Expert: John Snyder - 3/25/2004

Question
i was wondering about storing strong beers (10% or more ABV).

is it okay to age strong beers? if so, how long, and under what conditions?

some beers, like weyerbacher quad, unibroue terrible and other belgian-style ales, recommend "laying them down" for 6 months to a year or longer. can i just keep these in my closet at room temperature, or is something like a wine cellar more appropriate?

thanks!

Answer
flavor,taste,and aroma begin to deteriorate in beer and ales as they age in the bottle.This is a normal process.Heavier bodied ales and beer will survive longer before the fresh taste begins to deteriorate.The beer processing,aging,and packaging stages has to be done with great care,especially keeping air out of the process,also good biological control. A good produced product will have an average shelf life of 6 to 9 months,at temps in the 50-60 F range.Refrigerated product will last normally a yr or so,before the freshness is gone.If the product happens to be in packaged in clear glass,or green glass,it is very important to keep that product from light,and sunlight,or deterioration in flavor,will just be a matter of hrs.or days.Preferably the bottles should be stored upright

            hope this is of help,any more info needed please let me know.

PS you didn't say whether or not the yeast had been removed from the product before packaging,i'm assuming it had been