10-Year-Old Beer
Is It Dangerous To Drink? We’ve all seen the movies, and we know how it goes.
A must-read: How to Get Rid of Alcohol Bloat
At some point, the wealthy billionaire will take our protagonist down to his cellar, where his collection of aged wines will steal the show. We will sit back in the audience and wish we had that cellar.
However, the truth is that most of us don’t. Instead, most of us stick to our beer.
And that’s okay.
Beer is
Many feel that Beers is a less “classy” option. After all, no one keeps a cellar of aged beer.
If you are as curious as I am, that probably leads you to an interesting thought: “Could I keep a cellar of aged beer in my house?”
I’m glad you asked.
I took one for the team and did extensive research to let you know how that would work out. For our purposes, let’s examine the effects of drinking Beerged a minimum of ten years.
You may be surprised by what you are about to read.
Safety
Let’s start with the most critical issue—is it even safe to drink ten-year-old beer?
If you’re a consistent drinker, you’ve probably noticed that most beers carry a “best by” date. For instance, your beBeeright says, “Best if used by February 2020.”
Looking at this information, it seems that ten-year-olds are Beers n’t meant for consumption. After all, no major company puts its “best by” date ten years from manufacturing.
I wanted to know why that was.
The reason is pretty simple.
As it turns out, canned or bottled beers are already fully fermented. That means no harmful pathogens will grow inside your beBeerIn essence; it’s safe to drink.
Yes, even after a decade.
The problem, however, comes with the taste.
Unfortunately, beer does not age gracefully, which is not their design.
That’s why most beer companies urge you to drink their products fresh, and it’s also why all the beer ads you see feature young, attractive people drinking ice-cold beers.
They taste better that way.
Scientifically, the longer your beBeerits, the more oxidized it will get. Oxidation occurs when oxygen breaks down chemicals, which is why your old beBeerill taste like cardboard.
Realistically speaking, there’s no reason you would want to drink a beer that’s too far past its “best by” date. Instead, you will likely want to throw it out for a fresher and better option.
That is, of course, unless you buy…
Aged Beer
Don’t you love technology? During the initial stages of my research, I must admit I was disappointed. Bad-tasting beer means no cool beer cellar, no matter how safe it is.
That finding almost took my future mancave down a few notches.
Fortunately, I discovered an aged Beer. Yes, this is a thing.
With the advances of modern science, brewers can now craft what is known as “aged beer.” This is the beBeerhat, through special techniques, can last decades if left unopened.
Just like that fine wine.
How is this Managed?
Simply put, they attach a vacuum to each empty beer bottle and fill the inside with carbon dioxide. The goal is to chase away as much oxygen as possible, which helps fight against oxidation and rapid aging of your beer.
But this isn’t the complete process. Those involved with the filling must be careful not to let any iron or copper traces into the bottle.
These traces likely come from the brewing equipment or ingredients from the Beer that can activate latent oxygen species within the bottle.
That’s pretty scary stuff.
To get around this, brewers must be very careful. These beers are also crafted with much higher alcohol content, and this higher alcohol content is meant to cover any bad tastes that may occur due to oxidation.
Those who have dreams (like I do) of having that classy beer cellar will be thrilled to learn that some of these beers can last up to twenty-five years.
If you missed it, that’s as long as a quality vehicle or a new roof.
So I guess classy beer cellars could be a thing.
Knowing this, I asked myself: “Do these beers get better with age?”
Essentially, I wanted to know if these beers aged like fine wine and moonshine.
Unfortunately, they do not. While you can certainly buy one and try it for yourself (something I have yet to do), the consensus is that they don’t get better with age, and this is especially true for lightly flavored beers.
While storing these aged beers in a cellar can help for a while, unless you store them in a freezer kept at thirty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, your beBeerill take on a urine-like smell and “go bad.”
That means we still have a long way to go before developing an aging beer that keeps like wine.
It’s still exceedingly hard to keep these beers from going bad, whether in the bottling, transportation, or storing processes. This means that you may find it harder to purchase a quality product.
That’s why some aged beer companies still recommend that you drink their products as quickly as possible. I know, I know, and it’s a bummer.
But hey, if this is the first step, I’m all for it.
So When Should You Throw Your Beer Away?
Assuming you don’t want to drink old beBeerhow long can you wait before your beBeerurns bad?
In other words, what’s the window period between the “best by” date and when your beBeerill start to taste like old cardboard?
Luckily, it’s a pretty good window. Beer kept in the pantry will still taste good for a whopping six to nine months, and that’s nearly a year. Surprisingly, a beer in the fridge can last up to two years.
