Conditions and shelf life of homemade beer

How much to store

A hop drink, which is sold in containers made of glass, plastic, aluminum, is a product that has undergone pasteurization and filtration.

The shelf life of beer in glass containers is 6 months. But there are species that retain their properties for only 1 - 2 months. Or, on the contrary, they are able to maintain quality throughout the year. The expiration date of the intoxicated drink is set by the manufacturer and is indicated on the product label.

Storage of beer in aluminum cans is possible for 6 - 12 months. This product often contains preservatives. The situation is similar with a drink that was poured into plastic eggplants.

There is no specific period for how long beer can be stored. Everything will depend on its type, variety, brand of the manufacturer. All information about the product must be present on the container.

Storage of live beer, which has not undergone pasteurization and filtration, is possible for 1 month, and pasteurized from 1 to 4 months.

Pasteurized drinks can retain their quality for much longer, resulting in a shelf life of 6 to 12 months. Moreover, the more preservatives in its composition, the longer the drink can be stored.

Filtered beer can be stored for 6 to 12 months. And "live" - ​​only 8 days due to the fact that it is not pasteurized or filtered. If, moreover, it has not been clarified and contains sediment, this period is reduced to 3 days.

It is possible to store home-made and artisanal (craft) beer from one month to six months. The exact time for how long homemade beer can be stored is calculated depending on the technology of its production. An important role in this is played by strict observance of sanitary standards when closing the finished drink, the type of container in which it is contained, and the temperature regime. The product should be stored in a dark place with temperature from + 10 ° С to + 12 ° C.

How was it in the USSR?

In the Soviet Union, any malt drinks were classified as scarce products. Therefore, in those days, queues constantly arose, and people came to buy with their own cans and 3-liter cylinders, although sometimes the bottling was carried out even in packages.

During the Soviet period, beer was associated with a homemade product, and the shelf life was limited to a maximum of 1-2 weeks. This is due to the use of natural raw materials and natural fermentation technology (adjusted in 7 days a mash from barley or wheat wort).

Even then, there was a practice of using additives, but the base for creating the taste was still water. But due to the modest volumes of production, a deficit invariably arose, since alcoholic beverages were disassembled quickly and sometimes they did not have time to deliver the next new batch to the stalls.

Food safety, quality and freshness are very important to the consumer. What is the shelf life and shelf life of food products, how to determine them for an ordinary consumer? On our website you can get detailed information about the shelf life and storage conditions of food products such as milk, kefir, cheese, butter, cottage cheese, eggs, sausage, coffee and tea.

Given the abundance of varieties of beer, the consumer should pay close attention to the indicated storage periods: not only the taste of the drink depends on this, but also the state of health after drinking alcohol. And in this matter, it is worth focusing both on the notes from the manufacturer himself, and on the general standards for each type of malt product.

Signs of a defective product

After the expiration date and storage period, the foamy drink is hazardous to the health of consumers.Unscrupulous sellers can hide the true shelf life and offer stale goods.

A spoiled product will have the following differences:

1. The appearance of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
2. Suspensions, flakes.
3. Increased turbidity, which is not provided for by this type of production.
4. The appearance of a sour odor.
5. Sour taste.
6. A stale product may have no foam at all or may form too much.

When buying, you also need to pay attention to the appearance of foam during the spill. In a fresh drink, it is thick, dense and can last up to 3 minutes.

Thus, draft beer is not a product of long-term storage. You should not stock up on them for future use. And if there is a desire to taste a fresh foamy drink in a bar, then it is better to choose an institution with the greatest traffic. Only in this case can you count on fresh beer.

How to store beer kegs correctly

Alcohol is sold in different containers. Live, craft, draft beers are sold in kegs, which are filled right in the brewery. They go to retail outlets, where they are poured into other containers.

