warm beer

[Beaver]

Possibly a dumb question, but here goes.

I've seen and purchased a lot of warm beer. I know most microbrews aren't pasteurized. Does this mean that if they aren't kept cold, they go bad? Does bottle-conditioned beer make a difference? Should I avoid buying warm beer in the future?

Thanks in advance!

[GunNut76]

As long as the bottles are not unreadable under a layer of dust you should be fine. Most stores know the turn over rate of their brews and purchase accordingly, this is why you will see 3 bottles of a $15 beer and 30 of a $2 beer. As long as the store follows the FIFO rule you go ahead and get them warm brews...and drink 'em warm too! Better flavor that way.

[Richard English]

Remember, all British bottled beers will have a "best-before" date on them. Stick to that and you'll have no problems.

I wouldn't drink them warm, though. Around 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit is about right for most British ales. Of course, I understand that, by A-B fizz standards, that is positively tropical!

[GunNut76]

By warm I meant 50-60 F...near cellar temps. I like them in the upper range because I think your tastebuds don't get such a thermal shock. BTW micro-brews have a shelf life of 6 months, slightly longer as your OG goes up, or alchohol content goes up, whichever you prefer.

[hopjack13]

i usually buy them off the shelf warm, unless there are none of what im looking for then i grab some cold ones. or if im going to drink them right away i'll buy them cold, otherwise warm. i don't like to bring the temps up and down on the brews. although a lot of stone brews say keep refridgerated, and never are, i've never had problems with buying warm ones.

[newportstorm]

I buy cold if possible. A cold, dark beer cooler will keep the brew fresher - no argument. I will buy warm if it's the only way to get certain beers, but I'll be slightly more picky. A sixer in the back of a cooler a month past its freshness date, I'll probably risk it. The same beer - dusty, on a room temp. shelf, under bright lights....walk away. Higher alcohol/hopped beers are usually safe from the warm beer shelves - no worries. That's my beer buying strategy.

Cheers!

[hopjack13]

yeah if i had a beer store closer i'd like to keep them cold but as it is i'll buy in huntington beach or costa mesa and by the time i get home (1-4 hours) depending on how long i stay in O.C. they get warm, i don't like screwing with the temps , up n down and up n down. but i always pull the beer from the back of the shelf , out of the light.or an un opened case. i've never had any pro-blame-ohs yet.

[Richard English]

Remember, bottle-conditioned beers will continue to develop in the bottle for some months and will need to be around cellar temperature to do this. That's not to say they won't be any good when new, since they will not have been released by the brewery until they are ready for drinking. However, many will aver that stronger BCAs are the better for keeping a few months in the celler.

Sterilised beers (which generally means any that are not bottle-conditioned) will not develop significantly in the bottle and will thus deteriorate more quickly.

As has already been stated, the stronger the beer the better it will keep, since alcohol is a good preservative (which is why my stomach is in such good condition)

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by GunNut76
By warm I meant 50-60 F...near cellar temps. I like them in the upper range because I think your tastebuds don't get such a thermal shock. BTW micro-brews have a shelf life of 6 months, slightly longer as your OG goes up, or alchohol content goes up, whichever you prefer.

Arbitrary numbers there.

The shelf life of the beer directly correlates to the manner in which the beer was produced and packaged. If it was on a bottle line where they are not using a purge before filling or not using a FOB (usually deareated water) post fill then the air pickup will decrease the shelf life. Type of caps used will play into it as well.

During the production stage for a package brewery hot side aereation during the mash cycle and later during the whirlpool will have a negative effect as will any transfer of the wort and later on the beer by pumps as large breweries generally will not move beer with pressure (like the smaller ones can)..

While the breweries are aware of all the negative factors and do their best to minimize them, predicting shelf life by saying they all have 6 months just isn't possible.

While you are correct in stating that higher alcohol content will aid in shelf life (as will higher IBU beers) some beer will not survive three months on the shelf while smaller beers have turned out fine 2 years later.

Best by dates (in the US) are nice and probably close to when you might expect the beer to start having some problems, but that is not always the case.

[Richard English]

Quote "...Best by dates (in the US) are nice and probably close to when you might expect the beer to start having some problems, but that is not always the case...."

The rules might be different in the USA. However, in the UK any foodstuff must be in good condition at least up to its "best before" date. Certainly I have never had a problem with any foodstuff, liquid or solid, that I have consumed by its "best before" date.

Fuller's give a "best before" date for their 1845 of a year from bottling and I have heard of those who've drunk it well after that time and who claim that it has improved.

I feel sure that "light" beers would not have such "staying power".

[brewmonkey]

Best By dates and Sold by dates are on all packaged food (bread, milk etc...) but it is not a requirement for beer. If AB and the likes had never used them as a marketing tool you would most likely never would have seen them here. They do serve a purpose I suppose, what it is I don't know though.

Found a quote by Michael Jackson on them though.


"Best before" dates are nonsense. Most beers can only go downhill from the moment they leave the brewery. There are, though, important exceptions: the minority of beers that are designed to mature in the bottle. "Best before" dates do not do justice to them, either.
Source: Michael Jackson

[Richard English]

Quote, "...Best By dates and Sold by dates are on all packaged food (bread, milk etc...) but it is not a requirement for beer..."

That may be the case in the USA but I understood it's not so in the UK. "All pre-packaged" foodstuffs have to carry a best-before date and all the bottled beers I have ever seen do so. The purpose served is a laudable one and the legislation has done away entirely with the habit that some resellers had of selling old stock that was past its best, knowing that the onus for proving that the product was not good rested with the buyer. Now a simple check of the best-before date is proof enough and in the UK would be sufficient grounds for claiming a refund for an out of date product.

And Michael Jackson puts the situation well - although I do not agree with his bald statement "Best-before dates are nonsense". Clearly it is a good thing to have some idea of the age of the beer and its likely lifespan and the "best before" date gives that information.

Those beers designed to mature in the bottle will improve and, as he implies, the "best before" dates may not do such beers justice. Indeed, as I said, many beers may continue to improve for a long time (Thomas Hardy's Ale was said not to give of its best until at least seven years had elapsed).

The alternative (which would be more complex) would be to use the vintners' system and simply to show the production date. Then it would be necessary "only" to buy a vintage chart and to check the best drinking age of your bottle!

[Richard English]

Further to my last post, I have now checked the UK requirements for the labelling of alcoholic drinks insofar as its expiry date is concerned, This is what they state:

"An appropriate indication of minimum durability (date mark). Drinks with an alcoholic strength of less than 10% (abv) are required to bear a date mark. Depending on the shelf life of the product, this should be expressed in terms of the day, month and year (in that order) preceded by the words "best before" or as the month and year (in that order) or the year only, preceded by the words "best before end". Exemptions from date marking include: drinks sold in bulk containers of more than 5 litres where these are intended for supply to catering establishments, cider, perry, and most wines".

So in the UK bottled beers (but not wines and ciders) must bear a date mark. This is a legal requirement and I think drinkers can be reasonably sure that any British bottled beer purchased within its specified period of freshness will be OK to drink. US readers should be aware that the date mark will be expressed using the international standard of date - month - year and not the in the US fashion of month - date - year.

[Beaver]

Thanks for all the info. It sounds like it's all kind of hit or miss. At least there is nothing to be too concerned with.