Expert: Spencer W Thomas - 8/11/2007

Question
How long will beer keep in the can before it turns bad and you should not drink it?

Answer
Beer will not go bad to the point where it's unhealthy to drink it.  It will eventually go stale to the point where it doesn't taste good.  

How long?  That depends on how the beer was stored.  Kept in a refrigerator, it can last a year or longer.  Kept in a hot garage, it might go off in a month.

Light flavored American beers like Schlitz have both advantages and disadvantages in aging.  Since they don't have a lot of flavor, there's not much flavor to go off.  But also, since they don't have a lot of flavor, when they go stale, there's nothing to cover it up.

Anyway, if you're concerned about your beer that's been sitting around for a while, open a can and taste it.  If it tastes ok, then drink it. If it doesn't, get it really, really cold and you won't taste anything, anyway. :-)  In either case, it won't make you sick.