Does beer expire?

Julio Cerezo - Beer Sommelier
Director of Sabeer Beer Academy

If we look carefully at the label on a bottle or can of beer, we will easily see that there is a “best before” date on it rather than an “expiry” date. We could therefore be led to believe that beer does not have a time limit on it, and therefore “it does not expire”, but that doesn’t mean that the drink remains unaltered from when it is made to when we open it shortly or a long time after.

The sensory properties of beer change gradually from when it leaves the factory, changing the way its organoleptic properties are perceived. That is why brands set a best before date for the product before which it still maintains its characteristic appearance, smell and taste.

Several factors condition the length of the best before date, which can range from a few weeks to over a decade. Each beer type, its specific features and the decisions made by the master brewer during the brewing process all define how the beer will change over time.

In general terms, beer with a lighter body and lower alcohol content should be drunk as early as possible after it is brewed. Hoppy beers, such as IPA, should be drunk within a few weeks after they leave the factory when the floral, herbal and fruity tastes of this ingredient are still at their best.

On the other hand,more malty beers, with a good body and higher alcohol content tend to keep better, even for years,and they can even improve to offer evolved versions of themselves. More complex beers such as the Quadrupel beers or other highly intense beers that are aged in barrels, can become fuller over time and more nuanced.

The traditional acidic Belgian beersare worthy of a special mention, as they change completely over time. This type of beer is considered to be “young” after a year's ageing, and is usually bottled with other blends that have been aged for two or three years, leading to the Gueuzestyle beer. These beers can be kept for many years since the acidic medium prevents any micro-organisms from easily flourishing, and therefore there are no “stowaways” in the beer that will negatively alter it.

But the beer style is not the only factor that affects the best time to drink it, some of the decisions made during the brewing process can also affect it, such as filtering and pasteurising, which can significantly lengthen the time beer can be stored. The roads branch out at this point among those who choose not to filter or pasteurise beer in order to ensure the enhanced flavour and smell of the ingredients, and those who do filter it because of the advantages of longer storage times offsetting any possible loss of nuances.

Whichever beer style we are going to drink and whether it is filtered and pasteurised or not, we should make sure we store it properly to ensure its properties remain at their optimum level To do this we recommend:

• Storing beer in a cool, dry place out of sunlight.
• Keeping bottles upright.
• Making sure you drink the beer with the closest best before date first.

Cheers!