Comments on: Wolaver’s Organic Pale Ale

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:36 +0000

Well, actually I wouldn’t want people to leave with the impression that any ‘ol beer will be good for a few years necessarily.
It depends partly on the hop quantities used in the beer (among other factors). Hops are a natural preservative. Light American lagers like Bud and Coors have only minuscule traces of hops, so they start to go bad around 6 months.

With a pale ale like this it probably has a moderate amount of hops. The stronger the ABV though, the better the beer will age. It needs to be stored out of sun and not in high heat though. It is weird you accidentally got a 3 year old beer from a store though.

Anyway, there’s no way to get sick from old beer certainly, because no known human pathogens can live in beer. It just might taste cardboardy (oxidation) or sweet/fruity (decay of the hop compounds).

See this page for info on how to age beer: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store
(skip over the parts on corks, unless you’re storing corked beer).

By: Scott-TheBrewClub

Scott-TheBrewClub — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:55:41 +0000

Well, there ya go! Now I know old beers aren't necessarily a bad thing. I've always known people to cellar beers, I just didn't think any 'ol beer would be good after a few years or not. This one was quite good I thought! Thanks for the comments! .-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Sweaty Betty Blonde Wheat Beer =-.

By: Brian Robertson

Brian Robertson — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:13 +0000

I hadnt considered aged beers until a year or two ago when I did a tour of a local micro brew – I guess I listened to the Budweiser ads too long as well.
.-= Brian Robertson´s last blog ..Tropical Islander Jello Shot Recipe =-.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:45:00 +0000

You thought older beer is bad? You’ve been too indoctrinated by Budweiser advertising. Many people pay huge premiums to get aged beers. Good beers don’t degrade as quickly as Bud/Coors/etc and can change and improve in taste as they age, especially if they’re bottled conditioned so there’s some yeast still in there.
Stronger beers are better for aging, so it’s a little odd to do that with a pale ale, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be worse than young beer.

By: Scott - TheBrewClub

Scott - TheBrewClub — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:45:06 +0000

That’s in interesting observation Nate. I hadn’t really thought of time benefiting the beer’s flavor, but perhaps it did! I have a bottle of Peak Organic as well that I’m hoping to try soon and see how they compare.

By: nate

nate — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:46:44 +0000

Interesting review, Scott. I’ve not had this. I’d take a bottle from 2006 any day over a bottle from 2009 of pretty much any American Pale ale, as I prefer malt over up-front hop flavor.

Like you, most beers I review I am tasting for the first time…or at least it’s been a long time since I’ve had them and my palate has developed since then.
.-= nate´s last blog ..What’s Going On Here? =-.