Beer

[bruce hylton]

Anyone know how long beer in a can will keep before going bad?

[Richard in Smithville]

A beer can never had the chance to go off in my house.

[Uncle Cracker]

Never lasts more than a couple days around here...

Love me some brewski...

[cabinetman]

If I have it it doesn't last long. But, from those in the know, canned beer lasts longer than bottled. The range is minimum 3 months, maximum 12 months.
.

[SARGE..g-47]

Having had the privilege to work for Anheuser-Busch in Tampa from 1974-1978 I will tell you what their take from research was at the time. A-B was adamant that any beer 90 days beyond birth date be pulled off the shelf. If a route man didn't rotate the old to the front when servicing a customer and let one go beyond that date.. he was fired. A team of supervisors would check behind the drivers about once every two weeks for customer service to the store and to be sure a driver was doing his job.

To answer the question.. depends on what beer as various makers used various preservatives. A-B was natural beer.. Miller.. Milwaukee used formaldahyde as a perservative in the 70's. Could not say if they still do. As Cabinetman stated... canned beer will last longer than bottled beer. The reason is sun-light. A bottled beer as Bud will last longer than say Miller which at that time came in clear bottles.

It was determined by A-B that in a period of 90 days the yeast and water would separate in beer. A case of Miller with clear bottles displayed near a large glass store-front with direct sunlight hitting it all day would go stale before code 90 opposed to Budweiser.. Schlitz.. in a dark bottle and the reason about all companies use dark bottles if they are concerned with fresh product for consumtion.

Frankly.. from what I see these days it is my opinion there is very little company pride compared to the those days. I have seen route salesmen at my local super-market that don't bother to rotate as I have seen beer 6 months old on the shelf. One I asked about code told me it was not enforced strickly and you can't taste the difference? I didn't reply even though he was full of manure.

But... let a beer sit over 90 days then compare it to one that has been just born. I can certainly tell the difference.. see if you can. BTW.. stale beer won't kill you.. it is simply beer that the water and yeast has separated throwing the original flavor out to the dogs.. which is exactly where it needs to go IMO. If it can make you sick if very old... I can't say as I have no personal intention of buying beer out of code or letting it sit at my home and allowing it.

[twistsol]

I used to work at Coors. Bottled beer should be consumed ideally within 3 months, and they required distributors to pull it after 6 months and destroy it.

Canned beer should be consumed within 12 months.

Of course this assumes proper storage has a lot to do with with the life. Maintain it at 40 degrees and keep it out of the light for bottled beer.

On a personal note, I've only had one Coors in my life, and that should hold me pretty much forever. I'll stick to scotch and the occasional home brew from my brother in law.

[Knottscott]

Bad beers taste lousy no matter how long you age them (or don't age them). Good beers can last a year or so with no ill effects.

[bruce hylton]

I was basically trying to get a shelf life so that I might have a two week supply in case of emergency such as an earthquake, or nuclear attack etc. Thanks

[Alex Franke]

Yeah, I'd say 3-6 months at best (from experience only). As I understand it, the darker the bottle the better.

[Alex Franke]

I was basically trying to get a shelf life so that I might have a two week supply in case of emergency such as an earthquake, or nuclear attack etc. Thanks

Wow -- you're a planner! Love the priorities!

"Let's see... an emergency kit... first things first: 2 weeks of beer. Hmm, what else? Maybe some food & water to go with the beer. Maybe a couple of band-aids in case the bottle breaks in my hand...."

[bruce hylton]

I still have supplies fron the y2k thing. Now I just thought I would add something I will use and/or at least rotate. Seems like a good idea to me. I will have to practice a while to figure out how much is going to be needed.

[conwaygolfer]

Anyone know how long beer in a can will keep before going bad?

All I ever tasted was bad from the get go. I prefer sweet stuff. Sorry guys.

Conwaygolfer

[Tom Slick]

Depends on the beer. In a refrigerator or cool/dark cellar darker beers are good for a couple of years. If you enjoy canned yellow water a couple of months is all it's "good" for.

[germdoc]

My ex-FIL had a 6-pack of "Billy Beer" (c. 1977) that was intact except for the loss of 1 can due to an ill-advised late-night consumption episode. He still has it, as far as I know, unless he's sold it on Ebay.

Not sure if age has improved it--you can see what it did for Billy.

[schloff]

A lot of the answer resides in the style of beer. An IPA will naturally stay good longer, as the extra hops makes for an excellent preservative. (I'll spare you the history lesson).

I have brewed beer that was better 14 months after bottling than when "fresh", and have had swill that seemed skunked from the distributor. (Fosters blue oil can)

Any mass produced brew should be converted to p!ss within a couple months. So keep that stash rotated.

Cheers!