Answers.Body: <p>I recently acquired a book called "Vintage Beers" by Patrick Dawson. The subject of the book is about aging  beers and what characteristics of beers lend themselves to cellaring. </p>
  
  <p>He lists 14 rules for aging beers. He clearly states that most beers are not good for aging and that they are best consumed fresh but if a beer meets certain criteria than it can, and will, benefit from aging. </p>
  
  <p>I will not take the time to paraphrase the whole book but i will include a few quotes. </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>You cellar and drink 10-year old beers? Are you crazy?</p>
    
    <p>Aging beer allows time for flavors not immediately present to develop
    and meld.</p>
    
    <p>Rule #3, Darker malts create sherry and port flavors with age.</p>
    
    <p>Beers should be cellared bellow their fermentation temperature.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The bottom line is if you love a particular beer and it falls withing the guidelines set forth in his book then you would be well advised to age it properly and enjoy it at a quality and taste level not available unless it is aged in a cellar. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-06-15T01:39:57.827Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-06-15T01:39:57.827Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alaska Man
Answers.Body: <p>I'm not an expert on very old beers but it doesn't sound too unreasonable. Heavy beers with lots of hops and alcohol would usually stay good for longer than lighter beers. The way the bottles are stored may become a factor if you are going to store them for longer periods of time. The way the bottles were stored might affect their value if you were to sell them later on.</p>
  
  <p>Usually beers intended for long storage would have cork and muselet, rather than a metallic cap. You can mitigate the effects of the metallic caps by storing the bottles in an upright position so the beer makes as little contact with the cap as possible. High quality beers would typically be in dark bottles to protect them from light. Storing the bottles in pitch black would probably be a good idea if you wanted them to last for that long. Not sure what would be a good temperature.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-06-11T18:14:35.433Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-06-11T18:14:35.433Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: cyberixae
Body: <p>I recently bought a bottle of beer (imperial stout) which is "best before" 2033. It's more than 13 year from now. I know that strong beers have a high longevity and I even have some Belgians expiring in 3-4 years. But 13? Is it possible that a beer can be stored for 13 years without loosing its quality or is it rather a typo (and it's not 33 but probably 22 or 23)?</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/aBjPQ.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aBjPQ.jpg" alt="Best before 2033"></a></p>
  
Tags: <storage><imperal-stout>
Title: Can a beer be stored for 13 years?
UserDisplayName: Altbier is not Old Beer
ThreadText: # Can a beer be stored for 13 years?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-22)
  
  I recently bought a bottle of beer (imperial stout) which is "best before" 2033. It's more than 13 year from now. I know that strong beers have a high longevity and I even have some Belgians expiring in 3-4 years. But 13? Is it possible that a beer can be stored for 13 years without loosing its quality or is it rather a typo (and it's not 33 but probably 22 or 23)?
  
  [![Best before 2033](https://i.sstatic.net/aBjPQ.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/aBjPQ.jpg)
  
  **Tags:** storage, imperal-stout
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2020-06-15. Score: 5
  
  I recently acquired a book called "Vintage Beers" by Patrick Dawson. The subject of the book is about aging beers and what characteristics of beers lend themselves to cellaring.
  
  He lists 14 rules for aging beers. He clearly states that most beers are not good for aging and that they are best consumed fresh but if a beer meets certain criteria than it can, and will, benefit from aging.
  
  I will not take the time to paraphrase the whole book but i will include a few quotes.
  
  > You cellar and drink 10-year old beers? Are you crazy?
  >
  > Aging beer allows time for flavors not immediately present to develop
  > and meld.
  >
  > Rule #3, Darker malts create sherry and port flavors with age.
  >
  > Beers should be cellared bellow their fermentation temperature.
  
  The bottom line is if you love a particular beer and it falls withing the guidelines set forth in his book then you would be well advised to age it properly and enjoy it at a quality and taste level not available unless it is aged in a cellar.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2020-06-11. Score: 2
  
  I'm not an expert on very old beers but it doesn't sound too unreasonable. Heavy beers with lots of hops and alcohol would usually stay good for longer than lighter beers. The way the bottles are stored may become a factor if you are going to store them for longer periods of time. The way the bottles were stored might affect their value if you were to sell them later on.
  
  Usually beers intended for long storage would have cork and muselet, rather than a metallic cap. You can mitigate the effects of the metallic caps by storing the bottles in an upright position so the beer makes as little contact with the cap as possible. High quality beers would typically be in dark bottles to protect them from light. Storing the bottles in pitch black would probably be a good idea if you wanted them to last for that long. Not sure what would be a good temperature.
  
  
  ---
  
  