Kegs are hermetically sealed steel barrels. Their capacity is 20-50 liters. The shelf life lasts from several days to six months - this is determined by the type of product. After opening the keg, the beer must be consumed within 1 week. After this period, the taste of the product deteriorates significantly - a noticeable sourness appears in it. If the drink goes bad, it can cause intoxication of the body.

The shelf life of the drink in closed kegs may vary. It differs depending on the type of beer:

• live - retains freshness for no more than 1 month;
• pasteurized - can be consumed for 1-4 months.

If the kegs are connected to the spill, the alcohol quickly loses its characteristics under air pressure. It should be drunk 10 hours after depressurization. It is permissible to store the product under the pressure of carbon dioxide for 1 week.

How to properly store beer in kegs

To maintain excellent hop flavor and the correct consistency, there are a few rules to follow:

• It is advisable to place the container in an upright position. This will prevent the yeast from settling on the walls and will significantly slow down the oxidation process.
• Frequent agitation of the liquid and, moreover, its inversion in a vertical plane should be avoided.
• Conditions and optimum air temperature should be individually selected for each brand.
• Long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation in the most negative way affects the external and taste properties. Therefore, the drink must be stored in a cool, dark place, which is of great importance, for example, for ale.

The figure shows how to store beer.

If you do not follow these rules, manufacturers and sellers may face unpleasant moments. As a result of improper storage, carbon dioxide is released inside the keg, which leads to a sharp formation of foam, which in some cases occupies 25% of the entire container volume. As a result, sellers will receive less profit, since no one will drink one foam, and manufacturers will lose their reputation.

Features of storing live beer

Live beer is distinguished by a pronounced yeast sediment. Using a refrigerator for this drink is destructive - yeast dies at low temperatures, and the lack of pasteurization does not allow the drink to be stored for a long time.

Factory varieties are stored for a long time precisely due to pasteurization, which kills all microorganisms, but does not affect the taste. In addition, breweries carefully monitor the sterility of the equipment and adhere to strict rules for bottling. Hop essential oils are great natural antioxidants, so there are no preservatives in real beer - they just aren't needed.

What to store

Interaction with metal surfaces distorts the beer flavor.To avoid such consequences, manufacturers cover the inner surface of the can with a special varnish. But even a slight deformation of the container during transportation can destroy the integrity of the protective coating, as a result of which the product will lose quality. It is always best to buy this drink in dark glass containers.

Storing beer in plastic containers does not lead to product oxidation. Therefore, it is possible to keep any kind of drink in darkened eggplants without fear, including elite and craft ones.

Professional content of beer often takes place in specialized kegs - kegs, which are capacious containers (20 - 50 l), equipped with a tap. Kegs with the contents should be placed in a special separate room, and the condition of the product and the degree of its "maturity" should be checked regularly.

How to store foam bought in bottles or cans

Most often, people buy beer in stores: in plastic bottles of various sizes, in glass bottles or in cans. What is the best way to keep your favorite drink in such a container, and how much fresh beer, bottled under industrial conditions, remains?

Marking

Pay attention to the expiration date of the beer. First of all, you should focus on this date

It should be noted that imported drinks do not indicate the date of bottling, but the end date of consumption.

A place

The purchase should be placed in the refrigerator:

• It is best if you have a separate small refrigeration unit for this purpose. Too often you have to use the common: every now and then someone opens the door. The light comes on, warm air enters. All this is not good for the product, especially if the container is opened.
• Under no circumstances should you put beer in the freezer. When freezing, not only the beneficial properties of the product are lost. It also loses its taste completely.

Container

The best storage option is glass bottles. Plastic bottles, if they were bottled in a production workshop in compliance with all technologies, are not much inferior to glass ones. The shelf life of beer in plastic is about the same as in glass containers.

Position

Keep bottles upright. If they are laid horizontally, they do this so that the corks do not dry out. The opposite is true with beer. The metal cap should not come into contact with the liquid, so as not to give it a specific taste.

Also, if the beer contains slightly more yeast, sediment may appear. When the bottle is standing straight, the dregs will remain at the bottom and will not get into your glass.

