Answers.Body: <p>StillTasty.com has the following to say with regards to beer - particularly specifying that this applies to regular or light beer from bottles or cans manufactured by major breweries:</p>
  <p><strong><a href="http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16511" rel="noreferrer">Opened Containers</a></strong></p>
  <p>Good for 1 day, refrigerated.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>Tips:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Keep refrigerated and tightly covered.</li>
  <li>After opening, most commercially manufactured beer will remain safe to consume if properly stored, but it will quickly become flat and lose flavor.</li>
  </ul>
  </blockquote>
  <p><strong><a href="http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16512" rel="noreferrer">Unopened Containers</a></strong></p>
  <p>Good for 4-6 months, in pantry or refrigerator.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>Tips:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>The precise answer to the question &quot;How long does beer last?&quot; depends to a large extent on storage conditions - store beer in cool, dark area.</li>
  <li>Keep beer away from direct sources of heat or light; too much exposure to light can cause beer to develop a foul taste.</li>
  <li>To maximize the shelf life of beer, store beer at a temperature between 45° F and 55° F (colder than the typical room temperature, but warmer than a refrigerator) - if this is not possible, store beer in the refrigerator.</li>
  <li>Storage times shown are for best quality only - after that, the beer's color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it will still be safe to consume if it has been stored properly.</li>
  <li>How to tell if beer is bad? If beer develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded for quality purposes.</li>
  <li>&quot;Best By,&quot; &quot;Best if Used By,&quot; and &quot;Use By&quot; dates on commercially packaged foods sold in the United States represent the manufacturer's estimate of how long the product will remain at peak quality - in most cases, the beer will still be safe to consume after that date, as long as it has been stored properly and the package is not damaged.</li>
  <li>Beer made by some micro-breweries may not retain peak quality as long as beer from major breweries.</li>
  </ul>
  </blockquote>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-06-03T22:47:14.050Z
Answers.Text: You should never discard beer for "quality purposes". Just keep it until you are tanked up and can't taste it anyway.
Answers.UserDisplayName: QuentinUK
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-22T21:28:32.463Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-22T21:28:32.463Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-06-18T08:36:38.857Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: user162
Answers.Body: <p>The beer will not be bad in the sense of unsafe to drink, since no harmful pathogens grow once the beer is fully fermented. So you can certainly drink the beer.</p>
  
  <p>However, the beer may not taste good! Over time, the beer will oxidize, both from oxygen introduced during packaging, but also through the release of oxygen from compounds previously oxidized in the beer. The oxygen causes the beer to stale, producing tones of sherry, paper, cardboard. Hop aromas are muted, and hop beta acids oxidize to produce an unrefined bitterness. Other forms of staling can lead to a soap taste.</p>
  
  <p>Generally, the higher the alcohol content of the beer the less you need to be concerned with the use by date. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-22T19:46:23.340Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-22T19:46:23.340Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: mdma
Answers.Body: <p>This depends entirely on the beer. As a rule of thumb I would say that any beer which is re-fermented once bottled, can be preserved for several years. You need to be careful when preserving, but it's not unheard of to drink 35 year old beers. Often these beers are the darker, stronger ones like Westmalle or Orval. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-22T13:56:11.500Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-22T13:56:11.500Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Lucas Kauffman
Answers.Body: <p>It should still be safe, taste good is a personal opinion.</p>
  
  <p>Some beers age well, high alcohol, sours, and smoke beers. Others don't age as well (hoppy beers). Plus it all depends on how the beer was stored. Out in a hot garage? Sitting in your window sill?</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-03-18T13:53:20.200Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-03-18T13:53:20.200Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Wayne In Yak
Body: <p>Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date?  </p>
  
  <p>I hear I can drink beer even after the expiration date, but is it safe and does it still taste good?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-03-18T15:39:45.260Z
Comments.Text: I tried some bottles of best-before-2010 Belgian beer the other week... it was awful. It smelled OK, but just tasted yuk.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dave45
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-03-19T15:13:16.987Z
Comments.Text: If you are shopping at places where you consistently see beer on shelves after their best by date then its safe to assume that they aren't putting as much care into their stock. When i see that it starts to make my choices at that store change. I no longer trust the beer that they have will taste like it should. Forget trying to buy any IPAs as they lose their hop aromas, and will only consider beers where their age isn't as important such as higher alcohol beers, stouts, porters, brown ales, etc
Comments.UserDisplayName: bolnad
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-04-19T14:59:58.927Z
Comments.Text: Coopers beers in Australia have a "Best After" date instead of "Best Before" http://imgur.com/znngsoj
Comments.UserDisplayName: aportr
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2015-12-21T01:12:32.987Z
Comments.Text: I have drank a beer that was 5 years old and it just tasted a bit stronger, but didn't really have any negative health effects because of it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: James Smith
Tags: <taste><health><preservation>
Title: Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date?
UserDisplayName: Lucas Kauffman
ThreadText: # Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-22)
  
  Does beer really go bad after the 'best before'-date?
  
