All about beer
The simple answer is yes, the beer is still good insofar as it is safe to drink . Since most beer is either pasteurized or filtered to eliminate bacteria, it’s extremely resistant to spoiling.
Expired alcohol doesn’t make you sick . If you drink liquor after it’s been open for more than a year, you generally only risk a duller taste. Flat beer typically tastes off and may upset your stomach, whereas spoiled wine usually tastes vinegary or nutty but isn’t harmful.
Putting a “best by” date also shouldn’t be seen as an expiration date , as beer doesn’t technically spoil, it just becomes less tasty over time. A beer past its ideal state can taste bad and turn off consumers from trying different beers from an otherwise great brewery — all because the beer was too old.
How to tell if Beer is bad, rotten or spoiled? You can usually tell when you open the bottle if your beer has gone bad. When you open the bottle you should hear the normal “psssst” sound indicating that your beer is fresh and ready to drink.
No, beer has no use by date , meaning it is safe to drink well past the best before date . Beer won’t be dangerous to drink , but the taste of the beer will deteriorate over time. How you store your beer will also affect the taste. Beer is very sensitive to light and dramatic temperature changes.
As a beer ages, will its potency wane too? In a word, no. The alcohol content of beer (and wine, for that matter) is determined during the fermentation process and will not change over time.
In short — Yes, your beer can expire. The higher the alcohol content of the beer the longer the beer takes to go bad. Out of date beer just won’t taste as good as the brewer — or you — might like. It’s not the way that beer was meant to be drunk.