Conditions

The contents of the bottles are badly affected by sunlight, so the containers are made of dark glass or plastic. Try not to leave the drink outdoors for a long time.

The optimum storage temperature for beer is 2-5 ° C.

Variety

Strong dark-colored varieties keep better than "light", light ones.

Dependence of shelf life on the type of beer (click on the picture to enlarge)

What to do when the container is opened?

After opening:

• the intoxicated drink can be kept in a glass bottle for about 3 days;
• in a plastic or tin container - about a day;
• light low-alcohol should be consumed within a few hours.

An opened bottle, if you have not finished it, must be closed as tightly as possible with a lid or cork.

In what container is it better to store beer?

At manufacturing plants, the liquid is poured into a container selected by the manufacturer. For each type of foamy drink, the most suitable container for packaging and storage is determined. Weak alcohol is bottled and stored:

In kegs

Kega is made of quality stainless steel, which adapts to the drink and increases its shelf life

Kegs are cylinders of high-quality stainless material, equipped with a special valve for filling.

Barrels are not too voluminous and can hold up to five liters of drink. They can have significant volumes in terms of displacement and contain up to one hundred liters of beer.They are sealed. Depending on the variety, the shelf life is significantly increased.

In cans of aluminum

This is a good storage method, but not always. Banks are subject to deformation and mechanical stress. If the inner protective layer is damaged, then during long-term storage the quality of the drink decreases.

In glass bottles

Interesting labels of beer bottles

This is the traditional and method-tested storage method. Glass containers have only one requirement for proper storage, they must be dark in color.

The bottle is an excellent container for keeping the foamy drink well, but there are some drawbacks.

In plastic bottles

Plastic is not the best material for storing beer.

PET containers are completely unsuitable for storage. During the time spent in a plastic bottle, the drink reacts with plastic secretions, subsequently forming toxic substances. It is impossible to get poisoned with them, but they are not useful either.

Keg storage features

There is no brewery that only brews beer for bar holidays. There is no economic benefit to such production. Therefore, bottles and kegs contain the same product.

The kega is a sturdy steel container. There are many options for volumes from 5 to 100 liters. This storage method is considered to be the most reliable. The design of the barrel reliably protects the drink from direct sunlight and retains its taste.

How much beer is stored in barrels depends on the type of the drink itself and on the technology of its production. To increase the period, manufacturers use various methods:

1. Pasteurization.
2. Filtering.
3. Adding preservatives.

Live beer in kegs, which does not pass either filtration or pasteurization, has a shelf life of up to 30 days. The use of these processes in the preparation increases the storage period of beer in kegs up to 2-4 months.

The shelf life of beer in kegs after a breach of the seal is minimal. During implementation, a device is attached to the container, supplying air or carbon dioxide under pressure. Possible storage time for beer in kegs after opening under air pressure is up to 10 hours, regardless of whether pasteurization was carried out or not. Storage in kegs after opening under the influence of carbon dioxide can be carried out for 10 days.

Manufacturers may indicate other periods of time, depending on the characteristics of the production of the drink. In this case, the priority period is indicated on the package. In order for the product to retain its properties as much as possible, it is recommended to consume the keg completely during the day.

This is interesting: How to store wine in jars with different types of lids: put it in order

How to properly store draft beer

In order to significantly increase the shelf life of draft beer in a plastic bottle, it is necessary to use a number of fundamental rules to preserve the best organoleptic characteristics of the products.

For the safety of alcohol, pay attention to the following points: Correct storage

Whether you're buying a draft lager or ale, try to stack the bottles vertically. This will avoid the spread of sediment throughout the structure of the drink. That is, it will fall down, and you can easily enjoy a drink without spoiling the experience. Also, the vertical position will protect the drink from prolonged contact with the plastic lid. If alcohol is stored in contact with the lid, the gastronomic shape of the product may be distorted.