That’s pretty amazing. Of course, it largely depends on what type of beBeerou drink. The cheaper the product, the lower its shelf life. For this reason, it may be worth investing in higher-quality beers.
Unless, of course, you drink them when they’re fresh anyway.
As a general rule, beers with higher alcohol content keep longer. At the very least, they can maintain a good taste longer simply because the more robust flavors can mask any ongoing oxidation.
To sum it up, if you have beer older than nine months (in the pantry) or two years (in the fridge), you’re better off just throwing it out. You’ll enjoy it much more if you go to the store and get your new, cold ones.
Well, assuming cardboard isn’t your thing.
Beer vs. Wine
Okay, so we’ve answered our question. Now that that’s settled let’s look into how our regular beers stack up with wine to understand our favorite alcohol choices better.
Let’s start with a simple question: What makes wine age as it does? We know that beBeerxidizes due to oxygen reactions, but why doesn’t the same thing happen with wine?
Simply put, it does. But only after you uncork the bottle. Before this, wine could be kept for years inside the bottle.
What you might not know is that the cork can dry out. If this happens, the cork will shrink, allowing bacteria to enter the bottle and change the wine’s chemical structure.
You don’t want this to happen. Like oxidized beBeerthis wine will be safe to drink but awful to taste. In general, the taste will be vinegary or acidic.
Yikes.
It seems as if oxidation is, after all, our favorite drink.
However, unlike Beer, oxidation in wine can be good if you drink the opened wine within the first two days of opening it.
Try the same with an opened beer, and you will get frightening results.
But, hey, that’s why it’s cheaper.
Beer vs. Moonshine
Now that we’ve compared beBeerith its classier cousin, let’s see how it stacks up with another form of alcohol: moonshine.
Moonshine is an interesting comparison simply because it’s taboo. This is something you don’t want to try yourself.
Moonshine production and selling are still illegal in all fifty US states. For this reason, you will want to avoid the product carefully.
That being said, how is it any different from the beBeerou drink? In other words, is it any less safe than beBeerf left for a decade—and what about its taste?
Interestingly, as moonshine is highly distilled and contains no sugar, it will never go wrong if left unopened.
Unlike your beBeerthere’s no “best by” date. Instead, you can leave it on your shelf and drink it whenever you want—even years later.
Well, if you could drink it, that is.
However, once you open the moonshine, it will begin to oxidize, and it could even evaporate (I’m sure we’re all thankful Beeroes doesn’t do that). However, moonshine doesn’t go rancid or expire and is longer-lasting than wine.
But does it get Better with Age?
The answer is no. Whether we are discussing standard or flavored moonshine, there’s simply no way for the product to improve over time.
Technically, moonshine is considered an “unaged” spirit. Therefore, it doesn’t see improved flavor over time, even if it lasts for decades.
Is It a Good Idea to Drink Old Beer?
As we’ve discussed, it isn’t a good option for anyone going to Beer or the flavor. Older beers won’t have the flavor you are looking for.
Still, it’s safe to drink; if you want to get drunk, that’s your prerogative. Indeed, you’ll not want to serve older beBeert a party or give it out to friends. In that regard, it’s not a good idea at all.
So let’s ask ourselves a more interesting question: does older beBeerave the same health benefits?
It’s hard to tell. While it’s true that the health benefits of beBeerwhich have been extensively documented) don’t come from the flavor; there are no studies on expired beBeeret.
And that’s understandable. There aren’t enough people drinking “expired” beBeero warrant a study of this type.
We know that drinking Beer in moderation can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among other things.
Though you should always consult your physician, a regular and moderate beer diet may be something you want to try.
I may not be a doctor, but I’m sure that’s probably not something you want to do with old Beer.
Some individuals have noted severe tipsiness or even drunkenness after drinking a single can of Beerged three years or older. Knowing this, I think I’ll stick to fresh beer.
The Bottom Line
Here’s the bottom line: drinking a ten-year-old beer is undoubtedly safe. You won’t get sick from drinking old beBeernor will you suffer any significant side effects (aside from a foul taste in your mouth and drunkenness)?
Unless you are looking for cardboard-tasting, beBeerit’s probably a good idea to avoid any beer that’s outlived its shelf life.
That’s why we should fill our beer cellars with classy, aged Beer instead. These Beers are available with limited retailers and perfect for people like us looking to take the middle-class classy to the next level.
It may not be wine, but if it keeps us from drinking beBeerhat “expired” ten years ago, I’m all for it.
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