<p>Your question says they were opened?  I'm going to venture probably not.  You tagged this 3.2-beer, does that mean these are low alcohol session beers somewhere around 3.2% ABV?</p>

<p>If the beers aren't moldy, best case scenario is you now have two bottles of home made malt vinegar.  Make a balsamic, have some steaks with side salads.</p>

<p>If they were closed or sealed in any way, they're probably fine, though depending on the style they probably won't taste great.  Low alcohol and hoppy beers don't age gracefully.  Higher alcohol or darker beers often do better with some time on them.  But either way you have to keep them away from air, namely other microbes and oxygen or else things go downhill real fast.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-18T22:36:27.370Z
@BryceH, please cite a source.  I've never heard anyone say beer doesn't age in bottles and it goes against all cellaring literature and practices.
Sloloem
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-19T16:19:58.577Z
Yeah... So sorry. My brain TOTALLY got stuck in bourbon aging mode. Where, the age comes from time in cask so taking it out and putting it in a bottle stops the aging process. So sorry.
BryceH
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-19T18:40:11.420Z
@BryceH No worries, mate.  Just curious if there was new research or something I had missed.
Sloloem
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-24T12:59:05.043Z
2017-04-18T22:34:52.150Z
2017-04-18T22:34:52.150Z
Sloloem
<p>I left 2 beers in the fridge, Just found them and I'm sure they've been in there for like ... maybe 4 months</p>

<p>Are they okay to consume?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-24T10:20:15.437Z
what state are they in? are they open? in bottles? in cans? in polypins?
MD-Tech
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-25T01:55:40.543Z
Not the same exact question, but the answer should be in the "duplicate."
Andrew Cheong
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-09T17:47:33.700Z
@AndrewCheong I disagree. Opened containers have a number of different variables in play, compared to closed containers. For closed containers, you're mostly worried about chemical reactions internal to the product - this is the point of the "best by" date referred to in the proposed duplicate. With opened containers, you have to worry about reactions with the air and any contaminants it may carry. Also, as "open" generally implies "partially used", you may have additional bacterial contaminants to be concerned with if the container was drank from directly.
user162
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-09T17:50:32.683Z
That said, it seems my own answer to the proposed duplicate does address opened containers. Though it doesn't really touch on the issue of bacterial contamination.
user162
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-09T21:29:51.780Z
@user162 - You're right. Not sure what I was thinking. I probably somehow missed "(opened)" in the title, and read MD-Tech's comment about it being ambiguous.
Andrew Cheong
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T04:41:07.263Z
Just drank a beer that's been open for about a week and a half in the fridge. Wish me luck (I'll reply again if I get food poisoning or whatever. If i don't that means it works lol)
Lucas Dyhrkopp
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-08T12:56:16.283Z
Coopers pale ale..fermented in the bottle. Best after date on lable as opposed to best before date. Does this help?
Daniel Whitelaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-11T21:45:44.490Z
Can you be more specific about "opened"?  Just sitting there in open bottles?  Opened but with a stopper or grolsch plug?  Something else?
Monica Cellio
<preservation>
What if beer (opened) was left in fridge for like... months
Cole
# What if beer (opened) was left in fridge for like... months

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-24)

I left 2 beers in the fridge, Just found them and I'm sure they've been in there for like ... maybe 4 months

Are they okay to consume?

**Tags:** preservation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: what state are they in? are they open? in bottles? in cans? in polypins?  
> **username_2**: Not the same exact question, but the answer should be in the "duplicate."  
> **username_3**: @username_2 I disagree. Opened containers have a number of different variables in play, compared to closed containers. For closed containers, you're mostly worried about chemical reactions internal to the product - this is the point of the "best by" date referred to in the proposed duplicate. With opened containers, you have to worry about reactions with the air and any contaminants it may carry. Also, as "open" generally implies "partially used", you may have additional bacterial contaminants to be concerned with if the container was drank from directly.  
> **username_3**: That said, it seems my own answer to the proposed duplicate does address opened containers. Though it doesn't really touch on the issue of bacterial contamination.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 - You're right. Not sure what I was thinking. I probably somehow missed "(opened)" in the title, and read username_1's comment about it being ambiguous.  
> **username_4**: Just drank a beer that's been open for about a week and a half in the fridge. Wish me luck (I'll reply again if I get food poisoning or whatever. If i don't that means it works lol)  
> **username_5**: Coopers pale ale..fermented in the bottle. Best after date on lable as opposed to best before date. Does this help?  
> **username_6**: Can you be more specific about "opened"?  Just sitting there in open bottles?  Opened but with a stopper or grolsch plug?  Something else?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-03-24. Score: 2

Your question says they were opened? I'm going to venture probably not. You tagged this 3.2-beer, does that mean these are low alcohol session beers somewhere around 3.2% ABV?

If the beers aren't moldy, best case scenario is you now have two bottles of home made malt vinegar. Make a balsamic, have some steaks with side salads.

If they were closed or sealed in any way, they're probably fine, though depending on the style they probably won't taste great. Low alcohol and hoppy beers don't age gracefully. Higher alcohol or darker beers often do better with some time on them. But either way you have to keep them away from air, namely other microbes and oxygen or else things go downhill real fast.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: @username_8, please cite a source.  I've never heard anyone say beer doesn't age in bottles and it goes against all cellaring literature and practices.  
> **username_8**: Yeah... So sorry. My brain TOTALLY got stuck in bourbon aging mode. Where, the age comes from time in cask so taking it out and putting it in a bottle stops the aging process. So sorry.  
> **username_7**: @username_8 No worries, mate.  Just curious if there was new research or something I had missed.  

---

