Commercial beer after best before; how long is too long?

[wildburkey]

I got a bit excited buying import beers to try the other day and since realised some of the bottles are up to 4 years past there best before date. Before returning the culprits I'd like to try figure out if I might be able to get a good deal on some of the ones that aren't too far past their date.
Would I be right to assume that the most are OK to drink; just without any guarantee of freshness from the manufacturer?

 

[mtb]

Four years.. fark.

Hop aroma would diminish severely, but can't speak for the lager or pils, they could be alright. Expect that IPA to taste nowhere near as nice as it would've fresh. Were they advertised as past their best before? If not I'd get them returned solely on principle, sounds like you were ripped off.

 

[manticle]

It depends. Beer will change over time. Some in a good way, some not. In general, higher alcohol and darker beers will age better (some exceptions - I had a Sam Adams Utopia that was like soy sauce and vegemite) and while highly hopped beers won't be aromatic or fresh at all, the hops will help preserve the rest.

Depens also on what they've been subjected to during their life: bottle conditioning, packaging, brewing processes, storage temps, light exposure and a host of others.

If not an imperial stout, belgian quad or barley wine and you paid full price, I'd be inclined to push for a refund.

 

[wildburkey]

Thanks for your thoughts

Four years.. fark.

Hop aroma would diminish severely, but can't speak for the lager or pils, they could be alright. Expect that IPA to taste nowhere near as nice as it would've fresh. Were they advertised as past their best before? If not I'd get them returned solely on principle, sounds like you were ripped off.

[SIZE=10.5pt]Nah not advertised as past best before and highly priced, the bloke that owns the [/SIZE]bottleo[SIZE=10.5pt] is good to deal with so I'm certain I'll have no problems returning them.[/SIZE]

It depends. Beer will change over time. Some in a good way, some not. In general, higher alcohol and darker beers will age better (some exceptions - I had a Sam Adams Utopia that was like soy sauce and vegemite) and while highly hopped beers won't be aromatic or fresh at all, the hops will help preserve the rest.

Depens also on what they've been subjected to during their life: bottle conditioning, packaging, brewing processes, storage temps, light exposure and a host of others.

If not an imperial stout, belgian quad or barley wine and you paid full price, I'd be inclined to push for a refund.

They are stored well at the bottle shop but who knows what they go through getting here to Tasmania or when they arrived. I have noticed he has a lot of out of date imported stock and thinking I might try and get a stock take deal on some that might be OK for the trade in ;-)

 

[michaeld16]

bottleshop behind the old club hotel?

 

[wildburkey]

bottleshop behind the old club hotel?

That'd be the one

 

[michaeld16]

Yeah i gave up on that bottleshop, got to the point where they would just roll their eyes at me whenever i mentioned best before dates and caring for beer. Go in and try to exchange or get a refund or something the more poeple that can try to educate them the better. I appreciate their effort to stock a good range but seriously last time i was in their i got very excited to see a bottle of heretic evil cousin, new stock too apparently. i checked the best before date and it was 3 years past! I mentioned it to the owner who said "its a best before date not a use by date" Its a 3yr old double ipa for christs sake that they are trying to flog for $15 a bottle. Not to mention that the majority of the craft beer sits unrefrigerated in the shop, even the beers in the fridge spend an unknown amount of time sitting out the back of the shop baking before being put in the fridge. I only buy my craft beer online these days we just dont have a decent option up here on the north west. ok rant finished.

 

[manticle]

It's a best before date, not a use by date? Really?

Christ.

 

[michaeld16]

Yes really, like i said i appreciate the effort to stock some great beers, but with no idea about their product and how to care for it there is no point shopping there.

Edit: Its not the first time i have heard that comment from a bottleshop up this way.

 

[wildburkey]

I ended up just getting a refund as he seems to think it is all AOK and still worth a fkn mint. He even admitted he buys them in already past the best before and wouldn't listen to a word I said about degradation.
What Michael said sums it up, I'll have to look into online purchasing myself.

 

[michaeld16]

I've been using slowbeer with good results. No affiliation and all that but beers i have ordered have been well before best before dates. Not sure on the refrigeration of stock but i've been happy with quality. That being said i avoid buying IPAs in bottle form, been disapointed to many times.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

I ended up just getting a refund as he seems to think it is all AOK and still worth a fkn mint. He even admitted he buys them in already past the best before and wouldn't listen to a word I said about degradation.

That's bloody terrible. :lol: . So he'd be just putting those refunded bottles back on the shelf at full price? When he must have bought them for a significant discount because they were out of date in the first place. Is that what you can get away with in Tas? :blink:

 

[manticle]

Don't blame the state for the actions of a single proprietor.

 

[michaeld16]

That's bloody terrible. :lol: . So he'd be just putting those refunded bottles back on the shelf at full price? When he must have bought them for a significant discount because they were out of date in the first place. Is that what you can get away with in Tas? :blink:

That's exactly what he'd be doing, He likes to make sure every posts a winner. But you get those sort of blokes everywhere not just tas.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

IMO for most beers 6 months before the BBD is the acceptable limit. Anything bottle conditioned can be excepted from this rule.

 

[peteru]

My favourite Czech brewery puts a maximum shelf life of 90 days on their lagers, provided they are kept in cool (under 15C) and dark conditions.

There's no way I'd be touching a bottle that's couple of years out of date when the beer style calls for a subtle balance between malt and hops.

Getting a refund was a good call. Shopping elsewhere in the future is certainly advisable.