Can the beer experts help me out!?!
Jessica
Answers: Hi guys!! I am very curious about finding out if beer actually spoils or not. I have looked everywhere on line, and I can't seem to find a straight answer. I have looked at many sites that were very insightful, but didn't have the answer I was looking for. I understand that the beer is normally good within 110 days or so after the "born on" date, but is it actually un drinkable after that, or just not as fresh? I am also speaking of an american light lager....I have heard that darker imported lagers can in fact be aged. But nothing about american light lagers. Thanks for taking the time to read this!!
Jessica
Most beers do eventually expire. Higher ABV beers can have a great shelf life and can actually benefit from being put away for a few years (Barley Wines, Imperial Russian Stouts, etc.) Remember to store beer upright, and the truth is unless it is what we call "light struck" then it is probably drinkable but just not as enjoyable and maybe not what the brewer had intended it to be. In your case, if it is an American Light Lager (I'm assuming Miller, Bud, Coors, etc) These have a lot of chemicals and preservatives so they have a real good shelf life but aren't nearly as enjoyable as anything you get from a microbrewery
It is probably ok after the drink by date, it just won't taste the way it should. Eventualy it can spoil and become undrinkable but it takes longer.
I believe that beers that improve with age are all bottle conditioned. That mean that the carbonation is from living yeast in the bottle. They can be ales or lagers but stronger than your adverage domestic beer with more hops.
Beer spoil??? only if it has cool then warmed up again cause it loses its taste, or it is left open then it gose flat. As for age it depents on the beer, but it only impacts the taste, it won't kill ya like eating bad seafood.
Many of the American macrobrews will be fine for a few months after their expiration date, but they will soon start to lose their flavor. They will not make you sick if you drink them, they will just taste really bad. It's just important to keep your beer stored away from light; light is what causes beer to "skunk".
Some beers can benefit from being aged, or cellared. These are usually higher alcohol content beers like barleywines and Imperials.