Correct storage. Whether you're buying a draft lager or ale, try to stack the bottles vertically. This will avoid the spread of sediment throughout the structure of the drink. That is, it will fall down, and you can easily enjoy a drink without spoiling the experience.Also, the vertical position will protect the drink from prolonged contact with the plastic lid. If alcohol is stored in contact with the lid, the gastronomic shape of the product may be distorted.

• Appropriate place. Place bottles of purchased alcohol only in dark places. Direct sunlight for a drink in a transparent plastic container is destructive. The product should be stored in the dark.
• Tara. Although plastic may not adequately protect the drink, try to choose darker bottles. They allow the alcohol to last longer.
• Temperature. The best place to store beer is in the refrigerator or basement. At room temperature, the hop does not deteriorate, but also does not please with the rich balanced color of aromatic colors. The optimal serving temperature for foam is considered to be 5-7 degrees. This is the temperature that the environment where the drink is stored should be.

Home production

Wanting to enjoy the natural taste of this ancient and popular drink, true lovers learn how to make homemade beer using classic and not so classic recipes. The main assistant in a technologically difficult process is brewer's yeast. Storing brewer's yeast, which is most often in liquid form, requires glass containers. Place them in the refrigerator. They can be stored for up to a year, but the optimal period without loss of quality is no more than a month. Dry brewer's yeast has a longer shelf life - up to two years.

The shelf life of homemade beer depends on the conditions in which the drink is located, and this, again, is the humidity of the air, the temperature regime and the type of container used.

This tasty and aromatic drink is especially great after two weeks or a month of aging. In plastic bottles, homemade beer can be stored for up to 6 months, and if the container is glass, then calmly and up to a year. If somewhere there were flaws in sterility, there is no need to take risks, but it is better to immediately pour out the spoiled beer. Experienced brewers also advise, when filling bottles or cans with beer, not to disturb the yeast sediment formed at the bottom of the parent container.

The problem of proper storage of beer is of interest not only to professional brewers and collectors. Lager, porter, and other beers can be spoiled in a matter of hours, so even if you buy a dozen bottles for tomorrow's party, you still need to make sure that the beer is stored under the right conditions or guests will be disappointed.

It is important to remember the following points:

1. Position of the bottle.
Unlike noble wine, which is stored horizontally (so that the cork does not dry out) in special vintages, it is customary to store beer vertically - this reduces the contact of the drink with the cork (lid) and the air under it. In addition, sometimes yeast sediment is found in beer, when the bottle is correctly positioned, it collects on the bottom and does not fall into the glass.

2. Storage location.
Beer must be isolated from the destructive effect of ultraviolet radiation - for this, at the plant, the drink is bottled in green or dark glass bottles, not transparent.

A special beer cellar works well, but in city apartments you cannot count on such luxury. An alternative to professional storage is a separate beer cooler. You can do with ordinary household items, but then the bottles will be ventilated every time you need to get food, and regular temperature changes do not affect the quality in the best way.

3. Temperature and humidity.
It is customary to drink beer cold, but not ice-cold - with strong freezing (as well as with excessive heating), the taste deteriorates. As for the optimal temperature, a fairly simple rule applies here: the stronger the beer, the higher the storage temperature can be.

Light lagers and ales work well at 7-10 ° C, stouts and dark ales thrive best at 12.8-15.5 ° C, and most varieties keep well at the standard 10-12.8 ° C ... The recommended relative humidity is up to 85%.

If some errors were made when brewing beer, and the drink turned out to be imperfect, all the roughness of the taste will appear when the temperature rises. This is another reason why it is better to drink beer chilled - it will taste better.

Tin, plastic or glass containers?

Metal on contact with beer distorts the taste of the drink. Manufacturers, of course, try to prevent this from happening, and cover the cans from the inside with a layer of protective varnish, but any deformation of the container, for example, a slight shock during transportation, leads to a violation of the integrity of this film and, accordingly, to a decrease in the quality of beer. In this regard, a glass bottle is much better - but only if it does not allow sunlight to pass through.

