IPA freshness question.

I buy any hoppy beer up to two months old and after that it is a case to case basis depending on several factors.... was it refrigerated? What beer is it? Are there fresher options of equal quality available

 

no one is forcing you to buy the beer. if you think its even close to old (I usually go with 6 weeks), then buy something else or nothing at all.

 

All things being equal I like my IPA's under a month old. I had a few Pliny's that were 6 weeks old and they were still very good, you would have to have had under 14 day old Pliny to know the difference. I would stay away from any IPA over two months old if there's a better option. Some bottles aren't dated, but the cases are, so a good bottle shop owner who knows his stock IMO is key.

 

The Stone standard of 3 months is good enough for me, but obviously the fresher the better.

 

Loose Cannon is an ok IPA to start with.

 

There is no rule since it is a gradual process, but 2 weeks without a cooler and a month with a cooler is a decent starting point.

 

I try and buy within a month of bottling and drink within 2 months. If I'm buying a case (being in PA), I try and get that down to within two weeks (for purchasing) since it will take me a while to finish it all.

 

With IPA's the fresher the better. Case in point Loose Cannon, had a bottle, well below average IPA. Went to Baltimore and the only craft beer on tap was Loose Cannon. 100 times better and well above average. One of the best IPA's I ever had was a freshly tapped keg of Sweetwater IPA. I would stick to local beers, beers on tap, or beers less than a month old and refrigerated.

 

I try to buy IPAs that will be drank within two months of the bottling date. Theres not real hard and fast rule, and all time frames are arbitrary, as the fresher the better and really any day on the shelf is likely detracting from the flavor profile.

 

up to sixty day's for me on IPA'S as a general rule but ive had centennial. 2hearted .furious. odells and others @ 90 days still very good, fresher the better of course but i dont like to get so caught up in this, i do check my ipa's

 

Generally inside of 2 months for me. I usually buy my IPAs based on freshness as opposed to seeking out a specific beer. As others have stated, its hard to drink an IPA at 3-4 months old if you have had it when it was only a couple weeks old.

 

+1.

 

for me the fresher the beer the better, it has more hoppiness to it, BUT if its one of your favorite beers its probably not gonna matter to you, you'll sacrafice a little flavor to have it but i usually opt for a different beer thats in the same class... CHEERS