What is the new "FRESH"?

As I posted elsewhere on this site, I experienced a unique event yesterday regarding "freshness".
I overheard a phone discussion with a customer at a local retail outlet asking if NoDa Hop Drop'n Roll was available. The gentleman on the phone said, "the owner is on his way to Charlotte to pick up beer at the brewery". I was told later that the customer then asked, "is it fresh?" The beer was canned Monday and is delicious. This obsession with the concept of freshness is not allowing these particular people the enjoyment of beer. Experience teaches one which beers to trust.

 

After one month: loss of unique hop character
After three months: starts tasting like every other mid - road ipa.

 

I've had 6-8 month old Meantime IPAs that were absolutely delicious. I once had a year old Otter Creek Imperial IPA that was remarkable. Obsession with dating is, well, an obsession.

 

Sure, 6mo.+ old IPAs can be very enjoyable, but I don't think anyone could deny that the dry-hop flavors/aromas fade and will disappear, quickly. They (older IPAs)taste very different than what they were <1mo old.

 

Well, it probably depends what the specific beers in question were, but your point is well taken.

 

True enough. Those Meantimes had some very fresh hop aromas and I always thought that great brewing talent made them happen! I love very fresh IPAs, but know that fermented things continue to evolve.

 

A month.

 

Pliny. Haha. Beautiful beer. SO Inconsistent. I've had less than one week old bottles that were worse than some 4 week old bottles, and vise-versa. Gamble every batch for those very familiar with this beer.

 

I was never a big fan of trading for IPAs. I like my IPAs to be refrigerated. If I were to trade for an IPA that I had never had before, the fresher the better, preferably within the first few weeks of bottling. Nowadays I don't worry about it that much. If I see an IPA I want to try and its 2 or (god forbid) even 3 months out , I'll still try it and just think, hey, maybe I'll get to try it fresher later, no big deal. I'm a big fan of fresh beer but too many people get their panties in a bunch over beers that are more than a few weeks old.

 

If an IPA doesn't maintain quality for over a month after bottling, then it should never be bottled in the first place.

 

Where's the "Under 24 hours" option?

 

For trading purposes any and all should be within 30 days. I try to drink any in my fridge within 45 days unless it is a vetted quicker turnaround beer, ie Heady or Pliny.

 

Within a week . . . That is a "luxury beer" (I'm the Man)
Within a month . . . That is a "fresh beer" (fortunate to be drinking)
Up to experation date . . . That is a "solid beer" (nothing to complain about)

 

I bought some Two Hearted today that was bottled 1-22-14. I didn't even check the date before I bought it. But it is noticeably off in the taste compared to fresher bottles. Too bad. I try to stay under 3 months from bottling if I can.

 

Bell's utilizes a best by timeframe of 6 months for Two Hearted. What do you think about that?

Cheers!

 

if it was brewed it's already too old. typically i just eat the hops right off the vine. only way to guarantee freshness imo.


seriously tho, up to a month after bottling is still very very fresh. heck, i had a mirror pond last week that was 2 months past it's best by date (so it was like 8-10 months old) and it was still really good.

 

I guess the off taste is all in my head? If that is true then I hope it is.

 

I'll say this, I've had Maine Beer Co. MO just 3 days from bottling. I actually think its better with about 10-14 days after its been in the bottle.

 

My general rule is 90 days for an IPA with under 30 days being an actual selling point.