  I hear I can drink beer even after the expiration date, but is it safe and does it still taste good?
  
  **Tags:** taste, health, preservation
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I tried some bottles of best-before-2010 Belgian beer the other week... it was awful. It smelled OK, but just tasted yuk.  
  > **username_2**: If you are shopping at places where you consistently see beer on shelves after their best by date then its safe to assume that they aren't putting as much care into their stock. When i see that it starts to make my choices at that store change. I no longer trust the beer that they have will taste like it should. Forget trying to buy any IPAs as they lose their hop aromas, and will only consider beers where their age isn't as important such as higher alcohol beers, stouts, porters, brown ales, etc  
  > **username_3**: Coopers beers in Australia have a "Best After" date instead of "Best Before" http://imgur.com/znngsoj  
  > **username_4**: I have drank a beer that was 5 years old and it just tasted a bit stronger, but didn't really have any negative health effects because of it.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2014-01-22. Score: 40 | Accepted answer
  
  The beer will not be bad in the sense of unsafe to drink, since no harmful pathogens grow once the beer is fully fermented. So you can certainly drink the beer.
  
  However, the beer may not taste good! Over time, the beer will oxidize, both from oxygen introduced during packaging, but also through the release of oxygen from compounds previously oxidized in the beer. The oxygen causes the beer to stale, producing tones of sherry, paper, cardboard. Hop aromas are muted, and hop beta acids oxidize to produce an unrefined bitterness. Other forms of staling can lead to a soap taste.
  
  Generally, the higher the alcohol content of the beer the less you need to be concerned with the use by date.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2014-01-22. Score: 11
  
  StillTasty.com has the following to say with regards to beer - particularly specifying that this applies to regular or light beer from bottles or cans manufactured by major breweries:
  
  **[Opened Containers](http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16511)**
  
  Good for 1 day, refrigerated.
  
  > Tips:
  >
  > * Keep refrigerated and tightly covered.
  > * After opening, most commercially manufactured beer will remain safe to consume if properly stored, but it will quickly become flat and lose flavor.
  
  **[Unopened Containers](http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16512)**
  
  Good for 4-6 months, in pantry or refrigerator.
  
  > Tips:
  >
  > * The precise answer to the question "How long does beer last?" depends to a large extent on storage conditions - store beer in cool, dark area.
  > * Keep beer away from direct sources of heat or light; too much exposure to light can cause beer to develop a foul taste.
  > * To maximize the shelf life of beer, store beer at a temperature between 45° F and 55° F (colder than the typical room temperature, but warmer than a refrigerator) - if this is not possible, store beer in the refrigerator.
  > * Storage times shown are for best quality only - after that, the beer's color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it will still be safe to consume if it has been stored properly.
  > * How to tell if beer is bad? If beer develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded for quality purposes.
  > * "Best By," "Best if Used By," and "Use By" dates on commercially packaged foods sold in the United States represent the manufacturer's estimate of how long the product will remain at peak quality - in most cases, the beer will still be safe to consume after that date, as long as it has been stored properly and the package is not damaged.
  > * Beer made by some micro-breweries may not retain peak quality as long as beer from major breweries.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: You should never discard beer for "quality purposes". Just keep it until you are tanked up and can't taste it anyway.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2014-01-22. Score: 4
  
  This depends entirely on the beer. As a rule of thumb I would say that any beer which is re-fermented once bottled, can be preserved for several years. You need to be careful when preserving, but it's not unheard of to drink 35 year old beers. Often these beers are the darker, stronger ones like Westmalle or Orval.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2015-03-18. Score: 3
  
  It should still be safe, taste good is a personal opinion.
  
  Some beers age well, high alcohol, sours, and smoke beers. Others don't age as well (hoppy beers). Plus it all depends on how the beer was stored. Out in a hot garage? Sitting in your window sill?
  
  
  ---
  
  