Shelf Life of Homebrew

[surferjoe13]

Mt buddies and I have been homebrewing for the past four months. We still have a few bottles from batches we brewed in early December. Is there a "shelf life" for home brews? We live in Hawaii so our beers sit on shelves at room temperature after bottling, which is in the 70's for the most part, If there is a "shelf life," does it vary with the style of beer?

[slothrob]

It's going to depend a lot on the beer.

I've had high gravity stouts that I've held in my cellar (about 50°F most of the year, 70°F in the summer) for more than 2 years, some have even gotten better over that time. On the other hand, I've made Pale Ales that peaked in flavor after 2 months, then lost hop flavor. I have made some pale beers, like a Kölsch that I thought was much better after 6 months than it was at 2.

As long as the beer hasn't picked up excess oxygen or become contaminated, there's no particular expiration date for beer. I think you'll find that some beers will still be good, or even better, after sitting around, while other styles will be best fresh. Keeping them cool and dark will dramatically extend their shelf life, though.

[surferjoe13]

Thank you. I appreciate the advice.

[slothrob]

Welcome to the board and good luck with your brewing!