I’m a beer hoarder. I love beer a lot and I’m always buying new ones that I want to try. This project came out of circumstance, I fell in love with Modpod last year. This is a seasonal beer that is available from October to the end of December. Last year, I got back from my holiday trip and bought the last available pack of it for the season. I’ve been holding on to it like Gollum with the frickin’ one ring! Precious, my precioussss!
Well I’m an idiot, because in saving this for the right time, I let it go past the fresh date. I had heard that that could affect the beer, but was like… meh, it’ can’t be that big a deal, and I keep my beer in a beer fridge. Well guess what? After this evaluation, I realize it really matters, a lot. Craft beers are made to be consumed fresh and sooner, than later.
To do this comparison I took a can from the 4-pack dated from 12/27/18 and a can I just purchased with a 10/17/19 date. I blinded tasted them each in the same type of glass and logged my reflections. Here are my thoughts on the differences between the two batches.
As soon as I poured them, I had an idea of which was old, and which was fresh. Upon seeing them side by side, the difference was pretty apparent. Visually, the fresh version is brighter and has a more vivid bright yellow color. While the older one is more of a golden yellow color. Also, the 2018 version had a lot more trub (the leftover bits of yeast and hops that brewers leave in the beer to make it hazy). The older beer had a fruity scent, but it had a rubbery essence to it. The newer one had a strong fruity/citrus aroma, like lifesavers candy. Tasting them was another interesting encounter, the newer can tasted lighter with the flavors like a citrusy stew, where I could taste the flavors more distinctly. The older version’s flavor was muted with a small bitterness and tingly feeling in the back of my throat. It tasted like a bitterish fruit soup. Overall the fresh can was really good with lots of color, flavors and aromas. The older one was less carbonated with muted flavors that tasted tangy and smelled rubbery.
The takeaway from this experiment is this –
If you don’t drink your beer within 90 days of purchase, you’ve wasted your money!
So, drink up and enjoy the amazingly fresh craft beer that we have available to us. We have thousands of breweries and beers at our fingertips. Brewers work hard long hours to deliver you beer that deserves your respect and appreciation. If you have older beer, drink it fast or dump it. Enjoy that fresh delicious beer!
HAPPY EXPLORING!!
Tim – Fermented Explorer