to pasteurize or not to pasteurize

[txtaquito]

So Im moving into the world of canning. Nice purrty new Oktober SL1. Im the only beer drinker in the house but I also brew a lot of beer - 1/2bbl per run. Limited kegs and full keg storage, I now package in cans to free up kegs and keg space so that I can keep doing what I love!...the art of brewing. I dont see myself going through all that beer. Most of it is given away but I can see cans starting to build up in the pantry. What are y'alls thought of pasteurizing them to extend shelf life? I dont see a year - maybe at the longest 6 months. My concern with pasteurizing the cans is the expanding and contraction from heating and slow cooling of the can contents may cause the cans to dent or do weird things that glass wont do. Or am I just over thinking things?......

 

[RPh_Guy]

Pasteurizing won't extend shelf life; it will reduce it.

 

[thehaze]

If NEIPAs, drink them fast. No matter if you or others, but you can't really " stock " NEIPAs, so one less problem. If West Coast IPAs, they can possibly go 2-4 months, if brewing and canning process is OK. If any other style, there is no need to pasteurise. I've aged bottles for 1 and 2 years. And held up fine.

 

[Vale71]

The biggest issue with pasteurization as a homebrewer is oxidation. Since we cannot manage to fill as oxygen-free as the commercial breweries do exposure to elevated temperatures will accelerate oxidation and quickly degrade the beer.