Found this funny article of information on Still Tasty.com.
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16512
So commercial beer should stay fresher longer than craft brewed beer. Curious to hear the logic behind this. What do you guys think?
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Shelf life of beer, according to the experts
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phirleh
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Maybe due to preservatives/pasteurization in commercial beer and hoppiness in some craft beers (where fresh is king)iguenard wrote:So commercial beer should stay fresher longer than craft brewed beer. Curious to hear the logic behind this. What do you guys think?
Malam cerevisiam facieus in cathedram stercoris
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
I think they are making a couple assumptions like macros are pasteurized and contain preservatives, while micros aren't. As well, they are probably assuming a regular strength lager or pilsner. So with those assumptions, yes I can see that.
I've stored Millstreet Barley Wine and Corne du Diable under horrible conditions for ~1yr and they tasted great. I've stored Lakeport Honey at a reasonably constant room temp for 3 months in the dark and it went off. So as we all know, there are many factors to storage.
I've stored Millstreet Barley Wine and Corne du Diable under horrible conditions for ~1yr and they tasted great. I've stored Lakeport Honey at a reasonably constant room temp for 3 months in the dark and it went off. So as we all know, there are many factors to storage.
Yeah, the macro's minimize aeration, filter until it's practically water and then pasteurize it. The beer is literally dead when it comes out of the factory. It's like a preserved corpse.
Regardless of my opinion, one statement is dead wrong. A pasteurized macro will not keep better at cellar temperature. There's chemical reactions that simply do not occur at a temperature closer to freezing.
Regardless of my opinion, one statement is dead wrong. A pasteurized macro will not keep better at cellar temperature. There's chemical reactions that simply do not occur at a temperature closer to freezing.
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phirleh
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Some may say a "malted corpse"Derek wrote:It's like a preserved corpse.
Malam cerevisiam facieus in cathedram stercoris
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
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G.M. Gillman
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This is a topic I've given a lot of thought to over the years.
There are three types of beer broadly for this purpose:
1) Canned or bottled pasteurised beer.
2) Canned or bottled unpasteurised beer which is filtered.
3) Bottled (usually) beer which is neither pasteurised nor filtered.
No. 3 almost always has the longest shelf life, it can be years. This is because the oxygen in the bottle is beneficial to the slow continued ferment (which doesn't last all that long, a few weeks at most from what I've read).
No. 2 has in my experience the shortest shelf life, if kept chilled, a couple of months or maybe more, but generally you want to drink this up in 2-3 months for best results. Exceptions are strong beers, I recall once tasting some Niagara Falls ice bock (was that the name? The beer it made whose ABV was boosted by freezing), which was kept for years at normal apartment temperature, and it was just fine. But beers in the 5% ABV range don't last all that long again in my experience when filtered and not pasteurised.
No. 1 can last up to 12 months but are much better when newly packaged or up to about 3 months. Again stronger and darker beers can often resist longer storage than this, but newest generally is best.
I think a saw-off was done when bottlers 100 years ago abandoned bottle-conditioning for pasteurization. The latter is an easier and safer way to preserve quality, the other way is harder because things can go wrong in the bottle with live yeast and as or more important, clarity is never assured and the consumer no doubt perceived a wastage factor. But pasteurization does still IMO affect the taste. It can flatten hop flavour or impart a cooked flavour to the beer. There are, I know, different types of pasteurisation, and I sometimes wonder if European exports are subjected to a more intense process than the same bottled beers sold locally. Perhaps in some cases, pasteurisation is even dispensed with locally in favour of fine filtration. This may explain why bottled beers on my recent trip also available here seemed better to me even when apparently older than the same bottles or cans we get here. Although I'm still not sure on that one, it's possible too shipment on the sea and exposure to different temperatures en route does something which the local bottles are exempt from.
Anyway, apologies for the long answer, the question is a good one but there is no simple answer to it.
I agree by the way in all cases to keep it out of the light and chilled. However a fridge can haze some craft beer.
Gary
There are three types of beer broadly for this purpose:
1) Canned or bottled pasteurised beer.
2) Canned or bottled unpasteurised beer which is filtered.
3) Bottled (usually) beer which is neither pasteurised nor filtered.
No. 3 almost always has the longest shelf life, it can be years. This is because the oxygen in the bottle is beneficial to the slow continued ferment (which doesn't last all that long, a few weeks at most from what I've read).
No. 2 has in my experience the shortest shelf life, if kept chilled, a couple of months or maybe more, but generally you want to drink this up in 2-3 months for best results. Exceptions are strong beers, I recall once tasting some Niagara Falls ice bock (was that the name? The beer it made whose ABV was boosted by freezing), which was kept for years at normal apartment temperature, and it was just fine. But beers in the 5% ABV range don't last all that long again in my experience when filtered and not pasteurised.
No. 1 can last up to 12 months but are much better when newly packaged or up to about 3 months. Again stronger and darker beers can often resist longer storage than this, but newest generally is best.
I think a saw-off was done when bottlers 100 years ago abandoned bottle-conditioning for pasteurization. The latter is an easier and safer way to preserve quality, the other way is harder because things can go wrong in the bottle with live yeast and as or more important, clarity is never assured and the consumer no doubt perceived a wastage factor. But pasteurization does still IMO affect the taste. It can flatten hop flavour or impart a cooked flavour to the beer. There are, I know, different types of pasteurisation, and I sometimes wonder if European exports are subjected to a more intense process than the same bottled beers sold locally. Perhaps in some cases, pasteurisation is even dispensed with locally in favour of fine filtration. This may explain why bottled beers on my recent trip also available here seemed better to me even when apparently older than the same bottles or cans we get here. Although I'm still not sure on that one, it's possible too shipment on the sea and exposure to different temperatures en route does something which the local bottles are exempt from.
Anyway, apologies for the long answer, the question is a good one but there is no simple answer to it.
I agree by the way in all cases to keep it out of the light and chilled. However a fridge can haze some craft beer.
Gary
Gary Gillman