How long do IPAs stay "Fresh"?

we'll i drink my ipas so fresh the hops don't have a chance to fade. Anyway, I personally make an extra dryhop addition into my snifter when i consume the beer. If you're not adding hops to your store bought beer your're doin it wrong

 

If anybody doesn't want their Zombie Dust, Heady Topper, etc. after 3-6 months, feel free to send it to me. I'll drink it.

 

I try not to buy if it's more than 4 months

 

Here's a thought, Would you be willing to pay more for a younger/fresher IPA?

 

+1 on the Abrasive! I'm extra picky and pretty much follow 30 days for IPA and 60 day for DIPA and I had 90 day old Abrasive that tasted supa fresh.

 

An old IPA is going to be pretty malty, not much pine/citrus, etc. If it tastes like cardboard - chances are it's old.

 

my IPAs usually stay fresh to the bottom of the glass

 

In Illinois Surly is required to be kept in the coolers. That makes a huge difference.

 

Fresh is best and a non negotiable for me. I can only appreciate IPAs that are less than 2 months old (max 3). Mind you I think the same about all beers. The delicate edges of a helles or a blonde ale will blur after a few months. Faults including age aren't well hidden in delicate beers.

 

I never believed in the droppoff. I know it probably happens, I just don't think anyone can REALLY detect it. Someone prove me wrong with a blind taste test and pick the, "youngest ipa" from a group. I bet, unless it's really old, you can't.

 

When I worked on a beer bottling line, we used to joke that if you didn't drink the double ipa while it was coming off the line, it would be too late.

 

I completely agree (except I wouldn't call fellow BAs nimrods). I love nice, punchy American IPAs and there have been times when I stumbled upon some really fresh stuff and actually liked it better after it had sat in my fridge for 5 or 6 days. Super-fresh ones taste very medicinal and too hemp-like for me. After several days, they quickly round out and become nice, citrusy pleasure bombs. With my palate, it's almost like there's a "flavor curve" with IPAs. The flavor climbs very quickly, plateaus out, then very slowly declines. That slow, gradual decline to Strong Ale takes weeks if kept cold.

 

With the exception of Sierra Nevada, I try not to get it if it's past a month, month and a half.

 

Nimrod was a skilled hunter. So, a BA Nimrod would be one who is skilled at finding good beer!

 

A nanosecond, for DIPAs two nanoseconds.

 

I respect beers falling off, but has anyone had a beer that just tasted way better than that exact same beer you had a day or two later? I had el cedro by jester, it was magical. i bought another el cedro a day later and consumed it the next day. highly forgettable. I don't subscribe to beers changing dramatically in that short amount of time, but it was undeniable.

If this is the case, why spend money on an IPA when your simply hoping its the beer you want it to be?

 

I highly doubt that they were from the same packaging run, and the one you bought the day later was old.

 

2 months is my limit typically

 

It depends on how they are stored at the retailer and the hop level - 90 days max but I would expect that a lot of the hop aromatics would be diminished. Stuff in a cooler will last longer than stuff sitting on a shelf. In a big chain I try to get stuff younger than six weeks. Avoid IPAs in clear or green bottles sitting on the top shelf under bright fluorescent light. For the good stuff I try to go to local stores that specialize in craft beer and treat it well. If the beer is stored at room temperature buy as young as possible. If it is in a cooler it will last longer.

 

Just picked up a bottle of Lunch (Brew date 12-23-14= 20days old) and specifically says on the bottle to consume with 90 days for freshness. Heady, on the can, also urges people to drink ASAP. Makes me laugh when I see haul pics of cases of both the above and wonder how these people drink these fresh. Dusty can Heady= meh, Dusty bottle BCBS=YES.