1 month old beer, is it ok to drink?!
1 month old beer, is it ok to drink?
Bought some Sam Adams Boston Lager (unrefrigerated) just now and saw it's a month old (from best time to drink date)
How much will the taste be affected?
Answers:
From personal experience, old beer is never good, especially when it's that far past the best time to drink date.
Unfortunately, beer is not as forgiving as bread and when beer is passed its prime, it just tastes old and the consumer wishes they had consumed it earlier. I view beer storage from the perspective of the brewer. When most beers leave the brewery they are ready to be consumed. . . otherwise no well-run brewery would put the beer out on the shelf to be purchased. In fact, the freshness clock begins ticking for most beer at the time of
bottling. All the nurturing that the brewer feels is required is complete and it’s time to bottle and drink the darn stuff!
The rule for these types of beers is to get ‘em in the fridge and drink ‘em as soon as possible because for certain, nothing good will happen to the beer by hanging on to it. The exceptions to this rule are with bottle-conditioned beers and some high alcohol beers. Obviously, with bottle-conditioned beers, the beer must carbonate in the bottle and this takes time. Meaning the beer improves for some time and then begins its downhill slide.
Aside from microbiological spoilers, the main things to keep away from beer during storage are oxygen, heat and ultraviolet light. Your question is about bottled beer and there is not much you can do to keep oxygen out of the beer other than not storing it for really long time periods. Remember that oxygen migrates into beer bottles through the crown liner and that carbon dioxide migrates out through the same line over time. Some liners contain molecules that scavenge oxygen, but you cannot differentiate these by sight.
Heat speeds up all chemical reactions, so whatever is going to happen to your precious bottle of brew over time will simply happen quicker as the storage temperature is increased. In my opinion, the only time a bottle of beer should be stored warm is if it is being bottle conditioned. Once the conditioning phase is complete, storing it cold will prolong its age. If you store your collection in your basement, aging will simply accelerate, especially in the summer when the temperature climbs to 65 oF (18 oC). I always store beer cold! Finally there is UV light, the causative agent of skunky beer. Brown bottles do a very good job of filtering UV light. I have had skunky beer from lightly tinted brown bottles, but that has been a rarity for me. If you are concerned about the bottle color, a bag will work great to protect your prized beer from light.
Check the link below on tasting beer.
Source(s):
http://www.thatsthespirit.com/en/beer/be...
Use it for cooking. Make beer bread, or use my cocktail meatball recipe:
1 Bottle Beer, your choice
1 small bottle of ketchup
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Make meatballs with the beef and breadcrumbs and then simmer them in the beer and ketchup on medium heat until they are fully cooked. this is a good crockpot recipe, and then serve them with toothpicks.
Shorter answer: it's probably OK but maybe not. Try one, if it's more bitter than usual with a vinegar type taste, pour it down the drain. Beer that is going old is more likely to give you a headache.
Remember: Life is too short to drink bad beer!