Used By?

[WoyStew]

Just a simple question, how long does home brew last before it goes off? Does it have a used by date/time??

I ask because I forgot about a small batch of beer I bottled back in September last year. It has been sitting in a cardboard box in the garage since then. I assume it is OK to drink but that said how much longer will it last???

There is 20 long necks all made from a fresh wort bought from my local brew shop.

 

[zarth]

As far as I know there isnt a use by date for bottle conditioned beer. But I am still new to this others in here will varify (or not).....

 

[petesbrew]

I've had a knk go downhill after one year, and a partial Belgian Ale get better after 1 year.
I'm sure it'll be fine, but there's only one way to find out. :drinks:

 

[Swinging Beef]

Itll be good. Maybe even great.
As a very general rule:
Stronger alcohol beer improves with age for a few years.
Wheat beer is best consumed within three or four months.

 

[manticle]

Open it and smell it. It's hard to get any kind of poisoning from beer* so don't worry about that (unless it's growing mould). If it smells vaguely like beer, have a taste.

*exception of alcohol poisoning

 

[Shed101]

send it all to me, i'll test each bottle to make sure it's ok.

 

[earle]

I have ginger beer that is over 13 years old. Was a brigalow made before I knew any better. Didn't really taste much good when it was fresh. Opened a bottle about a year ago just to see, probably better than when it was fresh, very clear too.