How to Drink Better Beer, Part Three: Fresh Beer is Better Beer

This is part three of a six-part series (click here for part one, part two, part three, part four, part five & part six) on improving your beer drinking experience. While the series is written for Better Beer newcomers, it is advice that is beneficial to even the most seasoned beer drinkers out there. Cheers.

Yes it’s true that some beers that are high in alcohol content (ABV), have been aged already, or are very hoppy can be cellered — in the right conditions — for years, just like wine. Enjoying a cellered beer after a year or two is a wonderful treat and something you should absolutely get your hands on, if given the opportunity.

However, most of the beer you buy every week is going to be much tastier if consumed fresh. Check the bottles’ freshness dates like you do when buying milk, and try to purchase beer within 90 days of being bottled or within the manufacturers Best Before Date (many brewers provide a freshness date on their package), if there is one.

To get the most out of the beer you buy (which is especially advisable as the price begins to climb), take care of it. If it’s celler-able, keep it in the celler; if it’s low in alcohol and belongs in the fridge, keep it in the fridge. Not taking care of the beer you buy before you drink it will result in the loss of all of the little nuances I mentioned yesterday, as the beer begins to skunk. There are reasons beer is refered to as “liquid bread”; would you enjoy a loaf of bread more three months or a few days after you bought it?

Be sure and check back tomorrow for Part 4 of “How to Drink Better Beer”. Be sure and subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss another moment of BAB!