When the can is thrown from the inside, the taste of the beer deteriorates.

But there are no complaints about plastic, so even Guinness can be poured into unpretentious poltorashki, even elite craft varieties - the taste will not deteriorate, and the beer will retain all its properties.

Specialists often acquire special kegs for storing beer - kegs. These are capacious vessels for 20-50 liters, they require a well-equipped and insulated room; it will not work to put kegs “in the kitchen behind the door”. If you equip such a keg with a tap, you can regularly taste the drink and check its maturity.

There are no complaints about plastic bottles, but they are disposable

How long can homemade beer "stand"

Ardent fans of weak alcohol brew it at home. But this raises a lot of questions about storage times. The quality and suitability depend on several factors:

Quality homemade cherry beer aged for 3 months for carbonation (has a great taste and color)

• Complete sterility during manufacture.
• The most suitable container for a drink and a tight seal.
• The grade of the product being produced.
• Storage conditions.

The shelf life of live beer produced at the factory is determined by a monthly period. Thanks to an individual approach, home production increases shelf life significantly. Experienced manufacturers are confident that the observed sterility will allow the drink to mature for up to six months.

For basic technological processes, the recommended ripening time is one month. If all sterility requirements are met, then the holding period is increased to three months. The result is a superb live drink that any production brewer can envy.

How to properly store beer at home

For the longest shelf life of this product, it is desirable to store it at a low temperature. Accordingly, keeping the beer in the refrigerator is the best option for home use.

The temperature range for storing beer is 10 to 12 ° C.

In addition, there are a number of additional requirements to the place where beer is stored.

Below we list a number of conditions for industrial beer bottled in glass bottles.

• Beer bottles should be upright.
• The place where it is planned to store beer should be darkened, since when light hits the bottle, the period for how long this product can be stored is significantly reduced.
• The storage temperature should be unchanged; in the presence of temperature fluctuations, the shelf life of the product will be reduced.
• The temperature at which beer can be stored depends on the alcohol content of the beverage. In particular, beer with a medium alcohol content can be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures between 10 and 12 ° C. Strong beer can be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures between 12 and 15 ° C.Low alcohol beer is stored at temperatures from 7 to 10 ° C.

The duration of how long the beer will remain usable depends on both the type and grade of the product itself, as well as where it is planned to be stored and at what temperature.

Most beers on offer in stores have a shelf life of up to six months. Some expensive varieties can remain suitable for up to 5 years.

It is worth noting that live beer, due to the active fermentation process, cannot be stored in the refrigerator. At low temperatures, the yeast culture will most likely die and the beer will become unusable. The duration of the storage period for live beer is two to three days. With a longer storage period, live beer loses its flavor.

Below we will take a closer look at how long beer can be stored, depending on the variety, type of container and other factors.

How long can you store beer

Open - not at all. The foamy drink is completely exhausted even in a few hours, and the next day the beer will already have a frankly unpleasant musty aftertaste.

The expiration date of a bottled drink should be seen on the label - usually manufacturers indicate it scrupulously. It all depends on the type of beer and the way it is made. There are special types designed for long aging - they ripen after being poured into containers. Other brands only deteriorate over time and should be consumed as soon as possible. There are varieties designed for long-term storage up to 25 years.

Unpasteurized beer, which will not survive even a few hours of transportation, is never exported - it simply does not have time to arrive on foreign tables, it spoils earlier.

Everything is very individual. Experts say that the only reliable way to determine the optimal period and storage conditions for beer is to buy several bottles of the same type and personally taste them at different intervals, carefully recording all taste changes in a special observation diary.

If you plan to become a beer sommelier and devote yourself to such experiments, you cannot do without a separate basement or at least a pantry - you will have to allocate a separate cool place for drinks with a constant temperature and good ventilation.