic is semi-permiable and may have let some oxygen in. Only one way to find out!! DRINK!!!