how long will beer stay good?

[daryn]

i have this balashi in my fridge since i came back from aruba OCT 2004. what say you beer wizards of OOT?

[Cumulonimbus]

I've had many outdated Pabsts in my day. It might smell bad and taste funny, but just drink it anyway.

[loyalguard]

This is a nay Daryn. Balashi is good stuff, but it is not meant to sit that long.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

toss it

[manpower]

Beer doesn't go bad like milk. It ages like other alcohols. Some beer gets better with age and some gets worse. So open it and find out, it's either going to be 'kind of skunky' or 'still pretty good'. Either way it won't hurt you.

[daryn]

[ QUOTE ]
toss it

[/ QUOTE ]

nah.. at worst i'm keeping it as a souvenier

[MrTrik]

After a few drinks of other stuff you won't notice the skunkiness as much if it has gone bad. So either drink it after a few or give it to someone you don't like as a house warming gift.

Or send it to me and I'll produce a trip report after drinking it.

[DougOzzzz]

that [censored] isn't any good even when fresh. Over a year of "aging" plus a green bottle = major skunkiness.

[Lazy Meatball]

I am of the opinion that the whole idea of "Freshness" in beer is just dumb marketing hype. The process of making booze involves making stuff rot, so after it's fermented and aged, how is it still fresh? If stored in a cool dark place beer should be drinkable for a few years, although skunking can take place if it goes from cold to warm a couple times.

[Malcriado]

I used to work in a bar and whenever we would do inventory there would be a few stray beers that fell off the rack in the fridge and would be hidden behind wine bottles. Some were or only 3 months old some maybe more but most tasted like piss , time is not kind to beer.